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Release 2 of SemCo's online TechRef database. While new content is
added to the database daily, new functionality has been added with Release
2, available May 1st, 2003.
Read "Whatis TechRef?"
for details on the database, Release 2 upgrades, and information about a
free Web demo of the product.
We know training budgets are tight and travel is not popular right now.
But, you can get the technical information you need for pennies a day, and
without leaving your home or office.
Check out all the details in the Whatis TechRef? article below.
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MEMORY… All kinds and shapes
Memory is a necessary section of all computer systems. It's part of the
computer itself and is a holding area for programs and data during
execution. Every computer needs to have memory, but different
"computers" work with different types of memory.
For many years the IT industry wrote application software to solve business
problems, and the systems the programmers wrote ran on general-purpose
computers. These programs make up the applications we're used to –
the payroll systems, accounting systems, inventories, distribution systems,
etc. Programs were stored on disks and were transferred into RAM (Random
Access Memory) during execution. The contents of RAM changed every time a
new program executed.
IT really wasn't involved in other types of programs and computers –
those programs that are specifically developed to run on a dedicated
computer, such as the programs that are "built-in" to cars,
microwaves, or even toys. These programs were created by engineers who
built the actual equipment and embedded the programs into the devices
– and permanently stored them in ROM (Read Only Memory) which never
changed. Devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) use this
technology, but require applications such as address books and calendar
programs. As new and specialized computers continue to appear, new types of
memory are developed.
First, all computers use both RAM and ROM. RAM comes in two types: SRAM
(Static RAM) holds information as long as the electricity is on. DRAM
(Dynamic RAM) which holds data only for a few milliseconds and must be
recharged thousands of times per second or the data will be lost. In either
case, the data is gone when the power is shut off. General-purpose
computers use mostly RAM, as programs and data are constantly being moved into
memory while the computer is on, and nothing need remain when the system is
shut off. In fact, we wouldn't want the same program and/or data – we
want a fresh copy of both the next time we execute, e.g. the payroll
program. This is true of almost all programs and data. Even in
general-purpose we want some programs and data to remain. These computers
contain a small amount of ROM to hold programs such as BIOS (Basic Input
Output System) programs that are needed to boot the system when it's turned
on.
ROM dominates special-purpose computers, or computer devices. Because these
devices do a limited number of things, (a microwave will cook, defrost,
reheat, etc.) the programs that control the devices are burned into ROM
with high voltage electricity so it is retained even after power is shut
off. There are many different types of ROM, which basically differ in how
the memory is created. PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory) chips are
programmed by a device programmer and cannot be changed. The chip is
discarded if its use changes. Variations of ROM that can be erased and
reprogrammed include EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory. EPROM chips can be
erased by ultraviolet light and then reprogrammed as many times as desired.
EEPROM can be erased electronically, and the whole chip doesn't have to be
changed, even a single byte can be changed by itself. Flash memory also
uses electricity and memory can be erased and reprogrammed as often as
needed. Flash memory provides the best speeds and cost ratios, and is the
most popular type of ROM being used today.
As computer uses merge together and programmable devices become more
applications oriented, even the memory changes. Programmers are learning
more about ROM as they work with applications that use the new devices, and
a new type of memory, MRAM (Magnetoresitive Random Access Memory) is on the
drawing board. MRAM uses magnetic charges rather than electricity for high
speed memory and could replace DRAM, SRAM and flash memory. It should be
ready for commercial use by 2004. If it's not, something else will come
along, as IT continues to develop new ways to satisfy the increasing uses
of computers, and the merging of general-purpose and special-purpose
functionality.
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Well, it's not Whatis! Nor is it
TechEncyclopedia, or Webopedia, or any of the other technical dictionaries.
It's the only technical resource that was written specifically for
non-technical businessmen and women. And, it's not a dictionary; it's a
complete database of the information you need to understand in order to
communicate with computer professionals.
TechRef Release 2 has over
14,000 entries, which define not only generic computer terms, but also
computer products and vendor information. Definitions don't just tell you
what a product is, they tell you the platform(s) the product runs on, what
other software it works with, and the name of the vendor. Detailed
information on over 2,500 vendors provides a list of each vendor's products
and a link to the vendor site. TechRef
contains not just a few hundred product definitions, it covers thousands of
products – from legacy technologies to products still under
development. The definitions are organized into categories for better
understanding of IT, and each points to a paper which discusses the
appropriate technical area. And, it's all written in plain English. . . for
non-technical people.
Release
2 Upgrade
Using the database is easy, and provides both simple search and advanced
search capabilities. The simple search lets you search for specific terms,
vendors, or words in the definitions. The new functionality of the advanced
search allows you to use Boolean operators and search for, e.g. Microsoft's
content management software (if any), or a list of products released by IBM
in 2003. The advanced search even lets you search for items by the date the
entries were added or updated.
In addition, new categories increase the value of the organization
attributes that allow you to compile lists of technology by function or
topic, such as operating systems and business intelligence. To drill down,
under operating systems you can list Unix, Linux, or Windows systems by
clicking on a category. One of the new categories, Fun Facts, contains
interesting and often funny facts, quotes, and tidbits about the
Information Technology industry.
Rather than just telling you about it, we'd like to show it to you.
You're invited! We've scheduled Web demos of TechRef on May 15th. The demo is 20 minutes long, and
all you need is a phone line and an Internet connection. We're limiting the
audience for each demo so you'll have time for questions. Click here to sign up for
either the 12:00 or 12:30 (Eastern Standard Time) session on May 15th.
For more information, call us at (407.830.5400) or go to SemCo
Enterprises.
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1. We have smart cards, smart phones, smart terminals,
and smart displays. So what's smart dust?
2. Which of the following does
not belong:
a) multivalue
b) multitasking
c) multidimensional
3. Why does 1K=1000 some of
the time, but other times 1K=1024?
4. And, is 1K a kilobit or a kilobyte?
5. Do you belong to SETI@Home?
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Data mining is analyzing data from
large and, perhaps, unstructured data sets to detect trends and
associations. It's querying data collections with no expectations of the
results. Data mining also describes using data from legacy systems for
current management decisions. While it's commonly associated with data
warehousing, it can be used with any large collection of data. Report
mining works with unstructured data, as does Web mining. Data mining uses
various analytical processing techniques, and is part of knowledge
management and business intelligence systems.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) Programs
that allow a computer to perform functions that are normally associated
with human intelligence, such as reasoning, learning, self-improvement.
Also includes robotics, voice recognition/speech, expert or knowledge-based
systems, neural networks, fuzzy logic, and natural language processing.
Technology is used in data mining, and CRM (Customer Relationship
Management) systems.
analytics Application
processing. Programming that analyzes data and finds relationships among
actions. Often used synonymously with data mining. Analytics are used in
many areas including:
· business analytics, which work with business data
for business performance analysis
· clickstream analytics, which analyzes the paths
visitors take through a site for traffic control and for marketing purposes
· CRM analytics, which identifies visitors as likely
to buy (or not)
· supply chain analytics which provide measurement,
monitoring, forecasting and management of the supply chain.
· Web analytics, which analyzes the activity on a Web
site
CBR (Case-Based Reasoning)
Application development technique. Used in data warehousing and ecommerce
applications. Used to build data mining tools that find records similar to
a specified record or records. The user defines exactly how similar
retrieved records should be.
chaid (CHi square Automatic Interaction
Detection) Data management technique used in data mining.
Decision tree technique that provides rules that predict which records will
have a given outcome. Provides multiple directions.
data visualization Application
development technique used in data warehousing and ecommerce applications.
Used to build data mining tools that present graphical displays (i.e. pie
charts, scatter charts, bar graphs, etc.) of information from different
perspectives. Visualization tools let the user quickly see graphs of
different subsets, or different summaries of data.
decision tree A decision tree
is a tool used in data analysis. It is a notation form used to show
alternative decisions and the implications of the decisions. Many data
mining tools will use decision trees to present answers.
fuzzy query and analysis Application
development technique used in data warehousing and ecommerce applications.
Used to build data mining tools that let users see results
"close" to the stated specifications. Used in all data mining
tools.
knowledge discovery Data
management technique used in data warehousing and ecommerce applications.
Used to build data mining tools that identify significant relationships among
many variables. Once the significant relationships are identified, other
types of tools such as CBR, data visualization, and fuzzy query and
analysis tools are used to understand the nature of the relationships.
neural networks Type of
artificial intelligence. A neural network system is designed to follow the
operation of the human brain by having thousands of processors operate in
parallel (at the same time) to solve problems. These processors add to the
fact base with each execution so the system is said to learn and grow as it
operates. Neural networks often use fuzzy logic and are used for functions
such as data mining, weather prediction and voice recognition. Neural
networks are based on many rules about data relationships, such as
"salary must be greater than taxes."
visualization Application
development technology. Technique used to complement both data mining and
OLAP systems. Used to detect patterns.
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Computers: Systems, Terms And
Acronyms
May DC: 29,30
June Chicago: 9,10 / NYC area:
23,24
July Boston: 21,22 / Orlando:
30,31
August Atlanta: 11,12 / DC
area: 21,22
September Chicago: 18,19 / NYC
area: 29,30
Webinars
All Webinars are 90 minutes and listed
start times are ET (Eastern Time)
Understanding IT Jobs
May 5 (11:00 am)
June 4 (1:00 pm)
July 9 (11:00 am)
August 4 (10:00 am)
September 10 (11:00 am)
Platforms
May 5 (3:00 pm)
June 4 (11:00 am)
July 9 (3:00 pm)
August 4 (12:00 pm)
September 10 (3:00 pm)
Development
May 6 (11:00 am)
June 5 (9:30 am)
July 10 (11:00 am)
August 5 (3:00 pm)
September 11 (11:00 am)
Files and Databases
May 6 (1:00 pm)
June 5 (1:30 pm)
July 10 (1:00 pm)
August 6 (11:00 am)
September 11 (1:00 pm)
Communications
May 7 (9:30 am)
June 6 (11:00 am)
July 10 (3:00 pm)
August 5 (11:00 am)
September 11 (3:00 pm)
Networking
May 7 (11:30 am)
June 6 (1:00 pm)
July 11 (11:00 am)
August 5 (1:00 pm)
September 12 (11:00 am)
Applications
May 5 (1:00 pm)
June 5 (11:30 am)
July 9 (1:00 pm)
August 4 (2:00 pm)
September 10 (1:00 pm)
Weblets
All Weblets are 45 minutes and listed
start times are ET (Eastern Time)
Knowledge Management
May 7 (1:30 pm)
June 4 (2:45 pm)
July 11 (1:00 pm)
August 4 (3:45 pm)
September 12 (2:00 pm)
Wireless Technology
May 7 (2:30 pm)
June 5 (3:15 pm)
July 9 (10:00 am)
August 6 (2:00 pm)
September 12 (1:00 pm)
Embedded Systems
May 6 (2:45 pm)
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July 11 (2:00 pm)
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Enroll
Now!
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1.Smart dust isn't here yet, but it's under development.
It's one or more (actually lots more) Wireless sensors that can detect any
measurable characteristic from vibrations to light. These
"devices" will be the size of a grain of sand and have many uses.
They could be scattered throughout a building to measure temperature, or
humidity, used in a hospital room to detect patient movement, or used in
manufacturing to detect out-of-range vibrations. Also called MEMS
(microelectromechanical sensors) and motes. The motes would gather scads of
data, run computations and communicate that information using two-way band
radio between motes at distances approaching 1,000 feet. This technology
was started in 1997, and is still in development, but many researchers see
a multitude of uses for smart dust.
2. b) doesn't belong.
Mulltitasking is a function of operating systems, where the operating
system loads multiple programs into memory at one time. The operating
system then controls the concurrent execution of these programs. a) and c)
are both database types. A multivalue database is one that provides
relational properties but stores records in files. A multidimensional
database is also called an OLAP (OnLine Analytical Processing) database,
and builds datacubes with three or more dimensions.
4. 1K=1000 is a kilo, and is a
decimal prefix, and 1K=1024 is a binary prefix. New names have actually
been defined for binary prefixes and 1K=1024 means one kibi (followed by
mebi, gibi, tebi, pebi). Not surprisingly, the new names have not caught on
(people still use "kilo" for both, followed by mega, giga, tera,
peta). Usually binary prefixes are used to define storage (1M of disk
storage is 1,048,576 bytes), while decimal prefixes are used to define
speeds (1Gig is a billion bps [bits per second]).
4. This was really answered
above. Usually when talking about storage size it's a byte and when talking
about data transmission speeds, it's a bit.
5. SETI@Home is a scientific
computer application. It's one of the first grid computing projects, and
has PC users worldwide donate unused processor cycles to help the search
for signs of extraterrestrial life by analyzing signals coming from outer
space. This method saves the project both money and resources. Grid
computing uses software to build a grid of processors and other computing
resources that are available over a local or wide area network. The grid
system appears to an end user or application as one large virtual computing
system. This builds a network of processors that can be used on the same
problem and can be used to solve problems too intensive for any stand-alone
machine. It's now being used as an alternative to supercomputers for
scientific processing and for automated testing and data mining in
commercial applications.
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