After reviewing the readings for this week and the Internet link to "Computer History Museum" I find it fascinating that people, over time can develop something bigger and bigger. Like a child playing with building blocks, it looks different than the starting point. This thought came t mind as I viewed the time line, in Computer History Museum, from the discovery of the silicone crystal to the making of a computer chip. It takes many people and brains to dream about What If.
This is also true when I read the article on computer hardware. To think that all those little parts are inside my computer and working without my knowledge makes me glad there are smart people out there. To develop a CPU and establishing a bus system, which acts a information highway between input and output devices is mind boggling, gives me a better appreciation for technology.
As I read about Moore's Law and that at first memory on a chip doubled every two years and now its eighteen month, makes me wonder if there is an end as predicted int he article and when we reach a point that we can't go any further, what next. As with any transition we will have to wait and see, be surprised with the technology (iPods, digital cameras) and find that they become old hat and you can't remember what it was like before the new developments took place.
I look forward to the new and hopefully I'll understand it. But I wonder if there will be a time when something new is just too much.
2 comments:
Hi Becky,
Technology changes about every five years (estimated)and each change is based on some upgrade of current protocols and programming language. To understand the basics, one need not know the full history of computers. For the user, a knowledge of the interface (the part we manipulate)is enough to get by. Learning what clicks, drags, and opens when pointed to is the hardest part for me. I was not exposed to computers in the work place until 1999 and I still feel like I'm playing catch-up when interacting with most teens (smiles). I get them to show me stuff whenever they have time.
Hi.
I also find it difficult to believe that Moore's law will always be self-fulfilling. How can we possibly determine "discovery" and "advancement" since these seem to be occurrences that fall upon us from the sky. I always felt that all technology would continue to improve and hat the rate of improvement itself would constantly be increasing. It seems like we share a common perspective on the technical aspects of LIS.
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