Matula & Kornerup, "A Feasibility Analysis of Binary Fixed-Slash and Floating-Slash Number Systems", from ARITH4 in 1978.
I asked what it would cost to build it today. I will never forget his answer… "We can’t, we don’t know how to do it. We just faff around with posits instead."
@glaebhoerl yes, that’s very similar.