Innovations: The Digital Revolution

[small, smaller, smallest]

Ever since CPUs were created they have been continuously been made smaller and smaller. As it stands now the chips of today are being packed on a .25micron piece of silicon. Tomorrows' chips will be packed on a .15 to.10micron piece of silicon. This seems to be true for everything that is digital. From phones to clocks, everything is just getting smaller. So far, the only thing that is not getting smaller is our houses.

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[size does matter]

When humans first made a computation machine, it was not that big. However, over time, the analog computing machines got quite large. They eventually got to a point where an analog-computing machine would take up a whole building. Evidently, this got cumbersome and a little inconvenient, because in the early 1970s, companies started to come out with handheld devices and PC systems that could accomplish more functions because of a digital chip called the microprocessor. Cellular phones, or cell phones, have gotten smaller, too. Ever since the creation of the cellular phone in the early 1970s, cellular phones have gotten smaller and better. Some cellular phones can also do more than those telephones, which are found in households around the globe. Again, the microprocessor is responsible for powering everything from a handheld device to a cell phone.
Ever since humans arrived on this planet, they have tried to make those devices that are constantly used better and smaller. However, this is not true when humans first started to create computation devices. Wilhelm Schikard, was the first one to create an analog-computing device. His computer was not big, and it could not do much. Over time the computing machines got rather big, but they could not do anything that amounted to much, when compared to present-day digital computers that have a microprocessor for a brain. It was not until the early 1970s when the first microprocessor came out and then computing devices began to get smaller. The main reason that computing machines got smaller was the result of a transition from analog technology to digital technology. Once that transition was made, things began to get much faster. By the early 1990s, the computer that sat on almost every corporate desktop could do more functions much more quickly than the UNIVAC computing machine could ever hope to accomplish. Today, in the last year of this century, the machines that are powered by Intel's Pentium III can do so much that many people who own a computer system with that microprocessor cannot run out of computing power for the present.
Cellular phones are another of the digital devices that started out big, but which have gotten much more compact over the years. In the early 1970s, cellular phones were about the size of a high school literature book. They were big, bulky, and expensive to use. However, by the late 1980s cellular phones started to look more like a cordless phone in a household than they did school books. Today, cellular phones like Nokia's 7110 cell phone can not only send and receive phone calls, but they can also be used to check e-mail, book flight tickets, and a wide variety of other things. Actually, most cell phones are capable of doing the job of several machines, and they can do it almost anywhere a person goes. Future cell phones will be able to do all that cell phones can do today. The only differences, however, will be that tomorrow's cell phones will be about one fourth of an inch thick, and for twelve dollars a minute a people will be able to talk to anyone in the world from anywhere.
In the early 1970s the first microprocessor came out. Almost instantaneously, that little piece of silicon was able to make it possible for people to have a computer with them at all times. It also made it possible for cell phones to shrink in their size, while being able to do much more than they could do before. The whole reason that digital devices are able to do so much out of so little is because companies like Intel have developed and produced silicon chips that are packed on a .25micron piece of silicon or smaller. Because of this fact, silicon chips are able to do things much faster even though they are in an extremely close space. Another reason besides size that silicon chips can do many things is because they can process information using bits and numbers. All digital technology is based on those two things, bits and numbers.
Over the years humans have invented many things. Those things which man invents almost immediately are made smaller and smaller. However, when it came to computing mankind did the opposite for quite sometime. However, humans finally figured out hose to make their computing devices smaller and smaller. He has also figured out how to make the brains of those machines smaller. However, man is now struggling to make his small machines to do a big number of tasks, with numbers. It will be interesting to see how humans accomplish that task.

[links and further information]

The NMR Quantum Computation Project
http://squint.stanford.edu
This site has information on future computers that will hopefully be much smaller then today's computers.

CNN - Researchers make a 'machine' out of DNA
http://cnn.com/TECH/scien ...
This CNN article tells of one way that researchers are trying to make smaller computers.

Palm Computing
http://www.palm.com
The leaders in the handheld PC market. Start here to learn about the many uses of a Palm device and which model fits your lifestyle.

PalmPilot: The Ultimate Guide, 2nd Edition by David Pogue
The new edition of this book shows users how to take advantage of recent advancements in the Palm series, including the Palm IIIx, Palm V, and Palm VII.

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[size does matter]
	When humans first made a computation machine, it was not that big. However, over time, the analog computing machines got quite large. They eventually got to a point where an analog-computing machine would take up a whole building. Evidently, this got cumbersome and a little inconvenient, because in the early 1970s, companies started to come out with handheld devices and PC systems that could accomplish more functions because of a digital chip called the microprocessor. Cellular phones, or cell phones, have gotten smaller, too. Ever since the creation of the cellular phone in the early 1970s, cellular phones have gotten smaller and better. Some cellular phones can also do more than those telephones, which are found in households around the globe. Again, the microprocessor is responsible for powering everything from a handheld device to a cell phone. Ever since humans arrived on this planet, they have tried to make those devices that are constantly used better and smaller. However, this is not true when humans first started to create computation devices. Wilhelm Schikard, was the first one to create an analog-computing device. His computer was not big, and it could not do much. Over time the computing machines got rather big, but they could not do anything that amounted to much, when compared to present-day digital computers that have a microprocessor for a brain. It was not until the early 1970s when the first microprocessor came out and then computing devices began to get smaller. The main reason that computing machines got smaller was the result of a transition from analog technology to digital technology. Once that transition was made, things began to get much faster. By the early 1990s, the computer that sat on almost every corporate desktop could do more functions much more quickly than the UNIVAC computing machine could ever hope to accomplish. Today, in the last year of this century, the machines that are powered by Intel's Pentium III can do so much that many people who own a computer system with that microprocessor cannot run out of computing power for the present. Cellular phones are another of the digital devices that started out big, but which have gotten much more compact over the years. In the early 1970s, cellular phones were about the size of a high school literature book. They were big, bulky, and expensive to use. However, by the late 1980s cellular phones started to look more like a cordless phone in a household than they did school books. Today, cellular phones like Nokia's 7110 cell phone can not only send and receive phone calls, but they can also be used to check e-mail, book flight tickets, and a wide variety of other things. Actually, most cell phones are capable of doing the job of several machines, and they can do it almost anywhere a person goes. Future cell phones will be able to do all that cell phones can do today. The only differences, however, will be that tomorrow's cell phones will be about one fourth of an inch thick, and for twelve dollars a minute a people will be able to talk to anyone in the world from anywhere. In the early 1970s the first microprocessor came out. Almost instantaneously, that little piece of silicon was able to make it possible for people to have a computer with them at all times. It also made it possible for cell phones to shrink in their size, while being able to do much more than they could do before. The whole reason that digital devices are able to do so much out of so little is because companies like Intel have developed and produced silicon chips that are packed on a .25micron piece of silicon or smaller. Because of this fact, silicon chips are able to do things much faster even though they are in an extremely close space. Another reason besides size that silicon chips can do many things is because they can process information using bits and numbers. All digital technology is based on those two things, bits and numbers. Over the years humans have invented many things. Those things which man invents almost immediately are made smaller and smaller. However, when it came to computing mankind did the opposite for quite sometime. However, humans finally figured out hose to make their computing devices smaller and smaller. He has also figured out how to make the brains of those machines smaller. However, man is now struggling to make his small machines to do a big number of tasks, with numbers. It will be interesting to see how humans accomplish that task.