McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved Prologue Living in the Digital Age.

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies,All Rights Reserved

ProloguePrologue

Living in the Digital AgeLiving in the Digital Age

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Technology Has Always Been AroundTechnology Has Always Been AroundThe abacus was popular over 5,000 years ago

In 1822, Charles Babbage invented the Difference Engine

The ENIAC was built in 1944

In 1981, IBM introduced the

IBM PC

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Technology Is Prevalent TodayTechnology Is Prevalent Today

• 14 of 14 of Fortune Top 100Fortune Top 100 (2005) are technology (2005) are technology companiescompanies

• Dell was formed in 1984 (about the time you Dell was formed in 1984 (about the time you were born) and now employs 65,000 peoplewere born) and now employs 65,000 people

• Amazon.com ranked 303Amazon.com ranked 303rdrd… it has only been … it has only been around about 10 yearsaround about 10 years

• eBay ranked 529eBay ranked 529thth… it too has only been … it too has only been around for about 10 yearsaround for about 10 years

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FAST PROGRESS OF FAST PROGRESS OF IINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

• 1981 – IBM introduced the IBM PC, ushering 1981 – IBM introduced the IBM PC, ushering in the personal computer erain the personal computer era– $2,500$2,500– 330,000 instructions per second330,000 instructions per second

• Today – Dell sells its Dimension B110 systemToday – Dell sells its Dimension B110 system– $300$300– 2.5 billion instructions per second2.5 billion instructions per second

• If other industries had progressed in similar If other industries had progressed in similar fashion…fashion…

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FAST PROGRESS OF FAST PROGRESS OF IINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Purchase a set of automobile tires for $50 that would last 306 million miles.

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FAST PROGRESS OF FAST PROGRESS OF IINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Purchase an automobile that would get 153,000 miles to the gallon

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FAST PROGRESS OF FAST PROGRESS OF IINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Purchase a ticket for an around-the-world airline flight that would last approximately one-third of a second.

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FAST PROGRESS OF FAST PROGRESS OF IINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Purchase a home for $2,500 that would occupy 440 million square feet.

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FAST PROGRESS OF FAST PROGRESS OF IINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Purchase a one-pound T-bone steak… well, at that price, they’ll just be giving away the cow.

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ENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Podcasting – viewing/listening to audio and video files with portable listening devices and personal computers

Mobisodes – one- to three-minute video clips of TV shows you view on a small screen (cell phone mainly)

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OPEN-SOURCE [EVERYTHING]OPEN-SOURCE [EVERYTHING]

• Open-source softwareOpen-source software – free and publicly – free and publicly availableavailable

• Open-source informationOpen-source information – content (not – content (not software) that is free and publicly availablesoftware) that is free and publicly available

Wikipedia, the world’s most famous forum for open-source information, has over 1 million articles and 600

books that are free and publicly available

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NETWORKINGNETWORKING

• BloggingBlogging – authoring, maintaining, or adding – authoring, maintaining, or adding content to a blogcontent to a blog

• BlogBlog – Web site on which you post content – Web site on which you post content and people comment on it (which then also and people comment on it (which then also appears on the Web site)appears on the Web site)

• Online or virtual communitiesOnline or virtual communities– eBayeBay– PokerStarts.netPokerStarts.net– MySpaceMySpace

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TELECOMMUTINGTELECOMMUTING

• Working in a place other than a central Working in a place other than a central location (i.e., office)location (i.e., office)

• Saves money and increases productivitySaves money and increases productivity

• Enabled by information technologyEnabled by information technology

• Want a job that offers telecommuting?Want a job that offers telecommuting?– www.telecommute-jobs.comwww.telecommute-jobs.com– Telecommuting Jobs at Careers.orgTelecommuting Jobs at Careers.org

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FINAL THOUGHTSFINAL THOUGHTS

• Technology is everywhereTechnology is everywhere

• It is a part of your lifeIt is a part of your life

• Knowing about technology will help youKnowing about technology will help you

• Not necessarily how the technology works, but Not necessarily how the technology works, but rather what you can do with itrather what you can do with it