The Computer:
Reflections and Questions
In 1945 it would have been very hard to predict what
the computer would become, but now we can see trends:
- increasing ease of use
- hardware becomes smaller, cheaper, and more
capable
(Moore's
Law
: the number of transistors that can be fit on a chip doubles every 18
months,
with the result that the speed of computers doubles or the price drops
by
half
(Moore's Law Illustrated) .)
- semiconductors
- integrated circuits
- new forms of memory storage
- how far can this trend go?
- development of new ways for computers to
handle
information
- calculations
- data bases
- hypertext
- some better way of organizing information?
Search Engine Watch
- interconnection
- ARPANET
- the internet connects universities
- wide public access to the internet
- integration of telephone, television, and
internet
(sometimes called telematics)
Consider how each of these trends impacts
society. Is it a continuous process, or are there breakpoints
where the impact changes?
Telematics is one of those things that has been
predicted as just around the corner for a long time.
- 1970 Tama New Town (Japan) experiment--this
was
a new development of apartment buildings outside of Tokyo which was
provided with facimile mail, interactive computer classrooms, community
produced programing
- 1972 HBO is the first extra-charge cable
channel
- 1976
CeeFax
--a British system to make information available via television
- 1977
Qube
, experimental 2-way interactive cable television installed in 30,000
homes in Columbus, Ohio. Eventually the project was declared a
failure and
shut down in 1983.
- 1987
Minitel (France)--eliminate the phone book and give everyone a
terminal. Goal--to
made the public more comfortable with computers. To the surprise
of
the government telephone company it was quickly used mostly for
chat. more
on Minitel
- 1979
Prestel (England)--data base maintained by the post office and
available via phone
lines, anyone could enter data for a fee. It became an internet
service provider
and then closed.
- these experiments have been slow to
spread--why?
- interactive
television is one of those
technologies that doesn't
yet have its killer ap
What might computers do for us in the
future? Would you want to:
more cartoons
this page written and copyright
Pamela E. Mack
last updated Dec. 7, 2005