Glossary: Chapter 12

artificial life

A field of AI research that studies the adaptive control systems of insects and reproduces them in robotic insectoids.

bandwidth

The capacity of a phone line or other communications channel for distributing data -- voice, graphics, text, video -- measured in bits per second.

beta software

A version of a software product released to the public for use and testing with no guarantee from the originators that the program is free of bugs.

cache

Another design strategy to improve processor performance by placing a small memory directly on a chip so that the processor has rapid access to frequently used instructions, which are stored there.

compatibility

The ability to connect different computer systems or media so that they can work together.

compression

A software process of storing a digital file, such as a sound or a video, in a compressed form to save storage space or speed up its transmission time over a network.

edutainment

A term to describe the use of interactive, visual, or multimedia strategies of video games to present educational materials on a computer.

emulation

The imitation of one computer system by another, so that software created for the computer being imitated will run on the other without changing it.

fam-firm

A term used by Alvin Toffler for a small contracting company of the future made up of information specialists and lacking a large class of middle managers to handle information needs.

high-definition television (HDTV)

The next generation of television with much higher picture quality, to be distributed digitally and capable of being integrated with computers to offer many services and information resources to the home.

"information appliance"

Current jargon for a wide range of computer devices expected in the near future that will allow users to access information on the Internet with easy-to-use interfaces.

Information Superhighway

A common term for the growth of infrastructure involving the Internet and the spread of high-speed data network services throughout the United States.

insectoids

The robotic insects designed by researchers who investigate insect control systems to create artificial life.

intelligent agent

Experimental AI software designed to sift through masses of information available in the future world of cyberspace to suggest topics of interest or importance for an individual.

LCD (liquid crystal display)

A liquid-filled display screen that creates images when electrically charged, used in watches, calculators, and portable computers.

MPEG

A standard format for encoding video files in a compressed form.

multicasting

An Internet protocol for distributing the same digital files from one computer to multiple other computers at the same time.

network computer (NC or Web PC)

A new type of stripped-down computer primarily designed to access the World Wide Web, from which users will be able to gather information, write e-mail and access software through downloading.

palmtop (hand-held)

A small portable computer weighing one pound or less.

paradigm shift

A term for a major shift in thinking about an important subject. For instance, if the desktop model of personal computing were replaced with decentralized network computing based on the client/server model of the World Wide Web, computing would have undergone a paradigm shift.

personal digital assistant (PDA)

A new breed of palmtop computer designed to adapt to the user's style of working rather than requiring the person to follow the work pattern of the desktop computer.

pipelining

A process to speed up the throughput of a microprocessor by staging different jobs to run concurrently rather than doing them in sequence.

RISC (reduced instruction set computing) chip

A microprocessor chip with fewer and simpler instructions capable of performing complex tasks by combining simple instructions and reducing processing time.

subsumption architecture

A design philosophy espoused by some artificial life researchers to create a set of interconnected simple processors that can each carry out basic behaviors, modeling complex behavior with a combination of simple actions.

superscalar processing

A processor strategy similar to parallel processing on the chip that allows the hardware automatically to find instructions that are launched at the same time so that it can maximize their efficient use.

video telephony

A long-distance telephone conversation with live video and sound.

wireless infrared remote communications

The "point and click" technology of the TV remote controller, now being introduced into machines like the Apple Newton for transfer of files to another device.

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