Week 2 Reading Notes

Personal Computer Hardware - Wikipedia Article

This article describes the inner workings of personal computers and gives detailed descriptions of each part along with the accouterments that can be used in conjunction with the computer to either improve or expand its use. 

From the article we learn that the motherboard essentially connects all parts of the computer together. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) does all of the calculations, while RAM (Random Access Memory) stores all of the running process of the computer including the current operating system. There is also the PSU (Power Supply Unit) which converts AC to DC.

I think this article gave me a better idea of what is in a personal computer and how the different parts work together in order to run the overall machine.

Moore's Law - Wikipedia Article

Moore's Law is named after Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, who described the law in a 1965 publication. The law predicted that, "the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit will double approximately every two years." This law has been applied to devices beyond silicon chips, including many digital devices, such as cameras and tv's. Essentially the law states that in 18-24 months the electronics that are new and up-to-date today will be obsolete. 

The article also references the cost of new technology and how it also influences development and advances, but I found it to be unclear as to how cost influences development besides the obvious reason of something being too expensive to produce/upgrade with the technology that currently exists.

Computer History Museum

The museum was established in 1999 and its stated purpose is to preserve and present for posterity the artifacts and stories of the information age. 

Some of the current exhibits at the museum include an exhibit on silicon chips and their evolution (Moore's Law) and an exhibit on the selling the computer revolution which essentially consists of marketing strategies for computers from 1948-1988.

There are also multiple online exhibits on everything from the history of the internet to the first 2000 years of computing. 

I generally felt that the exhibits seemed to be well done and the website was easy to use. I thought the exhibit on selling the computer revolution would be really amazing to see.