Reliance on computers   Term Paper ID:40403 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: This paper examines Americans' dependency on computers and specifically on personal computers for busniess ...... More...

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Paper Abstract: This paper examines Americans' dependency on computers, and specifically on personal computers for business, education, entertainment, and communication. It examines the risks associated with overreliance on this technology. Paper Introduction: The Dependency of Society and Computer Technology Introduction Computer systems provide highly sophisticated methodsfor managing many aspects of modern life Industrialized societies rely oncomputerized systems for air traffic control power generation medicalservice coordination banking telephones utilities bill paying andcheck processing and national security among many other applications Modern industrial society\'s dependence on computers has a profound impacton society It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that theindustrialized world is undergoing a second Industrial Revolution involvinginformation technology Everyone\'s daily activities are affected Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. In 1958, the first integrated circuit wasmanufactured. Society should be cautious about its dependency on computertechnology. Unfortunately, when computersfail in a healthcare organization such as a hospital, the implications canbe far more serious. I do agreewith the statement that total dependency could be catastrophic if and whenthe computer technology fails. While cognizant of these risks, healthcare organizationsare nevertheless relying more on computer technology. According to an essay written by S. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that theindustrialized world is undergoing a second Industrial Revolution involvinginformation technology. Failure is likely to occur based on these two basicfacts: (1) the people who operate these computer systems are only human andtherefore are likely to make mistakes from time to time. That system has failed catastrophically in the past, and islikely to fail catastrophically again notwithstanding the best efforts ofcomputer programmers and other experts to reduce the likelihood of acatastrophic failure. According to an essay written by Kathleen Guinee published onlineby Princeton University, the idea of building a computing machine was givenserious consideration just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War.The difference in this technology from previous mechanisms for addingnumbers was that the computer being designed in the late 193 scontemplating using binary numbers. It filled alarge room and weighed approximately 3 tons. "Lost Digital Data Costs Businesses Billions." USA Today. businesses lost morethan $18 billion in 2 3 as a result of computer crashes. US Department of Energy. Hoffman and published online bythe U.S. Morepowerful computers controlling larger and more complex power distributiongrids may have an unintended result; human operators may not be able tokeep the power grid operational if and when software or hardware fails(Hoffman). Over the next two years, a number of first-generation computerswere built. I use my computer every day. The significantincrease in the volume of digitized medical records combined with increasedexpectations about reliability and performance of computer systems byhealthcare professionals means that the health-care providers must try tofind ways to make their systems rock solid and error proof. It is a tool that I use for work. 1 Nov 2 7. They may even provide anopportunity for cyber-terrorists to attack the United States. Like manythings we deal with on a daily basis, computers are a mixed blessing. Department of Energy, the DOE is concerned about the reliabilityof the country's interconnected power grid. At this point, the economy cannot operate withoutcomputers. As noted above, the power grid in the United States is controlledby computers. The Dependency of Society and Computer Technology 1. The same articleindicated that approximately 7 percent of business people have experienceddata loss due to accidental deletion, system failure, viruses, fire, orsome other disaster involving their computers or servers. When one considers the need for Internet access both atwork and at home, it is easy to imagine a scenario in which access to apersonal computer becomes vital to one's daily life. The disadvantages associated with computers involve over-reliance on them. Many otherwise mundane and repetitive tasks have been replacedby computerization. Accordingto Armour, only 57 percent of business users back up their data (Armour). 2 Nov 2 7 . The reduced size and reduce costs andincreased speed of the microprocessor resulted in the creation of the firstpersonal computers. "Energy Planning and Policy." US Department of Energy. Introduction: Computer systems provide highly sophisticated methodsfor managing many aspects of modern life. At about the same time, the problem of communicating withcomputers was address when the first programming language was developed. In 1971, Intel Corporation developed the first microprocessor. 5. C. It is a way to communicate with friendsand family. It isa source of news and information. Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.. C. Each of these computers used vacuum tubes to performcalculations. In 1946, the first true computer calledand Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator was built. (2) physicalcomponents within computers or in ancillary equipment will wear out orbreakdown over time and when this occurs data can be lost. 4. 3. The speed at which this technology hasdeveloped and the concurrent reduction in costs has had a profound impacton the lifestyle of most Americans. These computernetworks will eventually have a catastrophic failure based one or bothreasons listed above. Gannett Co. Computers can be a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately,the healthcare industry is not immune to any of the problems that result incomputers failing in the power distribution grid or elsewhere (InformationTechnology Infrastructure). Industrialized societies rely oncomputerized systems for air traffic control, power generation, medicalservice coordination, banking, telephones, utilities, bill paying, andcheck processing and national security among many other applications.Modern industrial society's dependence on computers has a profound impacton society. A. Works CitedArmour, Stephanie. In this scenario,dependence or over-reliance on computers can stop companies cold whenmalfunctions occur or if computers do not have the memory or storagecapacity necessary to run newer and more complex software. Thus, the development of the integrated circuit starteda technological revolution involving computers which increased performance,reduced size, lower costs and resulted in the creation of an entireindustry dedicated to manufacturing personal computers. It is a source of entertainment. 2 Nov 2 7 ."Information Technology Infrastructure." Solutions. Inc. Over time, more and more businesses are becomingdependent on computers and computers and servers tend to store confidentialeconomic and personal information. According to an essay published online by Hewlett-Packard on itscorporate website, in many businesses when a computer network goes downemployees either grumble because they must work overtime to re-input data,or cheer because they have some downtime. The exponential increase in the speedand storage capacity of computers means that complex calculations can becompleted almost instantaneously, and the increase in data processing powerof computers has grown to the point that worldwide conductivity andcommunication are a reality. Most computer users recognize the needto safeguard data, but may not take the steps necessary to do so. This invention led to the widespread use of computers today.Placing hundreds of transistors on a small silicon chip enabled computermanufacturers to build far smaller computers which were calledminicomputers. In 1947, Bell Laboratories invented the transistor. According to an article written by Stephanie Armour and publishedby USA Today online, lost digital data can cost businesses a lot of money.According to one study referenced in the article, U.S. Ensuring the integrity and security of computer systems isalready a challenge, and this challenge will increase over time. Anydependence on computer technology must be accompanied by correspondingsocial, legal and political frameworks to ensure that data stored ortransmitted using computers is not being copied or read by someone withoutpermission. Personal computers are becoming an essential part of nearly everyhome and office. Everyone's daily activities are affected in some way by computers.Businesses, governments, and individuals receive benefits from thistechnology. Waterdistribution systems and transportation system such as the nation's airtraffic control system are also controlled by computers. 12 Jun 2 6. Even the partial loss of data from a personal computer at home or atthe office does not involve a complete disk crash could be devastating.Sometimes, even losing a single file, if that file happens to containinformation that has not been properly backed up, can result in mild tomajor inconvenience for an individual, or it can result in the loss ofrevenue or perhaps even the loss of a customer for a company. It is also a tool that I usein school to do research and write papers. Thiswas a large-scale integrated circuit that contained thousands oftransistors on one chip are capable of performing all of the functions of acomputer's central processing unit. According to Hoffman, majorblackouts in the Northeast that occurred in the 199 s have changed the viewof the reliability of the computer systems controlling the power grid.Experts now recognize that technology based solutions to power management,and the use of increasingly sophisticated software intended to preventpower outages rely heavily on computers rather than human operators. In a worst-case scenario, patients' lives could beplaced at risk. The world we live in is constantly changing. 2. The transistormade possible the production of a second generation of computers.Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and computers became smaller, morereliable and less expensive. ENIAC had 18, vacuum tubeswhich were used to perform cancellations at a rate of 5 additions persecond. B. Remembering to regularly save back up and save files on a computer orserver is difficult for most computer users to remember to do regularly.The cost of automatically backing up computers or servers for a businesscan be expensive and time consuming. The advantage of having a computer isthat the computer can perform certain tasks that tend to be mundane andrepetitive. The ways in which wefunction in modern society typically involve the use of the computer athome, and at work or in school. 2 Nov 2 7 .Hoffman, S. I could survive without acomputer, but I'm not sure how I would begin to accomplish all of thethings that I am able to accomplish with my computer each day. 2 Nov 2 7 ."The Pros and Cons of Technology Today." 123HelpMe.com. They can be an opendoor to personal or business related information for hackers and criminalsinterested in committing identity theft. C. 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