Richard Goodlaski

Wiki Entry #1: Z4 Computer

The Z4 computer, a fourth generation machine that came after the Z1, Z2 and Z3, was the world’s first prototype digital computer machine with commercial intentions. The machine was designed by German engineer Konrad Zuse. (Zuse) The development of the Z4 computer was started in 1942 and the goal behind it was to create a prototype that could be mass produced and sold as a reprogrammable machine. This computer would greatly help engineers and scientific institutes. With experience on his previous machines, he knew that the Z4 machine would need a more advanced form of memory in order to complete its tasks. It took many years to build the Z4, which as a result made it much smaller than what Zuse intended it to be. (Zuse)

Specifications:

• Frequency: (about) 40 hertz
• Average calculation speed: 400 ms for an addition
• Input: Decimal numbers, punch tape
• Output: Decimal numbers, punch tape
• Word length: 32 bits
• Elements: (about) 2,500 relays, 21 step-wise relays
• Memory: Memory of the Z1 (64 words, 32 bit)
• Power consumption: (about) 4kW

Due to the wartime however in Gemany, materials needed for the machine were scarce and the constant bombings made working on the project nearly impossible. By March 1945, Zuse fled from Germany with the half built computer. The project to finish the prototype was put on hold as Zuse needed to survive the war. Once the war neared an end, the Z4 computer was finally reconstructed in 1948. Eduard Stiefel took interest in the machine and purchased it. Zuse then founded his own company called Zuse KG. Stiefel, a professor from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, received the machine in September 1950.

The Z4 computer used units called “Planfertigungsteil”, which was a program construction unit. It was used to create a type of punch tapes which contained instructions for the Z4. Because of this simple type of use, learning the programming of the Z4 was very easy as it took as little as three hours or so to fully understand it. It also contained large instruction sets that were used to calculate complicated scientific programs. The processor was an arithmetic processor and was based on a powerful binary floating processor. This allowed for support of powerful arithmetic exception handling. The computing times were: addition and memory access, half a second; multiplication, 3 seconds; division and square root, 6 seconds; overall performance, 2000 instructions, or 1000 arithmetic operations per hour. (Konrad Zuse—the first relay computer, 2010)

1. Instructions for Input: <-, At1, etc.: These allow numbers to be read from the punch tape.
2. Instructions for Output: ->, D, L, etc.: These instructions cause binary numbers to be converted into their decimal equivalents and the results to be displayed with lamps, on the MERCEDES typewriter as floating or fixed point numbers, or on the punch tape.
3. Instruction for reading from memory: A n. For example A 17. This reads the contents of memory cell 17 into the Register R1. If Register R1 is occupied, then the contents are loaded into Register R2.
4. Instruction for writing to memory: S n. For example S 18. This writes the contents of Register R1 into the memory cell 18.
5. Dyadic operations: +, -, x, /, MAX, and MIN.
6. Monadic operations: x2, SQR(x), 1/x, | x | , sign(x), x*1/2, x*2, x*(-1), x*10, x*3, x*1/3, x*1/5, x*1/7, x*Pi, x*1/Pi.
7. Instructions for comparison: x = 0, x >= 0, | x | = infinity test the value in Register R1 and set Register R1 to +1 if the condition is fulfilled, if not, then the contents of Register R1 are set to –1.
8. A conditional branch instruction: SPR. The instruction SPR skips the punch tape to the instruction ST, if Register R1 contains +1 (if Register R1 contains –1 then there is no impact).
9. Instructions for switching the punch tape readers (the Z4 had two punch tape readers).

(Konrad Zuse—the first relay computer, 2010)

References

1. Konrad Zuse—the first relay computer. (2010, May 18). Retrieved May 30, 2010, from History of Computers: Hardware, Software, Internet...: http://history-computer.com/ModernComputer/Relays/Zuse.html
2. Zuse, H. (n.d.). The Life and Work of Konrad Zuse Part 6: The Z4 Computer and the Zuse Apparatebau in Berlin (1940-1945). Retrieved May 30, 2010, from http://www.epemag.com/zuse/part6a.htm

Wiki Entry #2: AMD

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., also known as AMD, is a company in the semiconductor industry. This type of industry focuses on designing and engineering semiconductor devices. These types of devices include microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors and graphics processors for computers. AMD focuses these types of processors for servers, workstations and personal computers. They have also started developing processor technologies for other applications such as televisions, video game consoles and handheld devices. (Advanced Micro Devices)

History

On May 1, 1969, former executives from Fairchild Semiconductor established the company with a start-up of $100,000 and settled in Sunnyvale, California which is now the site for its headquarters. Back when it was first founded, it began as a manufacturer of logic chips or integrated circuits. In 1970, it introduced its first proprietary device: the Am2501 logic counter. By 1972, the company went public and in 1975, the company started to make RAM chips. It also began to produce a number of bit-slice processor elements that were used in minicomputers. 4 years later, AMD joined the New York Stock Exchange and the company began to expand with its new Austin manufacturing facility. In 1984 and 1985, AMD was listed in “The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America and was listed in Fortune 500 for the first time. (Advanced Micro Devices)

Because of AMD’s quality and innovation, the company was able to develop a major manufacturing contract with Commodore Business Machines which demanded up to 7000 chips a week. In 1987, AMD acquired Monolithic Memories, Inc. which threw them in to the programmable logic industry. A huge milestone for the company was when AMD announced its merger with the Canadian company, ATI Technologies in 2006. ATI was known for releasing the first 3D graphic chip and the supplier for microprocessors. They also were the first company to develop products that supported the Accelerated Graphics Port. As a result of the merger, AMD began to reconstruct its integrated market. Previous ATI devices in the mobile phone and television sets were branded AMD while ATI kept the Radeon graphics line. (MWE, Inc)

Partnership

AMD, like every other company, attempts to strategically align itself into partnerships to further its business interests and compete with its biggest rival, Intel. One type of partnership is with Alpha Processor Inc., who develops HyperTransport, a point-to-point interconnect standard. This type of technology is now used in modern AMD processor compatible motherboards. One of AMD’s biggest partnerships is with IBM, which allowed AMD to gain technology in the silicon on insulator industry. This partnership is extended into 2011 when they will be researching 32 nm and 22 nm chips.

Customers

The main vision of AMD is to find new and innovative products which are beneficial to people who are into technology. Their view is that the customer needs are always placed above the growth of technology for the sake of technology. AMD is known for their customer satisfaction and because of it, it has helped AMD to be the mainstay in global technology.

References

1. Advanced Micro Devices. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2010, from Global Provider of Innovative Graphics, Processors and Media Solutions: AMD: http://www.amd.com/us/aboutamd/Pages/AboutAMD.aspx
2. Advanced Micro Devices. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2010, from AMD: http://www.amd.com/gb-uk/Weblets/0,,7832_10554,00.html
3. MWE, Inc. (n.d.). The History of AMD. Retrieved June 13, 2010, from Web Hosting Report: http://www.webhostingreport.com/learn/amd.html

Wiki Entry #3: Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a term that is used when our physical reality has graphics, audio or other types of enhancements overlaying it viewed through a digital device such as a cell phone. These computer-generated images augment our current perception of reality. The most common form of this augmented reality, also most familiar with everyone is used on TV, mainly sports and news channels. Superimposed lines drawn on the screen in football are just one example of how this type of technology works. In the future however, developers are looking to implement this type of technology not just from the viewpoint of the TV, but from the perspective of the individual.

The first to define the definition of augmented reality were Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino. They said that it was a continuum that’s spans from the real environment to a pure virtual environment. Between these environments, there exists he augmented reality and the augmented virtuality. (Kishino, 1994) Ronald Azuma was another person who defined what augmented reality was back in 1997. His definition of augmented reality consist of three main points which said that it must combine real and virtual realities, have interactivity in real time and be fully registered in 3D. (Azuma, 1997) With this special reality, there is a need for powerful computing. The main hardware consists of components which provide information necessary for accurately portraying the augmented world. A CPU, camera, accelerometers, GPS and a compass are the most used to accomplish this task. It provides accurate display, tracking, input devices and computer processing. Using the combination of the devices, there are three display method used to create the augmented reality.

The first method is the Head Mounted Display. It puts the picture of both the physical world and the virtual worlds over the user’s view of the world. The second technique is through handheld displays. A small computer, or a smartphone, with a display that fits in the users hand uses a built in camera and GPS to track the augmented world. The third method is called spatial displays. It uses digital projectors to display the graphical information on the object in the physical reality. Note that this uses the perspective of the device and not the user.

Cell phones or smartphones are the next logical step in the advancement of augmented reality. Android and the iPhone now have applications which are available to download which have many features listed under the definition of augmentmented reality. One popular application is called Layar. It uses the phone’s camea and GPS to gather information and show the user information about places of interest, twitter tweets, and famous landmarks. The information is then placed on the phone overlaying the view of the world. By pointing the phone at a building for example, it will display if the business is hiring or google search for more information. (Bonsor)

The following are 10 popular applications that use augmented reality.

1. Le Bar Guide – Finds local places to drink along with finding taxi information.
2. WorkSnug – Identifies WiFi hotspots and potential workplaces.
3. Pocket Universe: Virutal Sky Astronomy – Star map that gives information about the stars, constellations and planets.
4. DishPointer – A virtual ovrlay of the nearest satellite in the sky.
5. AugMeasure – Gauges short distances.
6. Virtual Graffiti – Place images based on Lat/Long in the world for others to see with Google Maps integration.
7. Theodolite – An actual theodolite to give accurate information about altitude.
8. Car Finder – Creates a visible marker showing the car.
9. Firefighter 360 – Game which sets your current location on fire in which you are required to put out.
10. iPew – Gives the user a choice of weapons to virtually blast people with.

(Elliott)

References

Azuma, R. (1997). A Survey of Augmented Reality. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Envionments , 355-385.

Bonsor, K. (n.d.). How Augmented Reality Works. Retrieved June 27, 2010, from How Stuff Works: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality2.htm

Elliott, A.-M. (n.d.). 10 Amazing Augmented Reality iPhone Apps. Retrieved June 27, 2010, from Mashable/Mobile: http://mashable.com/2009/12/05/augmented-reality-iphone/

Kishino, P. M. (1994). Taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays. Retrieved June 27, 2010, from ETC Lab: http://vered.rose.utoronto.ca/people/paul_dir/IEICE94/ieice.html

Wiki Article: Are You Addicted to Video Games?

Video games have been around ever since the 1950’s when William Higinbotham created the very first video game, “Tennis for Two,” on the Brookhaven National Laboratory oscilloscope. (Bellis) Many of us are more familiar with the later version called pong, and we can all relate to the feeling of overcoming the enemy and accomplishing the impossible to make ourselves feel that we have achieved total victory. Video gaming was established since the beginning of the digital age of technology and it has evolved far past the point of connecting dots, and bouncing balls. And with this evolution comes increased immersion and because of it, increases the realism and the sense of creating and filling the void of accomplishment. This brings video gaming addiction into the picture as it not only increases sales and brings people into the gaming industry, it forces people to ignore their “real life” and set aside personal and social engagements to further themselves in the digital world. But to understand video gaming addiction, the very definition and understanding of addiction needs to be looked at as well, because addiction to gaming did not come forth through the invention of the video games. The symptoms of video gaming addiction are very real and they affect thousands of lives every day. But what is the root cause of the problem? Is there some sort of psychological disorder that makes people fall into the addiction trap? Or does it relate to drugs in which video games are the means to separate oneself from reality to go to a place they feel more comfortable. I have researched a number of studies regarding this issue and will be looking into the symptoms and causes of video game addiction throughout the history of gaming. I will also look at what addiction really means in terms of the psychological aspect agreed upon by most professionals. Along with the issues at hand, I will also look into what our society is doing to help prevent and correct this sort of behavior, and what it has done in the past to put a stop to this addiction. It is important to look at the history of video games when looking at all this data considering that the addiction has increased over the years with the increase in the quality of games. With all these issues at hand, the government has also taken some type of action. Around the world, governments have tackled this issue some way or another, and many of them have stepped in to take video gaming addiction seriously. And finally, I will look deeply into the components that make up a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), and explain how this genre of gaming is overtaking the world with “massive” addiction rates that can and even have caused, deaths. Video gaming addiction is a real thing, and according to many studies, it has been slowly evolving into a public issue that hasn’t been much of a problem in the past, but because of the recent technology and access to gaming hardware, is ruining peoples’ lives.

According to Merriam-Webster, addiction is the quality or state of being addicted. And being addicted is when one devotes or surrenders oneself to something habitually or obsessively. So a person who dedicates themselves to an object or activity, and puts that activity first in their life while at the same time diminishing their overall quality of life has an addiction problem. Obviously video gaming falls into this category of an activity that is taking place. But when looking at addiction you must also find which type of addiction is taking place. Addiction can refer to either substance dependence or behavioral addiction. When looking at an activity such as video gaming, addiction falls within the behavior field. We know that video gaming causes some sort of compulsion that is not substance-related, and when people are compulsive with video gaming activities, they seem to find themselves separated or engaging in the activity despite the damaging consequences that come along with it. Looking more closely at behavior addiction, we can see that it only comes into effect when the society gives people the opportunity to exploit these activities. Cultural factors influence whether or not video gaming is problem. What this means is that due to the advancement in technology, over time people have been given easier access to the materials to cause this type of behavioral addiction. In the past before there was a computer in every household, and before there were many types of video gaming consoles, people had limited access to gaming. With the decrease in the number of people gaming, the behavior disorders were not a known issue. Also when looking at video gaming addiction as a behavior problem, one must understand what this addiction gives its user since why would anyone want to continue to play games for hours without any sense of pleasure? Those who fall into the addiction find themselves consumed by the reward system in place along with the outlet for reduced anxiety and increase in pleasure and relaxation. (Parashar A, 2007) Gaming therefore is an activity, which causes ones behavior to put video gaming into the major focus of a person’s life, while at the same time excluding other activities which begin to harm the person either physically, mentally, or socially. (Achalu, 2005)

With the cause of any mental disorder, there exists some type of symptoms associated with it. These types of symptoms go past the social aspect, and affect the person physically. Just like how stress can negatively hurt the body, video gaming addiction or behavioral addiction, can also damage oneself. The most common symptoms associated with this type of addiction are sleep-pattern disturbances, irritability before or after gaming, guilt and attempts to hide gaming use, nightmares and dreams about use, depression, lack of ability to feel or concentrate, hypertension, and anxiety. Prolonging the addiction also can lead to health problems as people, who spend most of their days playing games, have a decrease in physical activity which leads to gaining weight and heart problems. (BBC) The symptoms come up due to the fact that people ignore or put aside the thought of having these issues because of the “high” they feel while playing is so intense that it can hide the real problems at hand. The behavior activities produce beta-endorphins, which are in the brain and the basis for neurobiological addiction, which produces this “high”. And this is how the cycle begins as many people engage in the activity while ignoring the consequences or symptoms associated with it. The behavior turns ones addiction into the addiction to their brain chemicals. The possible causes of video game addiction are not hard to point out. Basically the built-in reward system of the video game increases confidence, pleasure and gives the user satisfaction, which those with high addiction have trouble attaining in the real world.

Ever since the introduction of video games, there has always been a group of hardcore followers. Back when arcades were popular, social groups were stigmatized as outcasts for spending most of their time and money at these arcades. As I have stated previously, the technological advancement has moved these arcades into the living room and has given millions access to video games. However no video game in history can match the addiction caused by Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMO). These types of games are able to support thousands of players simultaneously playing at the same time. With the advancement of the Internet, MMO’s have steadily grown into one of the largest video gaming market in the world with Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) leading the pack. (Parks Associates). In the beginning, MMORPGs were basic text based university mainframe computer Multi-User Dungeons (MUD). MUDs took in all the aspect of role-playing games and projected text out to the user in the forms of objects, non-player characters (NPC) and allowed for the user to perform certain actions in the virtual world. Commands using basic words of the language directed the game and kept the flow constant. Eventually, MMORPGs came into the picture when personal home computers with Internet connections found their way into people’s homes in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The commercial success of small title MMO’s like The Realm Online and Neverwinter Nights gave developers a reason for investing into this market. After studying the concept of online games and how a company can create a game which could essentially, last forever with subscribers paying monthly fees, MMO’s started to gain attraction.

Research has shown that those addicted to these type of games on the computer can be made up of male and female, and from any age group, with MMO’s being the most addictive because of the social aspect. (WIEMER-HASTINGS, 2005) These online relationships that take place over the internet fill the emotional loneliness felt by the role playing users. Once games have begun to get more power, the use of 3D avatars began to be used as games like Ultima Online and Everquest (also known as Evercrack) allowed users to create a magical character to interact with. Because of the nature of the games being that the world was always going on at all times, users could log off and not affect others in the game. In fact, logging off prevented you from surpassing others, which in turn created the need to be logged on for as long as possible to compete with everyone in the game. This social and competitive aspect made dedication to the game mandatory. MMORPGs became the endless game that developers looked to make and always found ways to keep it from being boring by constantly adding and upgrading the game by taking the servers down for patches. This main feature of MMORPG’s, the system of constant goals and achievements through quests and dungeon raiding, provided hours of entertainment to fill the endless craving of the user. I have first hand experience with Everquest, and after playing it from an early age, I can agree with the researchers that the game dynamics provided for an atmosphere that would make you not want to leave. In fact, leaving was frowned upon since once players join groups, guilds or clans, they required its members to log on at certain days of the week, or times, to accomplish some type of dungeon raid. This collaboration of collecting loot or treasure, and leveling up with friends, made addiction a real life issue.

The worst thing to come from an addiction is death. With the rise in video game popularity, death by over indulging oneself with playing has followed. So to prevent the unwanted side effects from addiction, it is good to look for help to overcome it. Below are some steps to follow to accomplish this real life achievement thanks to wikiHow.

1. Recognize your addiction. Even if it is just a game, it is still an addiction that is affecting your lifestyle. In recognizing the problem, you become aware that it needs to be fixed.
2. Tell your MMORPG friends that you are quitting, whether for an certain time period, or permanently. They may give you the emotional support that you need to recover. If you can't bear parting from your e-friends, keep contact with them via e-mail or chat.
3. Start your long journey to recovery. Depending on how addicted you are, and how much time you have to beat your addiction, you have several methods of approach.

Decrease your overall time playing. What seems to be the most common is to slowly lower your playing time until it is down to a reasonable amount. However, this may not work for people who are unable to control their addiction.

Force yourself to quit playing. Quit playing the game for a few months, and then your addiction will soon dissipate, provided that you don't slip back to the game.

Uninstall the MMORPG. If you cannot trust yourself to keep away from loading the game another time, then your best bet is to remove the program from your computer completely.

Keep the installation CD out of reach. You might lock them away in a drawer, or give them to your parents, sibling, or trusted friend. If you are very determined, you might even destroy, or sell the CD even donating to charity/charity shops works.

Find new hobbies. Look for another hobby like reading or riding a bicycle. It is best if you find something that will keep you away from the computer, in effort to keep your mind off of the MMORPG. (wikiHow)

Since game addictions are now one of the fastest growing addictions due to the increase in technology and the easy access, we as a society must be prepared enough to handle the problems that come with it. It takes a lot of self discipline and focus to control oneself and to look out for friends and family. This type of addiction can have extremely harmful effects and should not be taken lightly. It can cause serious damage to a person’s mental or physical health.

References

Achalu, E. D. (2005, November 28). The Self-Medication Hypothesis. Retrieved June 2010, from Addictioninfo.org: http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/258/1/The-Self-Medication-Hypothesis/Page1.html

BBC. (n.d.). The risks of not taking exercise . Retrieved June 2010, from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/healthyliving/exerciserisk.shtml

Bellis, M. (n.d.). Computer and Video Game History. Retrieved June 2010, from About.com Inventors: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcomputer_videogames.htm

Parashar A, V. (2007, April). Behavior and substance addictions: is the world ready for a new category in the DSM-V? Retrieved June 2010, from CNS Specturms: First In Applied Neuroscience: http://www.cnsspectrums.com/aspx/articledetail.aspx?articleid=1035

Parks Associates. (n.d.). Online Gaming Revenues to Triple by 2009. Retrieved June 2010, from http://www.parksassociates.com/press/press_releases/2005/gaming-1.html

WIEMER-HASTINGS, P. (2005). Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOR , 110-113.

wikiHow. (n.d.). How to Overcome an MMORPG Addiction. Retrieved June 2010, from wikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-an-MMORPG-Addiction