TEC154 2010S, Class 40: Computing (2)

Overview:
* Admin
  * Announcements
  * Drafts
  * Presentations
  * Discussion of campus events
* Evolution of Computing, Continued.
* The World-Wide Web.
* Hypertext.
* Bush's vision.

Admin:
* EC for Exhibition Opening today the 10th at 4:15 in Smith Gallery.
* EC for MAP presentation, Thursday the 13th at 4:30 in BCA 242:  Rescue Games, Wishful Fictions: Drawings Finding Hope in the Illusion of Safety.
* EC for visiting the student salon in Falkoneruc

About the Drafts:
* Apologies for the delays in comments.
* Drafts were clearly rougher than I would have liked.
* Some common (but not universal) comments:
  * Theses need more work (avoid lists; avoid "In this paper, we"; avoid generic theses applicable to many technologies)
  * Most papers need a lot of stylistic editing.
    * Avoid nominalization.
    * Be careful about overly-long sentences.
    * Watch jargon.
    * Don't use "this" as a pronoun ("The transitor vastly expanded the possibilities of the electrical engineer and led to the creation of an electronic age.  This ...")
    * Focus your paragraphs and sentences.
  * Add section headings
  * Try not to overuse a source
  * In a ten page paper, your introduction can be more than one paragraph (and your thesis can potentially involve multiple sentences)

About the Presentations:
* Minimum: Enough time to describe your technology and to get at least two theoretical points about the technology
* Nine minutes max.
* If you wish to use PowerPoint, please email me your presentation in advance.
* Questions.

Computing
* How do we get from "doing math" in the 1940's to "doing text" in the 2010s?
* Ceruzzi gets us about half-way there
* Important driving forces
  * Computing power grows incredibly rapidly - new technologies for key components
  * Humans are creative, and can find new opportunities for automation in cheaper devices
  * Mass production
* Beyond "doing math" - "Doing business"
  * But doing business also involves keeping track of a lot of data
    * Look for trends in groups of data
    * Do payroll analysis
    * Keep track of our widget inventory
    * ...
  * Primary models of computation through 1970's
* Two advances in the 1970's
  * Small computers that hobbyists can put in their home, and even small business can afford
  * Universities and research centers started networking their computers
    * Share information
    * Share computing power
  * Small computers lead to new creative uses
    * Invention of the spreadsheet
  * Networks lead to communication
    * Email
* Advances in the 1980's
  * GUIs
    * Permitted easier drawing, writing, gaming, etc.
  * Networks "for everyone" (phone-based)
* And beyond
  * More networks
  * Smaller, cheaper, faster,