BUS 188: Chapter 4 Outline

Matthew Mercado

07/20/16

BUS 188 (11:00am-3:00pm)

Chapter 4 Outline (2 page minimum)

Aggarwal

Chapter 4 Outline

            Technology has revolutionized the way our society works. It has paved way for society to implement changes that are much more befitting to us than before. Take for example our computers, it aids us in a variety of tasks that normally would take much longer if handwritten. Nowadays, computers comes in all shapes and sizes; some that have big monitors such as desktops or even ones that are the size of pocketbooks like tablets. The fact of the matter is, technology has changed the way we complete tasks, research, and socialize. Even now, smart phones are treated like miniature computers that can perform similar tasks a computer can. It’s a powerful piece of technology that will continue to improve because of its hardware. Consisting of electronic components, hardware could be interpreted as the heart of our computers because inputs, processes, outputs, and store data according to the set of instructions encoded within the computer program/hardware. If the hardware is a compilation if components, then the brain would be considered the Central processing unit (or CPU). Much like us, technology has incorporated a “Brain” so it could function with multiple tasks, responsibilities, and instructions. The heart and brain together make up the main memory – a collection of data/memory stored and sometimes could be called Random Access Memory (or RAM). With all these components working in conjunction with one another, technology is only amplifying our experiences.

            There are multiple types of hardware that exist. These would include personal computers, tablets, smartphones, servers, and server farms. Today, Microsoft and Apple are competitors when it comes to what kind of personal computer to have – PC or Mac? For tablet such as Ipads, Microsoft Surfaces, or Kindle Fires, it’s becoming much more convenient to carry around because of its size, durability, and convenience. Just about everyone is social networking on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snap-Chat, or Twitter. All these applications are commonly used on our smartphones regardless if they’re Samsung Galaxies or IPhones. Our handheld devices have truly revolutionized the way we’ve accessed information. Servers are a support mechanism for computers and their users similarly to clients and servers in business. When there is a huge collection of servers, this is known as the server farm. Together, all of these types of hardware help define multiple devices that have only furthered the way we view our world. Technology companies are truly influencing the way electronics have been used and will only continue to improve more because of smart-minded people, innovation, and knowledge.

            Information and Data play a pivotal role in the representation of electronic devices. For instance, our computer’s data represents bits (or binary digits). They serve as switched much like an off-and-on light switch. Another important component are the size of data. Much like a Brain, it can withstand a barrage of information and store it in its memory. Referring back to bits, when chunked together in 8-bits, they are called bytes. The measure of the bytes only continues to grow as there are Kilobytes (KB), Megabytes (MB), Gigabytes (GB), Terabytes (TB), Petabytes (PB), Exabytes (EB), and Zettabytes (ZB). The processing power of computers has only improved and with that amount of memory/storage, there are thousands upon thousands of information that we can research, read, and learn from that computers are easily able to capture.

            The Internet of Things is the idea that objects are becoming connected to the Internet so that they could interact with other devices, applications, or even services. In present day, the way data is transmitted and processed is steadily improving because of the implementation of larger memory banks. This is turn would bring forth the smart device such as our phones because it has more processing power, memory, Internet Access, Wii-fi connectivity, and the ability to connect via other devices. For example, I happen to own 3 devices – An IPhone, tablet, and a Macbook Pro. If I wanted to put music on my IPhone, which then would serve as a MP3 player, I would have to connect my Macbook and IPhone together so that the devices can sync, share data, and transfer information (in this case, music files known as mp3s). Before, you’d have to buy Phones and MP3 players separately because they both serve different purposes. Now, I have a phone that can do multiple things – play music, access an application, and even play a game. To further the idea of smart devices, augmented and virtual reality were made. This takes the real world and then computer-generates a reality. A primary example would be in the field of videogames, people now can play augmented and virtual reality videogames to amplifies the experience of playing games. Before we know it, all these enhancements will become the norm.

            Aside from out computers, phones, and videogames getting an upgrade, a big game changer would be self-driving cars. These cars would have to be programmed to be able to read different situations and avoid any obstacles. However, even with this idea becoming revolutionary, it’s safe to assume that we’re not all going to have self-driving cars because tech giants have to ensure that it’ll provide the means for transportation efficiently without worry of harm. There’ll be multiple people split in the middle on this issue, but if it could further advance our experience, then I don’t personally why it can’t be attained. We’ve come so far from what we have and it’ll only continue to get better from hear on yet. Innovation is the root for all things to be improved upon.