Kailei Trykowski

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Wiki Entry #1: Moore School

General

Moore School of Electrical Engineering was creating in a world of pre-war computing to benefit the US Army and government. Set on the large lands of the Chesapeake Bay, the Aberdeen Proving Ground (having direct relation with the US Army) created new tools to be used and tested on this site. The Moore School was originally located in the basement of the University of Pennsylvania. The Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, commonly known as ENIAC, was built here in 1943. The Moore School was the cornerstone of electrical engineering, helping the technological field as well as the US government advance in the success of research and protection of the country.

Important Information

1935-
The first copy of the Bush Differential Analyzer obtained in the laboratory.
The Bush Differential Analyzer was an analogue computer used for computations and equation solving
It was later named Annie
1938-
The Ballistics Research Laboratory (BRL)
BRL calculated trajectories and mathematical calculations of weapons shot through the air, particularly important during World War I. In the 1930's, BRL had to work at full strength when the US began to fight in the war.
Later, on the forefront of World War II, the Moore School, too, strengthened their program and worked even harder by accelerating their research.
What brought the Moore School and the Ballistics Research Laboratory together?
As stated above, the Moore School had one of the first copies of the Bush Differential Analyzer, however, so did the BRL. They came together to use the same system for ballistics calculations, creating a strong work environment between the different staff.

During this time, the Engineering, Science, Management, War Training (ESMWT) program was set in motion in the Moore School, as well as programs with the BRL in training females to do desk calculations. This was the first time women were admitted into the Moore School. The women of the school sat at desks with calculators, tirelessly typing in calculations, leading them soon to work the fire tables for missile fire.

Work with Artillery and Shooting

The Moore School was quite prominent before the war and during World War II. Calculations and calibrations of fire arms and artillery were worked on in the Moore School and BRL. The calculations upon trajectory were of the utmost importance, due to the fact that the fired arms being aimed were coming from quite a distance.

As any novice rifleman soon discovers, one does not hit a distant target by firing directly at it. Rather, one fires slightly above it, so that the bullet flies in a parabolic trajectory [...] with a range of a mile or so, one could not possibly use guesswork and rule of thumb to aim the gun; it would have taken dozens of rounds to find the range. (72, Campbell and Aspray)

The Moore School produced "firing tables" to accurately aim and hit the target. It had enough data to contain 3,000 trajectories from the fire arms. Without technologies such as this, weaponry would be inadequate and fighting conditions would be even more harsh during World War II.

Citations

Campbell-Kelly Martin & W. Aspray (1996) Creating the Computer. In Computer: A History of the Information Machine (pp. 72-76) New York: Harper Collins


Wiki Entry #2: Atari

General

Atari is a brand name and cooperation of the first video games introduced in 1972. Atari was founded by creators Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney.Atari is known for the breakthrough of video games such as Pong, however, the company and brand has branched out into different modes of technology that many do not know about. Atari was also a Personal Computer (PC) brand as well. Atari was bought and sold to numerous companies, and yet, had it's downfall due to stiff competition in the video game industry.

Timeline

1971- Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, founders of Atari, created the first arcade video game. This game was called Computer Space, based off of the game Spacewar! By Steve Russell.

1972- Bushell creates Pong, and arcade game, commonly seen throughout history and referenced in society as one of the first true video games that changed the face of arcade games as we know them.

Later, Bushell and Dabney created Atari.

1975- Re-release of Pong for home video games. This was especially important because now consoles could be held at home rather than in arcade format only.

1980- Atari home systems reach about $415 million on sales of their home consoles alone.

That same year, Atari released the personal computer of their brand.

Competition and Trade

An important aspect of Atari is to realize it’s competition. As the current generation can vouch, Nintendo seems to hold the spot as “king” in video games. Juxtaposed to this, another great company known for it’s success is Sega.

In 1994 Sega invested $40 million in Atari. Sega did so for patenet rights. Two years later, in 1996, Atari failed to bring the company back to it’s glory days, and was then sold to other companies. Copyrights were sold to Hasbro, a modern day company of great power, for $5 million.

Personal Computer

Atari is known for it's trail-blazing creations in video games, however, many do not know of their time as a computer based item. It had a large European fan-base during the times that PCs were becoming popular in the US. However, this branch was terminated in 1993.

Atari 400/800 In 1979, the first Atari PC, an 8 bit, with 8KB of RAM. It retailed for about $1,550.

Atari 520ST In 1985, he first computer with an actual screen and keyboard, much like the computers we see today.

Atari ST Book In 1990, Atari created it's first brand of what we see as a modern day laptop, It was 1.4 inches thick and under 5 pounds.

Of course, there were many variations of the Atari PC from the timespan between 1979 and 1993, however, these three examples portray the models we can compare to in our modern day use.

The Fall of Atari

Atari started to fade away from the video game world soon after it's PC demise. Much like it's earlier Pong days, consumers found that the games were lacking in style, an they soon got tired of the same old repetitive motions. Atari games did not have the same quality of other games from competitors such as Nintendo and Sega. They were slow, and lacked luster.

Citations

Cohen, D.S. "A History of the Atari 2600 - The Beginning of the End." About.com Classic Video Games. Web. 27 May 2012. <http://classicgames.about.com/od/history/a/Atari2600Histor_2.htm>.

Edwards, Benji. "The History of Atari Computers." PCWorld. 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 May 2012. <http://www.pcworld.com/article/225776/the_history_of_atari_computers.html>.

Bellis, Mary. "Atari- History of the Entertaining Atari Video System and Game Computer." About.com. Web. <http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/Atari.htm>.

Wiki Entry #3: Netscape

General

We have many options in this modern era of technology as far as platform go. By this, we speak of web browsers. There are computer model specific browsers, such as Safari, or general browsers, such as Internet Explorer. Through the history of the internet, new web browsers have made their way through the systems, and where some have been more successful than others, one prominent internet browser in history has been Netscape. Netscape, the web browser, was formed by Netscape Communications Corporation, now by AOL. However, although this browser may have started off strongly, it soon was demolished by the success of the web browser Internet Explorer.

Founders

Founded by Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen, Mosaic Communications was built. It started out as an academic based web browser, but soon, Mosaic started work with Netscape, which turned the browser toward use for the public. Jim Clark (also credited as James Clark) met Marc Andressen in California when Andresseen moved for work. Soon, the Mosaic project was started, and later, Mosaic Communications was then changed to Netscape Communications.

Strengths

At the time, Netscape was one of the first and best internet web browsers. A particular success of Netscape was the speed in which the browser did searches and work. This was deemed as “internet time.” After that, Netscape helped HTML broaden it’s horizons with advancement in the technological writings of internet functions. Later, Netscape realeased Netscape version 2.0, which had a mail reader, much like modern email communication bases. Design was the next perk for Netscape, in Netscape version 3.0, with background colors and additional perks.

Competition

In August of 1995, stiff competition soon reared it’s head with the introduction of Windows 95. With Windows 95 came a web browser specific to the program- Internet Explorer. Although Internet Explorer seemed to lag behind the speed and capacities of Netscape, the real catch that brought in many consumers was the Internet Explorer was a free web browser. This then pressured Netscape to make it’s browser free as well in the year of 1998. However, over the span of three years, many advancements in the web browser field were made. With this being said, Mozilla 1.0 was created. In order for Netscape to become a free service, however, Netscape Communications had to team up with Mozilla to ensure free web browser access to the public.

Termination

In the end, Netscape could not compete with web browsers popping up all over the field. Netscape started out with version 1.0 and made it’s way up to Netscape version 4.8 before it’s termination. In 2008, Netscape announced to it’s remaining customers that the web browser was being terminated. Although Netscape did not maintain it’s previous glory, it was an internet cornerstone in which other web browsers were able to build off of. With the fast paced access of the browser to the additional features in the middle of it’s life, Netscape generated ideas for other’s in the industry. Without Netscape, the advancement of internet web browsing technology would have been a slower process.

Citations

Wilson, Brian. "Netscape Navigator" Web. 17 June 2012. <http://www.blooberry.com/indexdot/history/netscape.htm>.

"James Clark." Top Business Entrepreneurs. Web. 17 June 2012. <http://www.topbusinessentrepreneurs.com/james-clark.html>.

"Netscape: A History." BBC News. BBC, 02 Oct. 2000. Web. 17 June 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2000/microsoft/635689.stm>.


Final Paper on SOPA/PIPA

In this day and age, it is simply inevitable for one to not have some sort of social media page. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or any media related page in between, social media has burst through the landscape of modern technology and interactions. People use these engines for different reasons; for some, it is purely a social cause, such as sharing photos of Facebook, and for others, sending a blurb to a friend, celebrity, and even a more general landscape of the world via Twitter. Blogspot and Tumblr are each platforms in which one can blog, giving their opinions and views on anything from religion to fashion. Social media sites have made the world much smaller in the respect that now, someone from the United Kingdom can connect with someone in the United States through a simple click of a web browser and quick clacking of keys from their keyboard. In a few simple steps, you are connected. Human to human, through this technology, has the power to voice absolutely anything they wish; from as big of topics as who should be elected in an upcoming election from miniscule sentences about one’s cat. This technology, and these platforms, give humans voice. However, what happens when someone’s voice is threatened? What happens when something so basic, something we see as an everyday right, can be taken away? SOPA and PIPA threaten just that. Each idea collectively aims to eradicate and censor the voice of the human race. SOPA and PIPA should not be passed because we as a society have a right to speak our minds. By taking such drastic measure to take away what is apart of our freedom, something we have been raised off of since the dawning of the age of technology, we would all be in quite a bit of trouble.


First, we must go over what censorship really is. Censorship interferes with what many know as their “freedom of speech.” From the article “What Is Censorship?” on the Global Internet Liberty Campaign website, clear definitions are given in regards to what censorship really is. The article states, “One must recognize that censorship and the ideology supporting it go back to ancient times, and that every society has had customs, taboos, or laws by which speech, dress, religious observance, and sexual expression were regulated.” It is true that in every culture and all over the world, we have developed through history with our customs and traditions. To one culture, what may seem normal and a custom may come across quite differently to another, However, up until recently, it wasn’t much of a problem on the other end; that is, until, it was found out you can simply block out all images, ideas, and opinions with what we now know as censoring. Governmentally, censorship is a power tool used by those “in charge.” In many cultures, some views may be disrespectful, yet when we add technology into the mix, censorship becomes a much bigger issue. There becomes a fine line between what is truly offensive versus something slight. This, of course, was the beginning of the history of censorship. Before technology, and before the Internet, censorship would be portrayed in much different formats. However, as we graze our way through history, we see that the more technology we obtain, the more threats we endure.


The term “censorship” has been around for quite a while, even before the internet, and before social media platforms. A great example of censorship pre technological society would be in that of literature. In most educational systems, such as high schools in particular, censorship takes place in many English classes. A prime example would be that of the timeless and classic book Huckleberry Finn. In the book, there is a small scene where the two male characters strip nude; through this short passage, many had the idea that the book was most inappropriate, the book was threatened to be banned. Thankfully, this ended up not being the case; however, it is the idea behind the judgment of the short passage and the simple idea of ridding of a classic piece of literature due to these circumstances. This example of the mere start of the controversial issue made it’s way through libraries, schools across America, and once technology made it’s arrival in our society, censorship soon took hold.


Now, historically speaking, it is common knowledge that the Internet has not been around for all of ages. Quite frankly, the Internet is a rather new function and system. In the dawn of the era in which the Internet and social technology made it’s appearance in society, internet technologies were used mainly for governmental purposes. With this being said, we must keep in mind that these practices were not those of simple ones; they were complied of working data, information, and communication between government officials, not seen by the public eye. Records and data were kept for the government to bounce off of. It wasn’t until much later that the Internet was made a public domain. The Internet started out quite small, and not many users were in function, however, the main wonder and excitement of the new age of technology is that it made this big world much smaller. Once persons were able to connect with other from locations in which they had never even dreamed of encountering, socialization became an important part of the modern age. With this in mind, sharing of simplistic information, such song lyrics, soon became problematic when the ideas of censorship and plagiarism came into play.


Technology, and more specifically the internet, has grown sufficiently over the last few years. Aside from the actual technological advances such as faster browser speed and fancy gadgets or web cams, a very prominent and important piece of the technological generational puzzle is social media. Social media platforms are tools in which one can set up a profile reflecting their lives, almost daily, via the Internet. The biggest and most used platform of social media of this time would currently be Facebook. On Facebook, persons can set up a profile for themselves, add photos, and chat with friends; or even strangers. Most anyone can see all that you do here, and that may be part of the reason why countries such as China, Iran, and Syria have either banned or tampered with what can and cannot be shown. In many cases, for these countries, censorship in many areas is common; but when it hits the United States, many feel threatened. Whether it be religious or political censorship, it most definitely has made it’s presence clear. From an article titled “Facebook Censorship: Is Big Brother Watching You?” written by Amanda Cosco, there are many upset social consumers taking a stand. Steve Winter, creator of an anti-censorship group on Facebook, says, “’The ongoing and growing political censorship by Facebook should be a great concern for all who participate in social networking […]While I have mostly been the victim of religious censorship I have had political posts censored.’” It is quite clear that Facebook is just one of the social platforms having to deal with censorship. However, they are not the only ones. Tumblr, a blogging website, had to deal with potential censorship threats just a few months ago when SOPA and PIPA emerged. On Tumblr, you can write about what you wish, post photos, and connect with others about music, movies, and anything else you can think of. If censorship laws were passed, enjoyable websites such as Tumblr would be completely wiped out. There would be nothing to talk about, nothing to share; the beauty in which we share on these websites would be demolished.


In more recent bouts of history, just a few months ago, many can recall when a total “blackout” of Wikipedia. Many questioned why a blackout was happening, and more importantly, what did it mean? The reason was simple; it was a protest, and more so, a call of attention. Many websites including Tumblr and Facebook took part in this silent blackout protest, and soon, it gained the attention of any and everyone who was a social media consumer. The reason behind the blackouts were due to two bills trying to be passed called SOPA and PIPA. SOPA stands for the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA stand for the Protect IP Act. IP stands for Intellectual Property, which, in this case, is referring to the property pertaining to the technology itself. This contains such “property” as music, movies, or anything that could be taken and made into a smaller, computer based format. It is property that often times cannot be psychically held; this means it can be an idea, or a poem written on a blog. The Protect IP Act is a Senate bill, and the Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill much like the Protect IP Act. Each bill has points we can see and even agree on; we all know of plagiarism, and we all know stealing someone else’s work without permission or credit is wrong. The consequences behind stealing someone’s work in high school, for example, are always quite clear. It is easy to trace where the work came from, who’s it was, and who was at fault. However, let’s look back to the simple formats of Tumblr, for example. Most content on the site is complied of photos, GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format- or a clip from a movie, music video, etc. that moves in repeated play), and many other pieces of what may seem to be stolen material. However, what would the website be without such content? It would simply shut down, and more so, the creativity and connections brought forth through these formats would be squandered. No one is claiming the material is their own- and if they are, that’s a different story. Rather, they are sharing their inspiration and appreciation for the beauty and creativity they have found and fallen in love with. Between SOPA and PIPA, creativity flow would simply come to a halt. It is not to say that taking someone’s work without their credit isn’t wrong- it truly is, and we have been raised on this thought process. However, without the easy access of viewing and sharing the content, there is no way to spread the beauty and the creativity if censorship is in play. Where would our creativity be without social media websites, or any website, for that matter? Where would our sparks go, and where would our ideas travel? They surly would become stagnant.


In an article from ABC ‘Wikipedia Blackout,’ SOPA and PIPA Explained, Sergey Brin brings up interesting and valid points. Sergey Brin is a co-founder of a website used by most everyone daily: Google. “’While I support their goal of reducing copyright infringement (which I don’t believe these acts would accomplish), I am shocked that our lawmakers would contemplate such measures that would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world.’” Brin, with the accompaniment of Google, created Google+, and the quote was posted on the website in December. Google+, much like any other social media website like Facebook or Twitter, is a way to exclusively share and receive information with people in your “circles,” as well as any type of content, original or someone else’s. As we can see, the history of this issue has been a problem for quite some time, but most recently, it has become a serious threat. Those who have founded or co-founded such websites like Google are in danger of having to become what we can call “piracy police.” But really, what would anyone be able to post online with such restrictions, anyway? Most anything and everything can be traced back to an original poster; simply structured sentences such as these can be found most anywhere if one looks hard enough. Someone may go on to their Twitter account to post a song lyric by an artist other than themselves, and what would be the consequence for doing so, if the proper, new techniques for citing were not taken into account? Surely, proper citations cannot be fit under 140 characters. Surely, in a much bigger respect, we would all be in trouble.


Once more, from a historical perspective, we can see that all components contributing to issues of censorship are pretty “new.” The Internet, SOPA, PIPA, and the new found tools we have of using our voices are all pieces of the puzzle that add up to a piece of history that is still in motion. SOPA and PIPA are still being discussed, and the threats for what we can call our technological freedom are still at stake. Historically, censorship is nothing new. However, technology is, and it’s still growing. Whereas censorship is a basic and free-standing idea, not tampered with for quite some time, technology is an ever changing field. This is where the fine line between what can and cannot be done appears. Can we really limit something that is constantly changing in front of our eyes?


I believe that I am apart of the generation of change. My generation is being struck with hardships such as an unstable economy, copious amounts of debt due to our education, environmental degradation, and anything else that keeps a person up at night. This generation has the power to change what has already been done. We have the power to change something that seems irreversible. However, change does not simply happen over night, and it certainly does not happen without careful planning and discussion. To successfully change our futures and the futures of those to come, we must take the first steps now. Of course, this means we need to start talking. Talk to anyone, anywhere, getting ideas, opinions, and connections. With breadth of outlook and new perspective, hopefully, change will become easy. And yet, how does one start conversation in this modern era? It has become much easier, of course, due to the advances in technology and the internet. When we do the most simple equation of adding technology and the internet, plus humans collectively looking for change, in addition to the strong voices of individuals and a society for betterment, we end up with something marvelous. A society working together and using their collective voice for change is something beautiful. However, if SOPA, PIPA, or any other form of censorship makes it’s way through the passing in governmental systems, we can come to conclusions of catastrophe. Indeed, this generation is the generation of change, however, it is also a generation that knows not much else other than the tools gained from interactions with technology. If censored or taken away, the generation of change has little knowledge of other tools to go off of. If society wants to advance even further, and to become even better than what we have got now, then we all must open our eyes to the dangers of internet censorship. If we want to collectively function as a society that all dream of, a society of connectedness, we must work together to eradicate the smallest ideas of censorship. If we want change, we have to start now.


Citations

Qazi, Usman. "The Internet Censorship Controversy." The Internet Censorship Controversy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 June 2012. <http://courses.cs.vt.edu/cs3604/lib/Censorship/notes.html>.

Cosco, Amanda. "Facebook Censorship: Is Big Brother Watching You? - SocialTimes." Facebook Censorship: Is Big Brother Watching You? - SocialTimes. Social Times, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 June 2012. <http://socialtimes.com/facebook-censorship-is-big-brother-watching-you_b58970>.

"What Is Censorship?" What Is Censorship? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 June 2012. <http://gilc.org/speech/osistudy/censorship/>.

Potter, Ned. "‘Wikipedia Blackout,’ SOPA and PIPA Explained." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 25 June 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/01/wikipedia-blackout-sopa-and-pipa-explained/>.