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Table of Contents

  1. Computer Literacy: A Current Perspective
  2. Computers in Society: The Positives
  3. Computers in Society: The Drawbacks
  4. Computer Hardware
  5. Computer Software
  6. Word, Text, and Sound Processing
  7. Electronic Spreadsheets
  8. Databases
  9. Computer Graphics and Video
  10. Networks, Communications, and the Internet
  11. Artificial Intelligence
  12. Computers and the Future

Chapter 1. Computer Literacy: A Current Perspective

COMPUTERS IN ACADEMIA

Database Management
Computer-Assisted Instruction
Simulations

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS IN COMPUTING

Evolution of the Computer
The Personal Computer
Computer Jargon
Understanding a Computer Ad
Hardware Components
Software Components

COMPUTER LITERACY FOR THE 1990S

Evolution of Computer Literacy
Computer Literacy Today

THE COMPUTER AND THE MIND

Brain Research
Brain-Computer Analogies
The Computer as Information Processor

STATE OF THE ART: MULTIMEDIA AND THE INTERNET

Multimedia
A CD-ROM Encyclopedia
Computer Mapping
The Web on the Internet
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: FROM SINGLE-PURPOSE APPLICATIONS TO MULTIMEDIA

Summary
Key Terms
Self Test
Experimental Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 2. Computers in Society: The Positives

PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE AND ITS BENEFITS COMPUTERS IN EDUCATION

Pedagogical Issues
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES: DISTANCE LEARNING
From CAI to Multimedia
Multipurpose Computing
Multimedia Term Papers
Simulations in Mathematics and Science

COMPUTERS IN MEDICINE AND SCIENCE

Computer Diagnosis
Hospital Applications
Prosthetics and the Handicapped
Computers in the Experimental Sciences
Computational Science

COMPUTERS IN THE MEDIA

Print Journalism
Computer Graphics
USA Today

COMPUTERS IN GOVERNMENT EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: CYBERSPACE JOURNALISM

Constitutional Questions Welfare and Law Enforcement
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: THE EFFECT OF COMPUTERS ON GOVERNMENT
Computerized Fingerprint Searches
Computers in Defense

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experimental Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 3. Computers In Society: The Drawbacks

PERSONAL AND INDIVIDUAL ISSUES

Loss of Individuality
Personal Service Versus Economy
Machine or Human Error?
Garbage in, Garbage Out

COMPUTERS IN THE WORKPLACE

Job Displacement
Importance of Education
Employee Involvement in Change
Health Risks
Global Economic Challenge
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: THE TWO-EDGED SWORD OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

GOVERNMENT INVASION OF PRIVACY

Large Public Data Banks
The Right to Privacy
Computer Matching
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS VERSUS SOCIAL NEEDS

Summary
Key Terms
Self Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 4. Computer Hardware

HARDWARE AND ITS FUNCTIONS

ELECTRONIC REPRESENTATION OF DATA

Binary Technology in Processors
TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: SYMBOLIC CODING OF INFORMATION
Binary Coding of Characters
Binary Coding of Numbers
Binary Coding of Graphics and Sound

PRIMARY STORAGE OF INFORMATION

Random-Access Memory (RAM)
Read-Only Memory (ROM)

SECONDARY MASS STORAGE

Diskettes
Other Types of Mass Storage

INPUT AND OUTPUT

Direct Input
Mouse Input
Other Analog/Digital Input
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: THE KURZWEIL SCANNER FOR THE BLIND
Screen Output
Printed Output
Voice and Graphic Output

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 5. Computer Software

ALGORITHMIC PROCESSES AND STRUCTURED PROGRAM DESIGN

Flowcharts and Psuedocode
Structure versus Spaghetti Code

THE EVOLUTION OF SOFTWARE

The Stored Program Concept
The Processing Code
Machine Language and Assembly Language
High-Level Languages
A Sampling of Programming Languages

OPERATING SYSTEMS

DOS
The Macintosh Graphical User Interface
Microsoft Windows Environment / Unix
Applications Software and Operating Systems
Object-Oriented Design

SOFTWARE HAZARDS

Computer Viruses
Trojan Horses
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: THE INTERNET WORM
Software Piracy
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF SOFTWARE

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experimental Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 6. Word, Text, and Sound Processing

FROM DEDICATED WORD PROCESSOR TO PERSONAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE

ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF WORD PROCESSING

Keyboard Layout
Interface Issues
Editing Features
Formatting Options
Type Fonts, Styles and Sizes

ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF MODERN TEXT PROCESSING

Hyphenation and Spelling
TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: THE PITFALLS OF AUTOMATIC SPELLING CHECKERS
Thesauri and Indexes
Scholarly Indexing
Style Checking

BEYOND WORD PROCESSING

Computers for Writing
Literary Analysis
Authorship Studies
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: FROM PRINT SHOP TO DESKTOP
Desktop Publishing
Text and Sound
Music
Voice Command
Foreign Languages
Character Languages

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 7. Electronic Spreadsheets

SPREADSHEET ESSENTIALS

Constructing a Spreadsheet
Formulas
Functions
Ranges
Macros
Formatting the Output

USES FOR A SPREADSHEET TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: SPREADSHEETS FOR THE HOME

Electronic Cut and Paste
What-If Scenarios
Graphic Options
Typical Uses
Special-Purpose Spreadsheets
TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: SPREADSHEET APPLICATIONS IN SCIENCE
Future Trends

Summary
Key Terms
Self Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 8. Databases

ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF DATABASES

Files, Records, and Fields
Sorts
Searches

BUILDING A DATABASE

Defining a Database
TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: DATABASE DOOMSDAY ON JANUARY 1, 2000?
Decoding Data into the Database
Sorting the File
Searching for Specific Records
TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: BOOLEAN QUERIES IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES

DATABASE ORGANIZATION AND INTERFACES

Database Models
Object-Oriented Databases
Database Interfaces
Natural Language Interfaces

SOCIAL ISSUES SURROUNDING LARGE DATABASES

Integrity and Security
The Private Database Explosion
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: DATA BANKS AND THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY
New Markets for Databases

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 9. Computer Graphics and Video

THE HARDWARE DIMENSION

Vector Graphics
Raster Graphics
Printer Graphics
Graphics Plotters
Fax Machines
Early Monochrome and Color Screens
Modern Color Screens
Color Printing

THE SOFTWARE COMPONENT

Graphics Programming
Video Games
Graphics Software
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: MOVING FROM GRAPHICS TO THE INTERNET
Integrated Graphics Capabilities
Presentation Graphics
TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: EQUIPPING THE MULTIMEDIA STUDIO
Digitized Video
Computer-Aided Design
Real-Time CAD Effects

FRONTIERS IN ADVANCED COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Ray Tracing and Radiosity
Graphics in Movies
Fractals
Virtual Reality
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: THE FUTURE OF VIRTUAL REALITY

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Tests
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 10. Networks, Communications and the Internet

TECHNICAL ISSUES IN DATA COMMUNICATIONS

Digital (Parallel) Transmission
Analog (Serial) Transmission
Baud Rate
Communications Software
Networks
LAN Software
Types of Network Transmission

NETWORK APPLICATIONS

Campus Backbones
Wide Area Networks
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: ELECTRONIC CONFERENCES

NETWORKS AND SOCIETY

Networking and the Work Environment
Effects of Telecommuting
Commerce on the Internet
Hacker Ethics
Internet Security
Hackers and the Internet
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF ENCRYPTION SOFTWARE
Espionage on the Network
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: HACKING AND FREE SPEECH
Free Speech versus Censorship of Network Information
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 11. Artificial Intelligence

DEFINING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING

Syntax and Semantics
Heuristics, World Knowledge and Common Sense
Language Understanding in Limited Domains

EXPERT SYSTEMS AND OTHER LOGIC SYSTEMS

Knowledge Bases versus Databases
Practical Expert Systems
Fuzzy Logic
SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE: EXPERT SYSTEMS IN MEDICINE
Game Playing
Computer Chess

ROBOTICS

Sensory Abilities
Robotic Advantages

NEURAL NETWORKS

Parallel Processing
Applications of Neural Networks
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: THE USES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HAL Reconsidered

Summary
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Chapter 12. Computers and the Future

COMPUTING IN THE 1990S

The All-Digital World of Electronics
Digital Broadcasting on the Internet
Digital Multimedia
Economic Development Possibilities
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE INTERESTS IN THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
Infrastructure Issues

REVISITING THE COMPUTER TRIANGLE

HARDWARE

Palmtop Computers
Network Computers
The Future of Microprocessors

SOFTWARE

The Microsoft Empire
Windows NT and Challengers
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: NETSCAPE RUNS ON "INTERNET TIME"
Intelligent Agents
Artificial Life

PEOPLE AND COMPUTERS

Computers and National Policy
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE: THE CASE OF THE JAPANESE FIFTH GENERATION
Alvin Toffler and Futurism
A Call for Freedom

The Computer Triangle: A Closing Note
Key Terms
Self-Test
Experiential Exercises
Critical Thinking Exercises

Glossary
References
Photo Credits
Index

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