History of Internet

These three individuals and a research conference, changed the way we thought about technology by accurately predicting its future:

• Vannevar Bush- wrote the first visionary description of the potential uses for information technology with his description of the "memex" automated library system.

• Norbert Wiener- invented the field of Cybernetics, inspiring future researchers to focus on the use of technology to extend human capabilities.

• Marshall McLuhan- made the idea of a global village interconnected by an electronic nervous system part of our popular culture.

• The 1956 Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence conference- crystallized the concept that technology was improving at an exponential rate, and provided the first serious consideration of the consequences.

The Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite spurred the U.S. Defense Department to consider ways information could still be disseminated even after a nuclear attack. This eventually led to the formation of the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), the network that ultimately evolved into what we now know as the Internet. ARPANET was a great success but membership was limited to certain academic and research organizations who had contracts with the Defense Department. In response to this, other networks were created to provide information sharing.

January 1, 1983 is considered the official birthday of the Internet. Prior to this, the various computer networks did not have a standard way to communicate with each other. A new communications protocol was established called Transfer Control Protocol/Internetwork Protocol (TCP/IP) invented by Robert Kahn, Vinton Cerf, and others, which quickly became the most widely used network protocol in the world.. This allowed different kinds of computers on different networks to "talk" to each other. ARPANET and the Defense Data Network officially changed to the TCP/IP standard on January 1, 1983, hence the birth of the Internet. All networks could now be connected by a universal language.

If we're still in the old age, the idea of the internet would be too impossible to imagine. But with curious and brilliant minds, nothing is impossible. I just hope that people of today would come to think of how hard it has been for the "inventors" of the internet to "make" the internet. So, to compensate the hard works of these people, we must use the internet responsibly. 

Terms:

 ARPANET- Advanced Research Projects Agency Network

TCP- Transfer Control Protocol

IP- Internetwork Protocol

Sources: 

http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_summary.htm

http://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_02.phtml

IBM Centennial

International Business Machines or commonly (and shortly) called as IBM is is a multinational technology company that manufactures and markets computer hardware, middleware and software, and offers hosting and consulting services in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. (wikipedia.org)

It was first named Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company but was later on changed to IBM. It was founded by Thomas J. Watson, Sr. who coined IBM's motto then which was "Think." As of now,  the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM is Ginni Rometty. Rometty was appointed President and CEO effective January 1, 2012 and she became Chairman of the Board of Directors on October 1, 2012.

If it weren't for IBM and the people who helped in building this empire, our computer technology wouldn't be as advanced as we have today. And with more aspiring computer geniuses that we have now and the years to come, I wouldn't be surprised if unimaginable and what seem to be impossible inventions and development will come. 

The Pirates of Silicon Valley

The movie The Pirates of Silicon Valley was all about the lives of two of the greatest minds in the history of computers  -- Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. 

Before we watched the movie I already have a quite small knowledge about these two people. I've already watched the movie Jobs (2013) which features the life of Steve Jobs so I had more knowledge about him than Bill Gates. He was the co-founder and former CEO of Apple Inc. I knew about his anger management, being a narrow-minded person and being smelly most of the time which makes working with him difficult for his office mates. 

I already knew that Bill Gates works for Microsoft Inc. and is obviously the richest person in the world. He is a programmer, philanthropist, businessman and investor. He is the co-founder of Microsoft Inc. which is the world's largest PC software company today. As what I've heard, Bill Gates is quite the opposite of Steve Jobs. He is very easy to work with and is open to new ideas.

The whole movies just talks about how the two great minds built their names in the computer world. How they successfully took to the next level the idea of computers. As Steve Jobs said in the movie, "Those guys think they're revolutionaries. They're not revolutionaries, we are." He was very confident of himself and his field. He knew that he can make a difference and that's what the two of them did that actually changed the world today. 

What I conclude from this movie is that you shouldn't let anyone and anything stop you from reaching your dreams. If you want something, you should work hard to achieve it. No matter how many times you fail, just keep on trying. College graduate or not (like the two), everything is possible with hard work and perseverance. And it would be much admirable if you would also add something in the equation such as kindness for we don't the future. The person whom you're picking on now might the your employer in the future. The person you're belittling now might be the next big thing soon. So, just show kindness and work hard. And the rest will follow. 

History of Computers

According to history, way back before computers were invented, what humans used as pebbles and sticks as counting aids in order to track quantities. Many businesses required a lot of calculations before and these calculations are based on an algorithm - a step-by-step process by which numbers are manipulated. A manual calculator is  device that assists in numeric calculations. The first manual calculator that was recorded was the abacus.  An abacus consists of beads mounted on rods within a rectangular frame. Each bead represents a quantity - 1, 5, 10, 50, and so on. Then many devices were invented after like the Napier's bones, slide rule,  Schickard’s Calculator, Pascaline and many more!

Then finally, the first-generation of computers can be characterized by their use of vacuum tubes to store individual bits of data. Next in line are the second-generation computers which used transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Then, the third-generation computers became possible in 1958 with the use of integrated circuits. The technology for fourth-generation computers appeared in 1971, when Ted Hoff developed the first general-purpose microprocessor. 

Well, it is really very amazing to see how computers evolved in time. I can still remember how hard it was to use computers before because of its complex structures, good thing the more computers develop, the friendlier the structures become. Computers today has its advantages and disadvantages. For the advantages, people can already create documents or other business related matters with the use of computers. It can make one's tasks easier and faster. It can be used as a reference for your assignments and projects. And for the disadvantages, students nowadays are already addicted to computer games. Many people are involved in cybersex crimes and pornography. Some information on the internet are also untrue and unreliable. And also, almost all the people are already dependent on computers that makes them lazier everyday. So to sum it off, computer users must know their limits and discipline themselves.