Research

“We are not even close to finishing the basic dream of what the PC can be” (Bill Gates). Computers have evolved drastically in the past few years to become 15000 times faster than older computers, and also became much easier to use and understand. Yet, that leaves us with a question here, what is the basic dream that Bill Gates has mentioned' The dream was to have a PC running windows in every home around the globe, and that dream seems close to be true. According to Gartner, one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory companies, the number of personal computers in use worldwide hit one billion as of June 28th 2008, and its increasing to hit two billion by 2014 (Gartner, 2008). However, computer evolution didn’t stop there; instead computers have conquered mobile phones, transforming those phones into mini computers that are capable of doing almost everything that computers would do. For example, the Apple iPhone is capable of browsing the web, making and editing movies, accessing social networks, editing word documents, and so much more. Also, it appears that computers have become a major prerequisite in all companies, schools, and medical organizations because they seem to enhance the output of all members mentioned in the above organizations. As a result, the evolution of computers enhances education and research, improves communication, and makes work much easier and efficient. To begin with, a question should firstly be proposed; what difference did access to computers had on the first generation of scientists or researchers who used them' While we do know that they used to go to libraries to study books written by other scientists and spend hours analyzing them, we’re unsure how much time and power consuming that process was. For instance, many researchers used microfilms to store all the documents they needed from those books, which sometimes used to fail, because of the inaccuracy and limited range the old cameras used to have. On the other hand, modern scientists use PDFs and online storage to save their documents. Online storage or cloud computing can be described as a free or subscription-based service that is delivered over the internet which allows users to store their data on the internet, and access it at any place or time (Martin, A. J. Apr 2010, p. 29). Cloud computing can dramatically reduce computing costs for small businesses. For example, Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business edition costs $279 per license; however, this company could get the same functionality by using Microsoft Office Web apps, which is a form of cloud computing , reducing the cost from $279 to $0.00. Moreover, a study made by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that 69% of online users are using some form of cloud computing, for either storing documents, videos, or even backing up their own files on the cloud. Additionally, computers have aided research, allowing scientists to research and study issues that were impossible to be done without computers. For example, the mapping of the cosmic microwave background radiation, on which is based claims about the early history of the universe, would have been impossible without computers. The completion of the Human Genome Project, which explains many of the hereditary diseases, would have been impossible without computers. And the particle zoo of the 1960s could not have been enclosed without the application of computer power (Agar, J. Dec 2006, p. 871). However, the use of computers doesn’t stop only at scientific research, a study performed by Middleberg and Ross (2001, 2005) demonstrates that with regard to American journalists: in 1994 only 17 per cent went online to search for information at least once a day, compared to 81 percent by 2000. The vast majority of the surveyed journalists revealed satisfaction with the changes to their work, and displayed signs of joy when they used the internet because of the speed improvements the gained from using the internet. Moreover, the Internet possesses some obvious advantages for journalists: it can ease preliminary research, simple facts can be checked more readily, information is available without the limitations imposed by time and space (Machill, M. & Beiler, M.). Communication prior to computers was a very hard task that had plenty of limitations. First of all, communication was place dependent, meaning that people had to make their calls from a certain place, and also required that call receiver would be also at a certain place, not allowing both parties to make any sort of movement. For example, a boy that calls his parents from a telephone is obliged to stay near the telephone while his call is processed; additionally, his parents had to be near the telephone to be able to receive their son’s phone call. Moreover, older methods of communication had a single style that was forced upon it users unlike the new methods introduced in computers. For example, users were forced to have the same headache causing ringtone whenever the phone rang, while current communication methods have the ability to assign different ringtones to different contacts. With the introduction of computers, many of those limitations have started disappearing; allowing Bill Gates to say one of his famous quotations, “It's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user” (Bill Gates). Proportionally, it seems that this is how CMC, or computer mediated communication, seems to be forming. According to Bill’s vision, CMC tools can be shaped by their users; for example, users can configure the windows live messenger to have their display picture change depending on their mood. Thus, if a user sends a happy emoticon to another person, then his display picture will be changed to the one he has assigned; additionally, the user could connect the messenger service to their phones so they would be able to break the location barrier, and chat with people on the go, giving them an advantage over other methods. As a result of this development, many people have started moving to use CMC, and this claim would be backed with the following study made by Microsoft, which states that as of June 2009, windows live messenger has about 330 million active users worldwide that use WLM on their phones and computers. (Microsoft, 2009) Computer mediated communication also aides in planning events effectively and in the fastest way possible. A youth pastor describes how CMC has made his life better in the Felix Ruina Daily. He begins by saying “I'm realizing just how useful all these new communication tools that we now have can be. A large part of my work involves communicating with the other pastors, as well as the kids and parents”. “For example, this past weekend we had our Fall BBQ. Pastor KC was in charge of most of the planning, but he got help from Pastor John (for sports), the parents (for food), and me (for small group time). We all really needed to be on the same page, so we sent a lot of "Reply to All" emails back and forth”. “However, we have some great tools that could have made this whole process even easier. We have Windows Live Messenger which can be used for instant messaging, and it even supports chat rooms and file transfers. This would have made several meetings, where we all had to drive the 45 minutes up to church, completely unnecessary. Also, there is the fantastic Microsoft Web Apps, which is a word processor (think MS Word) that allows for multiple people to edit online, at the same time. So, when I was working on the small group curriculum, instead of sending out email attachments to everyone to get checked and revised, we could have just held a couple of Web App sessions to take care of it in one place”. The writer clearly explains in those quotations how CMC can save a lot of time in organizing events (Climicus, 2008). Almost all organizations require that their employees to have excellent knowledge in computers for having an efficient output, saving money, and having empty, clean workspaces. Economic efficiency is the using of resources in such a way as to maximize the production of goods and services (Wikipedia). Yet, computers are a must for a company to be efficient in the current period of time because of the abilities they add to employees who use them; for example, architects nowadays use CAD drawing, Computer Aided Drawing, which helps them finish their designs faster, and with much more accuracy than hand drawing. Another example would be about hospital nurses, Instead of writing charts by hand, a nurse can now type data into a computer. Or a nurse can press a button on a computer connected to the heart monitor of a patient down the hall and get up-to-the-second readings on heart rate, blood pressure and temperature without leaving her station. Yet the hospital doesn’t reduce its nursing staff. Instead, nurses who once spent 60% of their time doing paperwork now spend that 60% at bedsides, giving patients personal attention. (Church, J. G. , Cray, D et al, 1998) Additionally, computers save money by reducing many of the resources used by organizations. These include paper from drafts and technical reports which can be exchanged by online storage. Others also include the vast amount of time spent on projects which can be reduced by using computers. For example, think of an automated laboratory at a public Hospital. Conveyor belts transport blood or urine samples in containers that resemble toy railroad cars from a collection point to a computerized analyzer. The machine takes a sample with a dipstick; the computer reads the results and flashes them to the monitor of the doctor in charge of the case. The lab will save the salaries of dozens of people who "used to move the samples around by hand, read the test results on a screen and then telephone the doctor," says Scalzi. The lab cost $7 million to set up but is expected to save $2 million to $3 million a year. (Church, J. G. , Cray, D et al, 1998) Many people argue that being on a computer too much can lead to anti-social behavior and depression. According to one of the studies that support this claim, teachers claimed that half of children now start school unable to speak audibly and be understood by others.  The report suggests that parents were largely to blame through leaving their children to play with computer games rather than spending time talking to them. However thinking out of the box can tell us that computers could help socializing people and increase their interaction skills with others as well. Researchers at the University of Sussex have found a way in which computers can encourage social skills among young children. Dr Rosemary Luckin, a reader in computer science and artificial intelligence, in collaboration with Dr. Lydia Plowman at the University of Sterling, led a study that found that children, aged between four and six, who used a digital toy connected to a desktop PC interacted more with their peers and the researchers than those who used only a PC. "What came out of our study was quite unexpected," says Dr Luckin.  "We were looking to see how children sought help through the computer, but we found that, for the children who had the toys, there was a significant increase in socialization in their help-seeking behavior. The children who were working in pairs were twice as likely to talk to each other. The children who were working alone were three times more likely to seek the help of researchers." "This increase in social interactions around technology is an appealing contradiction of the popular belief that technology leads to reduced socialization". That clearly disables all the claims that were mentioned above, and leaves us with a question that should be thought of deeply. Why is it that people always create problems and issues out of nothing when it comes to technology' (University of Sussex, 2003) To conclude with, saying that computers had changed our people to be even worse is really unfair and a completely backstabbing thought; especially when said that computers decrease sociability, and also cost more money to organizations rather than increasing their output. However, these thoughts have been proven to be completely wrong since computers seem to be increasing sociability in children, and also increasing the output of organizations to the maximum, leaving us with a serious question. Why do people tend to make fake assumptions about technological goods, even when they know that these goods can enhance our lives and make them better' Finally, the evolution of computers enhances education and research, improves communication, and makes work much easier and efficient. Reference List Agar, J. (2006, Dec.) What Difference Did Computers Make. Church, J. G, & Cray, D & Dowell, W. et al.. (1998, October 12). Quarterly Business Report: Do Computers Really Save Money' Time Retrieved on June 26th 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989274,00.html Climicus, J.(2008) Computers To Make Work...More Efficient' Felix Ruina Daily, 10(181) Gartner (2008) Retrieved June 26th , 2010 from http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp'id=703807 Horrigan, B. J. (2008). Use Of Cloud Computing Applications And Services. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved on June 26th 2010 from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Use-of-Cloud-Computing-Applications-and-Services.aspx'r=1 Machill, M., & Beiler, M. (2009). THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERNET FOR JOURNALISTIC RESEARCH. Journalism Studies,10(2), 178-203. doi:10.1080/14616700802337768. Martin, A. J. (2010, April) Should You Move Your Business to the Cloud' PC World pg. 29 Retrieved on June 26th 2010 from http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/188173/should_you_move_your_small_business_to_the_cloud.html Microsoft (2009) Windows Live Messenger’s 10th Birthday Retrieved on June 26th 2010 from http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/Jul09/07-22InstantMewssenger.mspx University of Sussex (2003, March 6) Computer toys can enhance social skills in children Retrieved on June 28th 2010 from http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/media/media291.shtml