Essays on Computers

... also being used for scientific research, in military programs, and as educational tools, and they are being developed to aid people who have lost the use of their limbs. These devices, however, are for the most part quite different from the androids, or humanlike robots, and other robots of fiction. They rarely take human form, they perform only a limited number of set tasks, and they do not have minds of their own. In fact, it is often hard to distinguish between devices called robots and other modern automated systems. Although the term robot did not come into use until the 20th century, the idea of mechanical beings is much older. Ancient myths and tales ta ...

... that financial credit and debit cards are going to be the biggest part of the biometric market. There are also many significant niche markets which are growing rapidly. For example, biometric identification cards are being used at a university in Georgia to allow students to get their meals, and in a Maryland day care center to ensure that the right person picks up the right child. In Los Angeles, they are using fingerprints to stop welfare fraud. And they're also being used by frequent business travellers for rapid transit through immigration and customs in Holland, and now at JFK and Newark airports in the United States. It could also be used to simply prevent ...

... to make computing meet the needs of the public, Microsoft developed Windows 95. Windows 95 has the appearance of being a completely user friendly operating system and it pretty much is as far as the average user is concerned. The compatibility with most hardware makes it easy for someone to upgrade their computer. The desktop is designed so the user has point and click access to all their open and closed programs. Utilizing the 32 bit programing it was written with, users are able to work with more than one program at a time and move information between programs. This gives the user the freedom they need to begin to explore the world of computing without hav ...

... of $19.95 per month. After the changed in price (decrease), the Supply curve "S" will shift to "S1". An increase in Supply curve will increase (Quantity) people using America Online and decrease Price. America Online has announced a change to their price plan for internet access. before they charged a rate of $19.95 for only 20 hours of internet access. One of the many reasons is that it could help the service against Internet competitors, by doing this "Keith Benjamin says there may be some short-term negative impact on margins." Negative impact on margins means that there will be decrease in ...

... to the computer. He presents the example of a man linking Chinese characters and appearing to know the language, but in reality the man is just following the instructions given to him ( the program). This example serves well to explain how although a computer can look like it understands a story, it can do no more than "go through the motions." Of course such a definitive standpoint on an issue as controversial as the capacity of an AI to understand will draw many critics. The criticism of his theory that I find to be the most credible is The Other Mind Reply offered by Yale University. This line of thinking asks: if behavior is what we can determine ...

... or a view into a database. The user can interact with the world and directly manipulate objects within the world. Some worlds are animated by other processes, perhaps physical simulations, or simple animation scripts. Interaction with the virtual world, at least with near real time control of the viewpoint, in my opinion, is a critical test for a 'virtual reality'. Some people object to the term "Virtual Reality", saying it is an oxymoron. Other terms that have been used are Synthetic Environments, Cyberspace, Artificial Reality, Simulator Technology, etc. VR is the most common and sexiest. It has caught the attention of the media. The applications being d ...

... have a distinct economic advantage over steam engine when size of the plant is under about 1,000 hp. However there are many diesel engine plants much large than this. Internal combustion engines are particularly appropriate for seasonal industries, because of the small standby losses with these engines during the shutdown period. History The first experimental internal combustion engine was made by a Dutch astronomer, Christian Huygens, who, in 1680, applied a principle advanced by Jean de Hautefeuille in 1678 for drawing water. This principle was based on the fact that the explosion of a small amount of gunpowder in a closed chamber provided wit ...

... at all cost. If the key is compromised, the sender and the encrypted data is no longer safe. The sender and the receiver then usually agree on a new key to prevent any further damage. In ancient Greece, around 550 Bc, messages were sent encoded to generals and could only be decoded using special staff keys. The key actually consisted of a physical object, which was applied on the message to get the decrypted version of it. In 50 Bc., one of the most simple cryptographic algorithms ever used was the one called the Caesar cipher, that was used by Julius Caesar to send messages to his generals. It consisted simply of switching each letter with the letter that was 3 le ...

... jobs are paying well, proving that highly skilled labor is what employers want! "There is clear evidence that the supply of workers in the [unskilled labor] categories already exceeds the demand for their services," says L. Mishel, Research Director of Welfare Reform Network. In view of these facts, I wonder if these trends are good or bad for society. "The danger of the information age is that while in the short run it may be cheaper to replace workers with technology, in the long run it is potentially self-destructive because there will not be enough purchasing power to grow the economy," M. B. Zuckerman. My feeling is that the trend from unskilled labor to h ...

... advances made as the Internet grew in popularity also allowed these groups to provide a new and unique look into the heart of bigotry in our society, and one which appeals to the instant gratification type of lifestyle in which we live. The accessability of these hate sights is also of great concern to those hoping to keep the Internet a safe place for people of all ages to surf without the negative influences of such sites. There is however another side to the groups on the net, groups that attempt to provide both education and a positive influence on the surfers, groups which go from anti-hate sites to Green Peace and the world wildlife fund. So as the I ...