Technology Literacy

Period 8

Hunter Hughes

23 August 2016

Computer Terms – Ngram

Augmented Reality is the integration of digital information with the current environment of the user. Augmented means “to make greater in size or value”. An interesting concept, it means that our reality is meant to be made greater in value by digital implementations into our lives. This technology was first used in the early 1960s when a man named Ivan Sutherland developed a head mounted display system which depicted wireframe drawings. The term took off in the mid to late-1990s when first, a Boeing researcher named Tom Caudell coined the term. Later, virtual fixtures would be developed for the Air Force to perform tasks from another operating space. A huge jump came from the NFL using this technology during their broadcasts to help spectators see what is happening on the field. In more recent years, technology such as Google Glasses has shown up as new forms of augmented reality.

Bandwidth, or the range of frequencies or bit-rate of available information capacity, has been mentioned since the early 1940s. This is because data began to be communicated among channels around this same time. As technologies improved over the years and more data and information was being communicated, the term became more popular. It appears to take off around the early days of the internet in the 1970s and 1980s, especially peaking when the internet became more public in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Cloud computing involves the use of a network of remote servers that share computer processed data to the internet to store and manage data on multiple devices rather than a local server or PC. The idea of cloud computing really did not come to fruition until at least the invention of the internet, although mentions of the technology were first mentioned with mainframe computers in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1990s, as the internet gained popularity, companies began to offer private, virtual network connections for consumers. Users now had shared access to a physical infrastructure rather than their own point-to–point connection for data.

Digital revolution was a term first used around the same time that computer technology truly began to accelerate. It represented the shift from analog electronics to, as the term states, more digital technology. During the 1980s and 1990s, PCs and other digital technology grew dramatically in popularity. This became especially true as more and more people realized the potential that digital devices had.

Email as it is known today began to be widely used first in the 1990s. Before this, electronic mail transactions were used by the military over ARPANET. Consumer use took off with the invention of the internet, as the ability to communicate with other ordinary people through a computer was then a fascinating concept. In addition, more people began using it in the 1990s and 2000s because before, users had to pay per minute. When the cost of internet and email became little to nothing, more people flocked to it and were able to write about it. It likely levels off because of more frequent texting in recent years.

Embedded computers are a technology integrated in other devices to help that device with a specific function. For instance, most home appliances contain some form of embedded computers to help carry out tasks such as microwaving. The first embedded computers were used by the military and space exploration programs to control devices and systems from remote locations. With the 1980s came a great improvement in micro processing and operating systems as a whole. With new technology came the need for different working parts to control what was going on, thus was implemented this small computation device.

Emerging technology is nothing that is frankly very new. The term itself however, is. Emerging technologies have been around ever since man invented the wheel. In the 1970s and 1980s when major technological innovations were being made is when the term first began being used. With the emergence of the PC, convenient and new home appliances, and luxuries that were being produced every day to improve the standard of living came the terminology. Up and coming, new technology continued to grow until the last decade or so when it started to slow down.

Computers, or computation device as the term came from, began to be developed in the late 1950s. The first substantial computer was ENIAC (Electrical Numerator Integrator and Calculator). This device took several people to operate and read code through punched out cards. The computer itself gained little attention at first, but erupted at the personalization for both businesses and individuals of computers in the coming decades (1970s-1980s). As more and more consumers recognized the potential for such a device, its popularity skyrocketed. Due to the number of consumers, the computer industry has always sought for ways to better technology, advancing to the point even now where computers can fit in a person’s pocket.

Information technology. This term is one that is relatively new in relation to the course of history. The phrase “information technology” stemmed especially from the start of the digital age back in the 1960s and 1970s. Like many of the other terms on here, the need for a term such as this came as a result of new and emerging technologies of this time. The need to understand technology and to become technologically literate came to fruition in the mid to late-1970s. As technology advanced, so did the information that came along with it, and thereby the need for more and more people to be aware of and understand that technology.

Interactive books were first conceptualized in 1959; interactive fiction has been a popular genre for many years. Also known as "gamebooks", interactive books are traditionally written in the second person point of view. Most plots involve the reader as protagonist in the story who makes choices to decide how the plot will unfold. In addition to these, there are also picture and pop-up books as well as hidden object books.

Smart phones began in 1992 with IBM’s Simon. This device included fax and email capabilities as well as a stylus-operated touch screen. The term “smartphone” was coined by Ericsson, but Nokia soon took to the head of the pack, introducing a phone with a color screen. In the early 2000s, phone brands began to set themselves apart based on compatibility in personal life and business. For example, Blackberry OS was the primary choice for many businesses due to its accessible email capabilities. Perhaps the largest jump in the smartphone realm was the introduction of Apple’s iPhone. Shortly after this, a number of different smartphone companies began to pop up such as HTC with android, Motorola, and Microsoft.

Software defined storage (SDS) is a relatively new and evolving storage infrastructure that is managed by intelligent software rather than storage hardware, as are common computer storage systems automated. There were no results from Google Ngram viewer for this phrase.

SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a software licensing and delivery model where software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. The original term for it was Application Service Providers, but it had the same premise where users would pay for an application that was to be accessed through a website. It is simply another form of delivering applications over the internet rather than installing software directly. SaaS remains one of three cloud computing categories for users today. The technology grew along with the expansion of the internet in the 1990s, especially in businesses where centralized computing was convenient.

Quick Response Codes (QR Codes) is simply another form of two-dimensional barcode. The technology originated in Japan and when scanned, provides information about the product that it is attached to. This technology, especially used by mobile phones, was released in 1994 as a result of Masahiro Hara trying to increase the speed of scanning by allowing items to be scanned from a number of different positions. There were no Google Ngram graphs for this phrase.

Augmented Printing is interactive printed technology that is a very new technology. This extends from the augmented reality technology that is growing, and represents another way for users to interact with their surrounding environment. There were no Google Ngram graphs for this phrase.