Weeks 3 & 4 Lecture Summary

In week 3 Lectures, we learnt about the birth of the computer. Several prominent people mentioned included Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing and Gordom Moore.
Charles Babbage developed the Difference Engine in the 19th century which could be used to calculate and print mathematical tables. Ada Lovelace aided Charles Babbage in his wonderings about the Analytical Engine. She also 1st conceived of a machine which would be able to compose and play music, produce graphics and be of use everyday. She also conceived the 1st computer program.
Alan Turing worked at Bletchley Park with mathematicians and cryptographers to devise the 1st working computer, The Bombe, used to break secret German 'Enigma' codes. After World War II, he investigated programming, neural nets, and the prospects for artificial intelligence.
Gordom Moore propounded Moore's Law: the capacity of microchip's doubles every 2 years. His 2nd law states that as capital costs are rising faster than revenues, financial feasibility will limit the rate of technological development.
Then, we were taught about the beginings of Apple, IBM and Microsoft and how each of the comapnies worked with each other to be what they are today.

In week 4, we were introduced to the Internet, Web and Cyberspace. Internet is the sum of interconnected computer hardware and the software that runs it, the Web is a particular application of the Internet that is particularly easy to use and Cyberspace is the sum of users' imaginations as they use the Internet.
Also, we were presented with some ealry internet applications such as the email and IRC and recent ones such as Instant Messaging, VoIP and Voice chat and 'Virtual Worlds'.
Then there was the term Netiquette which represents etiquette on the Internet. It is based upon the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do to you. Another term, Cracking referred to computer crime and is different from hacking. An example of a cracker was Kevin Mitnick who got into the US Air Defence System in his youth and later did a year for reading a computer company's email. Yet another term was Viruses, which have the potential for massive damage for little input.
The topic of economics cyberspcae was also touched upon whereby it stated that Information:
a) is an activity, experienced not processed, propagated not distributed.
b) is a life form, it wants to be free, replicating in the cracks of possibility, perishable and always changing.
c) is a relationship between sender and receiver, the meaning generated has a unique value to both.
d) and that it can be commodified, but most importantly it is its own reward.
An important aspect of economics of cyberspace was copyright which applies to the expression of ideas and the material on the net. Lastly, there was the possibilities and probelms of the Information Economy. It touches on questions such as what is our product, market and how do people pay for what we've got and how to make a living out of an idea?
Information technology is converging so that all forms of it, which includes telephone, radio, television and print can be accessed from 1 point.

Over the past 3 weeks, we also watched Alphaville, a film about that combines the genres of dystopian science fiction and film noir. It was shot in real locations in Paris and touches on the technocratic dictatorship. For a full account of the plot summary and influences, see the website below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphaville,_une_étrange_aventure_de_Lemmy_Caution

Next up are pictures and a short summary explaining their meaning...