Topic 6 - Old school

Lecture – History of computing

In the broadest terms, a computer is a device used for mathematical calculations. One can make the argument that the abacus was the first albeit crude ‘computer’. In the 19^th century Charles Babbage created the ‘Difference Engine’ which allowed engineers to calculate and print mathematical tables. Even though this ‘computer’ was mechanical rather than electrical it is considered to set out the logical structure for modern computers.

The most serious work on electronic computing was performed by Alan Turing during the development of the BOMBE, a computer used to decrypt Nazi ciphers during World War II. IBM began producing commercially available computers in the 1950s which were utilized primarily by government, military and corporate organizations.

A common misconception is the history of the computer is the creator of the mouse and graphical user interface (GUI). Apple was the first to implement the technology however it was initially created by Xerox.

Other critical points

• Xerox created the graphical user interface and mouse
• The first PC wasn’t released until 1975
• Bill Gates wrote the ‘Basic’ computer language for the Altair computer
• Basic allowed functions like word processing, accounting and games
• Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created Apple Computers

Reading – New Media

The discussion of what is considered ‘new’ media has become convoluted and even more complex with the introduction of the internet. The evolution of media requires that we constantly reevaluate the current technological climate with emerging technologies in order to understand its implications in society. The question for new media is why it is required and what does it provide that previous iterations did not. The most predominant example of ‘new’ media is the internet which in itself has created new media streams when we consider the implications of the World Wide Web. In this instance we see an accelerated linear evolution through the internet to innovate old media technologies or standards. With world wide integration, the internet has created digitalized society where all information is data that travels around the world in seconds. The convergence brought with the internet has allowed telecommunications, computing and new media to merge into a single stream of ‘communication’.

Tute – Wikipert

Lancer Evolution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancer_Evolution

The article appears to be accurate with the majority of data cited from reputable and reliable sources. The page contains enough general and specific information about the lancer evolution range in order to gain a full understanding of the vehicle. The article was specific enough to list exact power and performance figures as specified by the manufacture from different countries as well as country specific models. Overall the article was correctly formatted and indexed to allow quick and easy browsing. Being that the article is based on facts there was no argument made by any side. In order to improve the article I would use pictures of each model as produced by the manufacturer rather than private vehicles. This creates a more accurate representation of the vehicle from the reader’s perspective.

Top Gear (TV Series)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_gear

The article appears to be accurate with the majority of data cited from reputable and reliable sources. The source of most of the information is directly taken from the series itself. The page contains a well documented history and current overview of the series and the presenters as well as an accurate representation of information taken from the show (eg. lap times & cool wall). The article provides readers with a very accurate overview of the show as well as detailed information about particular moments of interest. The article follows wikipedia guidelines and has several other wiki services associated such as wikiquote and wikicommons. The article is relatively fair with no major point of concern; however some information is represented as a view of the author for example most significant cars listed. In order to improve the article I would provide more episode details and provide links to episode overviews.