History Of The Computer Industry In America (2416 words) Essay Example For Students

History Of The Computer Industry In America (2416 words) Essay History Of The Computer Industry In AmericaMatchmaker.com: Sign up now for a free trial. Date Smarter!HistoryOf The Computer Industry In AmericaOnly once in a lifetime will a new inventioncome about to touchevery aspect of our lives. Sucha device that changes the way we work,live, and play is a special one, indeed. A machine that has done allthis and more now exists in nearly everybusiness in the U.S. and oneout of every two households (Hall, 156). This incredible invention isthe computer. The electronic computerhas been around for over ahalf-century, but its ancestors have beenaround for 2000 years. However, only in the last 40 years hasit changed the American society. From the first wooden abacus to the latesthigh-speed microprocessor,the computer has changed nearly everyaspect of peopleOs lives for thebetter. The very earliest existence of the modern day computerOsancestor is the abacus. These dateback to almost 2000 years ago. Itis simply a wooden rack holding parallelwires on which beads arestrung. When these beads are movedalong the wire according toprogramming rules that the user mustmemorize, all ordinary arithmeticoperations can be performed (Soma, 14). The next innovation incomputers took place in 1694 when BlaisePascal invented the firstOdigital calculating machineO. It could only add numbers and they hadto be entered by turning dials. It was designed to help PascalOs fatherwho was a tax collector (Soma, 32). In the early 1800Os, a mathematics professor named CharlesBabbage designed an automatic calculationmachine. It was steam poweredand could store up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Built in to his machinewere operations that included everythinga modern general-purposecomputer would need. It was programmedbyand stored data oncardswith holes punched in them, appropriatelycalled OpunchcardsO. Hisinventions were failures for the mostpart because of the lack ofprecision machining techniques used atthe time and the lack of demandfor such a device (Soma, 46). After Babbage, people began to lose interest in computers. However, between 1850 and 1900 there weregreat advances in mathematicsand physics that began to rekindle theinterest (Osborne, 45). Many ofthese new advances involved complex calculationsand formulas that werevery time consuming for human calculation. The first major use for acomputer in the U.S. was during the 1890census. Two men, HermanHollerith and James Powers, developeda new punched-card system thatcould automatically read information oncards without human intervention(Gulliver, 82). Since the populationof the U.S. was increasing sofast, the computer was an essential toolin tabulating the totals. These advantages were noted by commercial industries and soonled to the development of improved punch-cardbusiness-machine systemsby International Business Machines (IBM),Remington-Rand, Burroughs, andother corporations. By modern standardsthe punched-card machines wereslow, typically processing from 50 to250 cards per minute, with eachcard holding up to 80 digits. Atthe time, however, punched cards werean enormous step forward; they provideda means of input, output, andmemory storage on a massive scale. For more than 50 years followingtheir first use, punched-card machinesdid the bulk of the worldsbusiness computing and a good portionof the computing work in science(Chposky, 73). By the late 1930s punched-card machine techniques had become sowell established and reliable that HowardHathaway Aiken, incollaboration with engineers at IBM, undertookconstruction of a largeautomatic digital computer based on standardIBM electromechanicalparts. Aikens machine, called theHarvard Mark I, handled 23-digitnumbers and could perform all four arithmeticoperations. Also, it hadspecial built-in programs to handle logarithmsand trigonometricfunctions. The Mark I was controlledfrom prepunched paper tape. Output was by card punch and electrictypewriter. It was slow,requiring 3 to 5 seconds for a multiplication,but it was fullyautomatic and could complete long computationswithout humanintervention (Chposky, 103). The outbreak of World War II produced a desperate need forcomputing capability, especially for themilitary. New weapons systemswere produced which needed trajectorytables and other essential data. In 1942, John P. Eckert, John W. Mauchley,and their associates at theUniversity of Pennsylvania decided tobuild a high-speed electroniccomputer to do the job. This machinebecame known as ENIAC, forElectrical Numerical Integrator And Calculator. It could multiply twonumbers at the rate of 300 products persecond, by finding the value ofeach product from a multiplication tablestored in its memory. ENIAC wasthus about 1,000 times faster than theprevious generation of computers(Dolotta, 47). ENIAC used 18,000 standard vacuum tubes, occupied 1800 squarefeet of floor space, and used about 180,000watts of electricity. Itused punched-card input and output. The ENIAC was very difficult toprogram because one had to essentiallyre-wire it to perform whatevertask he wanted the computer to do. It was, however, efficient inhandling the particular programs for whichit had been designed. ENIACis generally accepted as the first successfulhigh-speed electronicdigital computer and was used in manyapplications from 1946 to 1955(Dolotta, 50). Mathematician John von Neumann was very interested in the ENIAC. In 1945 he undertook a theoretical studyof computation thatdemonstrated that a computer could havea very simple and yet be able toexecute any kind of computation effectivelyby means of properprogrammed control without the need forany changes in hardware. VonNeumann came up with incredible ideasfor methods of building andorganizing practical, fast computers. I Have a Dream EssayMany companies, some new to the computerfield, introduced in the 1970sprogrammable minicomputers supplied withsoftware packages. Thesize-reduction trend continued with theintroduction of personalcomputers, which are programmable machinessmall enough and inexpensiveenough to be purchased and used by individuals(Rogers, 153). One of the first of such machines was introduced in January1975. Popular Electronics magazineprovided plans that would allow anyelectronics wizard to build his own small,programmable computer forabout $380 (Rose, 32). The computerwas called the OAltair 8800O. Itsprogramming involved pushing buttons andflipping switches on the frontof the box. It didnOt includea monitor or keyboard, and itsapplications were very limited (Jacobs,53). Even though, many orderscame in for it and several famous ownersof computer and softwaremanufacturing companies got their startin computing through the Altair. For example, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak,founders of Apple Computer,built a much cheaper, yet more productiveversion of the Altair andturned their hobby into a business (Fluegelman,16). After the introduction of the Altair 8800, the personal computerindustry became a fierce battlegroundof competition. IBM had been thecomputer industry standard for well overa half-century. They heldtheir position as the standard when theyintroduced their first personalcomputer, the IBM Model 60 in 1975 (Chposky,156). However, the newlyformed Apple Computer company was releasingits own personal computer,the Apple II (The Apple I was the firstcomputer designed by Jobs andWozniak in WozniakOs garage, whichwas not produced on a wide scale). Software was needed to run the computersas well. Microsoft developed aDisk Operating System (MS-DOS) for theIBM computer while Appledeveloped its own software system (Rose,37). Because Microsoft had nowset the software standard for IBMs, everysoftware manufacturer had tomake their software compatible with MicrosoftOs. This would lead tohuge profits for Microsoft (Cringley,163). The main goal of the computer manufacturers was to make thecomputer as affordable as possible whileincreasing speed, reliability,and capacity. Nearly every computermanufacturer accomplished this andcomputers popped up everywhere. Computers were in businesses keepingtrack of inventories. Computerswere in colleges aiding students inresearch. Computers were in laboratoriesmaking complex calculations athigh speeds for scientists and physicists. The computer had made itsmark everywhere in society and built upa huge industry (Cringley, 174). The future is promising for the computer industry and itstechnology. The speed of processorsis expected to double every yearand a half in the coming years. As manufacturing techniques are furtherperfected the prices of computer systemsare expected to steadily fall. However, since the microprocessor technologywill be increasing, itOshigher costs will offset the drop in priceof older processors. In otherwords, the price of a new computer willstay about the same from year toyear, but technology will steadily increase(Zachary, 42)Since the end of World War II, the computer industry has grownfrom a standing start into one of thebiggest and most profitableindustries in the United States. It now comprises thousands ofcompanies, making everything from multi-milliondollar high-speedsupercomputers to printout paper and floppydisks. It employs millionsof people and generates tens of billionsof dollars in sales each year(Malone, 192). Surely, the computerhas impacted every aspect ofpeopleOs lives. It has affectedthe way people work and play. It hasmade everyoneOs life easier bydoing difficult work for people. Thecomputer truly is one of the most incredibleinventions in history. Works CitedChposky, James. Blue Magic. New York:Facts on File Publishing. 1988. Cringley, Robert X. Accidental Empires. Reading, MA: Addison WesleyPublishing, 1992. Dolotta, T.A. Data Processing: 1940-1985. New York: John Wiley Sons,1985. Fluegelman, Andrew. OA NewWorldO, MacWorld. San Jose, Ca: MacWorldPublishing, February, 1984 (Premire Issue). Hall, Peter. Silicon Landscapes. Boston: Allen Irwin, 1985Gulliver, David. Silicon Valey andBeyond. Berkeley, Ca: Berkeley AreaGovernment Press, 1981. Hazewindus, Nico. The U.S. MicroelectronicsIndustry. New York:Pergamon Press, 1988. Jacobs, Christopher W. OThe Altair8800O, Popular Electronics. NewYork: Popular Electronics Publishing,January 1975. Malone, Michael S. The Big Scare:The U.S. Coputer Industry. GardenCity, NY: Doubleday Co., 1985. Osborne, Adam. Hypergrowth. Berkeley, Ca: Idthekkethan PublishingCompany, 1984. Rogers, Everett M. Silicon ValeyFever. New York: Basic Books, Inc. Publishing, 1984. Rose, Frank. West of Eden. New York: Viking Publishing, 1989. Shallis, Michael. The Silicon Idol. New York: Shocken Books, 1984. Soma, John T. The History of theComputer. Toronto: Lexington Books,1976. Zachary, William. OThe Futureof ComputingO, Byte. Boston: BytePublishing, August 1994.

The Life of a Half Geek free essay sample

6:00AM. Time to rise and shine. Well, at the very least, time to rise. I start off the day with my monotonous morning routine of eating breakfast, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and running out the door. After battling the morning traffic I reach my destination, Immaculate Heart Academy. I pull into the lot and head towards the school. As I’m reaching for the door to the school one of my friends stops me. â€Å"Sara!† she calls out desperately, laptop in hand, â€Å"My laptop keeps going black! Help me!† Looks like I will be playing the role of tech support today. I take her laptop and get working. First I check its â€Å"vital signs.† Laptop boots as normal, no unusual processes running. . . I shift with the laptop in my lap when â€Å"ping†, something falls to the floor. I shift to find what has fallen, but as soon as I move the screen goes black! I search for the object that fell and find a small screw. We will write a custom essay sample on The Life of a Half Geek or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This must be part of the laptop. I check the hardware and find that the plastic covering the hard drive is loose. That explains the problem! I find a screw driver and put the plastic piece back in its place. â€Å"All fixed!† I tell my friend ecstatically. â€Å"Riiiinnngggg.† Time for class. I sit through my classes and rush out the door when that long awaited end-of-the-day bell rings. I rush to beat the buses out of the parking lot and then cruise down the highway until I get home. Time for homework. I get it over quickly so that I can enjoy the rest of my night. Once I finish, I plop down on the couch with my laptop for some â€Å"me† time. I start off by checking my social networks. As usual, nothing interesting going on there. Time to work on my latest project: turning an old laptop into a digital photo frame. I start working on the hardware aspect of the project. Who knew that one of the hardest part would be finding a frame thick enough to hold the comp uter components? After working on my project for a bit it’s time for bed. I go through the inverse of my monotonous morning routine and get into bed. A good end to a great day. This is just a typical day in my life as a half-geek. My life is a balance of technology and friends. By making time for both, I get the unique opportunity of learning how to help others with their computer problems and giving them the tools they need to fix their computers in the future. Walking my friends through simple solutions as well as complex ones helps me improve both my patience and my computer skills. I love helping my friends out and seeing them improve over time. I am a typical teenager in many aspects of my life, but I am a geek as well, and I love it that way.

Edgar Allan Poe Essays (2457 words) - Edgar Allan Poe,

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe In every story conceived from the mind of Edgar Allan Poe, a scent of his essence had been molded into each to leave the reader with a better understanding of Poes life. Poe displayed his greatest lifes achievements and his worst disappointments in a series of stories created throughout his whole life. It is the goal of this research paper to reveal symbolic facts about his life and define these hidden maxims in a way that is easy to understand and beneficial to the reader. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts (Poe, Edgar Allan, Encyclopedia Britannica 540). Poes parents were David Poe, an actor based in Baltimore and Elizabeth Arnold Poe, an actress born in England, also based in Baltimore (540). Upon birth, Poe had been cursed. Shortly after his birth, Poes father abandoned the family and left Poe and his mother to fend for themselves. Not long after that, the cruel hands of fate had worked their horrid magic once again by claiming his mother. In 1811, when Poe was two, his mother passed away, leaving him with his second depressing loss (540). After his fathers cowardly retreat and mothers sudden death, Poe was left in the capable hand of his godfather, John Allan. John Allan was a wealthy merchant based in Richmond, Virginia with the means, knowledge and affluence to provide a good life for Poe (Poe, Edgar Allan, Encyclopedia Britannica 540). In 1815, Poe and his new family moved to England to provide Poe a classical education (which was finished out in Richmond. Upon returning from England in 1826, Poe enrolled at the University of Virginia (Poe, Edgar Allan, Encyclopedia Britannica 540). This was a magnificent feat for him, because Poe was only seventeen at the time while the normal age for attendance was nineteen (Quinn 130). For the first time, life had hit a high note and provided for him what seemed to be a path paved with gold. Upon entering college, Poe realized his path of gold was really a mountain of grief and di sappointment. In no more time than it took Poe to unpack his bags, he was already involved in immoral acts of gambling and drinking. He developed gambling debts from 2,000 to 2,500 dollars, which caused some fraction between his godfather and himself (Quinn 130). After eleven months at the university, Poe dropped out due to his debts, but mostly for John Allans refusal to pay for them (Poe, Edgar Allan, Encyclopedia Britannica 540). No sooner then Poe was home, then he been invited to a party of Sarah Elmira Roysters, his sweetheart before college. When he arrived at the party, he learned that it was Elmiras engagement party, striking a dramatic blow to Poes heart (540). After John Allan and Poe had their quarrels over Poes gambling addiction, he joined the army under the alias of Edgar Allan Perry (Poe, Edgar Allan, Encyclopedia Britannica 540). In 1829, Poe was honorably discharged, but not before attaining the rank of Sergeant Major (540). A year later, John Allan scheduled an ap pointment for Poe with the West Point U.S. Military Academy (540). Poe had not been in the academy for a year when he was dismissed from West Point. It was after his military career when Poe starting to become a successful writer of poetry and short stories. In 1831, Poems included three of his greatest works: To Helen, The City in the Sea, and Israfel (Poe, Edgar Allan, World Book Encyclopedia 591). When his poems failed to reach recognition, Poe began to write short stories such as MS. Found in a Bottle in 1833 (591). It was around this time when he married his fourteen-year old cousin, Virginia Clemm, who was a very influential character in Poes later works (591). In 1840, Poe published a collection of his first twenty-five stories called Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque (Poe, Edgar Allan, World Book Encyclopedia 591). Even when this collection failed to sale or gain recognition, Poe still kept a daily routine of working on literature. In 1843 he sold 300,000 copies of The Go ld Bug (592). Also in 1843 Poe published one his

The Notorious Aaron Burr essays

The Notorious Aaron Burr essays Aaron Burr was born on February 6, 1756 in Newark New Jersey. His father, Reverend Aaron Hall, was the president of the college of New Jersey, which was changed to Princeton after the college was moved there. He was a professor of mathematics, Greek, and Latin. His mother Esther was daughter of Jonathon Edwards, one of Americas most famous religious leaders (Schachner 3-18). Aaron also had a sister named Sally (Schachner 11-18). Reverend Aaron died from fever in 1757, and Esther died from smallpox less than one year later. Aaron and Sally were then taken care of by Esthers parents (Ingram 18-19). After their grandparents death in 1759, Aaron and Sally were sent to live with their Uncle, Timothy Edwards, in Elizabethtown New Jersey (Ingram 19). His uncle, who thought he was a troublemaker, often beat Aaron. Aaron was very unhappy there and tried to run away twice. The only time Aaron was happy was when he was studying with his tutor, Tapping Revere, a young Princeton graduate (Ingram 23). Tapping Revere married Sally, and ended up being friends with Aaron for life (Schachner 19). Aaron was an exceptionally good student. At the age of 11, he applied for admission into Princeton College, but was denied due to his age. He was accepted two years later in 1769, and was so advanced that he was placed in the sophomore class. Aaron was invited to become a member of the Cliosophic Society, a debating club. The main topics debated in this club were the famous issues at the time, unfair taxation and British control. Among peers, Aaron was considered a powerful speaker who was able to persuade others to accept his beliefs. (Ingram 24-26) Aaron graduated from Princeton in 1772, at the age of 16. He then followed the footsteps of the men in his family, and began religious studies in the fall of 1773. Aaron soon came to find that his personal beliefs did not agree with the religious principles he was being ta...

So What Does This All Mean to me Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

So What Does This All Mean to me - Assignment Example We may vary from the way we speak and our beliefs but still each of us has a unique characteristics that makes us interesting from each other. The stereotype role I play on my daily activities and decision making is the role of choosing and ending with the right decision and how this decision will entirely affect me and the people that surrounds me. I chose my current current is because this is something that will help me finish my studies and change my life in the future. My future career will be stereotyped based on what I am sowing today and I planned to be successful in different ways. I have learned to be more decisive, picky, and use my common sense from the American popular culture. I have also learned that it is still my own decision if I will get affected by the culture presented and that all that is happening around me; absorption is based on personal assumptions. Through this, I came to the point of not being so stereotype and I should always find a reason to justify things before concluding something. I believe that I can only maintain the values I have learn by practicing it and applying it daily relative to my decisions and how I think over into something and for me; values are something that you can acquire but hard to leave out in someone is applying it all to himself. Implementation of the values learned is somewhat similar to applying it to everyday activities. What I have learned today, Ill make sure that I get to apply it and through the application I know it will help me to go to the right path in terms of getting good career and most likely into business. Galupo, S. (2004). U.S. Pop culture seen as plague; damage, influence may be exaggerated: The Washington Times. Retrieved from

Consumption Today vs. Consumption Tomorrow Essay

Consumption Today vs. Consumption Tomorrow - Essay Example Brie tarts. Tansy cakes with peppermint cream† for William’s training, gear and other expenses to win in the Rouen tournament. In a sense, it is their capital to â€Å"to glory and riches none of us ever dreamed of†. Taking this in a bigger context such as the choices presented to the government with its consumption today and investment tomorrow, it meant striking the balance between addressing theâ€Å"Eel pie. Brie tarts. Tansy cakes with peppermint cream† of today with the â€Å"glory and riches none of us ever dreamed† of tomorrow. In simpler terms, it meant that government has to allocate its resources to satisfy the need of today (i.e. social security, food security, defense, etch) versus the need of tomorrow. Addressing the need of tomorrow meant investing today and this could have in several forms such as education, research and development, resource exploration, supporting start-up companies etch. Thus, the resources of the government must be effectively allocated so that it could address the needs of its people today as well as

Pros and cons of marriage versus singlehood as contrasting lifestyles Assignment

Pros and cons of marriage versus singlehood as contrasting lifestyles - Assignment Example In addition, the single life allows for full planning on definite grounds where there are no dependents in the society to bring in discombobulating events (Jones 14). The married life on the other hand provides security of its own in relation to retirement, where social security in America plans for early retirement in considering early retirement. As such, it offers early retirement benefits for the aging or those close to retirement age because it allows one spouse to have the benefits while the other works. However, the cons of marriage are not as rosy as the benefits due to the lack of independence as seen in the criteria used by society to determine how the said social security benefits are received. This is because it is dependent on a third person such as the wife, or the state of being a dependent for a child under the age of 16 years (Rose 51). TV shows and different cultures/ ethnicities The first show â€Å"everybody hates Chris† portrays the a African American fami ly, that has both parents, which contradicts the text in that despite stating that many children are raised by single parent. However, Chris’ school friend is raised by a single parent who is his father, but the family of this friend is native white American. The work ethic of the black family, which belongs to Chris is portrayed strongly as his father works three jobs and two at the least. However, his mother fails this work ethic concept in that she only works when she desperately needs money, and then quits citing that her husband works three jobs to support her and her children. In spite of this, there is no mention of self-help groups, except a neighbourhood watch and no other although there is mention of kinship, where the black community is close knit. Another show portraying how Latino Americans is Weeds, where there is a close knit society of marijuana dealers who know one another and mostly engage in crime on a familial basis. The bilingual aspect is highlighted mul tiple instances, where they choose between English and Spanish to communicate based on the level of understanding required and secrecy intended. To back the text, the population in the crime families keeps rising with new arrivals to take over certain aspects of drug and security businesses run by their families. The third show is NCIS, which has a portrayal of middle eastern families, especially Israel and Iran, where gender roles are the way of life with females sticking to their expectations as seen with Ziva David. The contradiction in the gender roles is that Ziva is respected more than other male members of her family as she is obedient, and that her family only has herself and her father. Online dating Online dating websites require users to provide different forms of information, most of which is personal, and POF is no different as the information required starts from one’s name and gender, and ends with ethnicity and nationality (POF). The website guarantees that th e entire registration and use of their services is free, which means that there is no need to pay any money to use their service. The appeal of the website lies mainly in its ability to appeal to all that do not feel sufficiently endowed in finances. This way there is a larger variety of people and a diversity since one can even choose from different ethnicities and cultures. The reputation of websites for