Reading Assignment Week 2

Moore's Law-Wikipedia and SA Podcast

Moore's Law, as the 'driving force of technological and social change,' (2) the self-fulfilling prophecy of the information age, is something of which I had been completely unaware. The rate at which transistors are constantly doubled and scaled down, has given me a mental picture as to how technology has advanced. Being able to visualize chips as small as 32 nm (6) has helped me to understand how and why technological devices are getting smaller and smaller; why the brick-sized cell-phones of the eighties have transmogrified into the lipstick tube-sized bluetooths we see all around us today.

The speed at which information is transmitted seems to be of utmost importance to today's user; "It now makes sense in many cases to trade space for time [...] at the cost of using more disk and memory space: space is getting cheaper relative to time." (8) People want information at their fingertips. They are willing to pay for this instant accessability. And it makes me wonder: is the vetted information available in libraries a commodity which has lost value simply because much of it cannot be accessed instantaneously? What is the the cost/value ratio to information which takes more time to retrieve, that is, if time is an increasingly precious commodity?

This reading has been very informative and thought provoking. I had no idea people were making predictions about computers in 1950!


Computer Hardware-

I know little about PC's. I know how to save documents on to my USB, how to unplug and re-plug the transmitter to my wireless mouse when it is not working, how to send email, set up facebook, and operate a few computer programs.

This reading has familiarized me with the components of my computer; the difference between Hardware, Software and Firmware; typical PC Hardware vs. Removable Media Devices. Though I am just learning about computers, I find it interesting to note the outdated devices, and how quickly some of them (HD DVD for example) have become obsolete. It is also interesting to know how everything is connected.


Computer History Museum-

History of the Internet-
The history of the internet is both fascinating and inspiring. From the first drawings on napkins depicting circles and squares connected by lines, to the internet 'cloud' we saw in our first class, the progression is truly amazing.








The Muddiest Point:
I am a remote viewer, and I found it hard to hear students' questions/comments during the lecture. Would it be possible to add another microphone in the room?

We had discussed in lecture how books are a container associated with the library. Is it possible to separate the container from the information, and still fully experience the content? In some ways, I think the container, the book, provides a tactile experience which is fundamentally tied to the pleasure of reading.