1. Impact of Computers on Society 1. Unwrapping the Gift

2. Prometheus  What do the title of our textbook and the graphic on the cover have to do with anything?  Who is Prometheus, and what did he do?Prometheus

3. What is the “gift”?  What is a computer?  Mechanical calculating device  Mainframe  Minicomputer  PC/microcomputer  Computerized device  Embedded microprocessor  Wearable computer  A notepad  Implanted device  Network

4. Looking into the Future… Popular Mechanics, 1954

5. Are you sure?  Actually, the “computer” is a mockup of a submarine control panel! Actually (Thanks to Steve Delaney for his detective work.)  We don’t know exactly what future computers and computerized devices will look like, but they are most likely to be smaller than today’s machines, not larger.smaller than today’s machines IBM Looks to DNA to Shrink Chip Size (c|net) IBM Looks to DNA to Shrink Chip Size  Nanocomputers are not just science fiction… Nanocomputers Nanometer sized wires exist, defy quantum predictions… Nanometer sized wires  Quantum Computers are on the horizon… Quantum Computers

6. What happens when you computerize something?  Example: The Automated Teller Machine (ATM)  Issues: Unemployment Alienation and customer service  Mrs. Blizzard Crime Loss of privacy Errors

7. Another Example  Example: The Credit Card  Issues: Unemployment Alienation and customer service  Cline’s Furniture Store Crime Loss of privacy Errors

8. A Hybrid  The Debit Card Instant, like an ATM Produces a monthly statement detailing where and how you used the card. Immediate deduction from your account.

9. A Different World  Can you imagine a world in which there are… no personal computers? no cellular phones, no “smart” phones? no iPods, iPads or iPhones? no digital cameras? no hi-def anything? no ATM’s? no microwave ovens? no electronic wristwatches? no remote controls?  …to mention a few…  This is the world I grew up in  A lot of things have changed, and even though my beard is gray, it hasn’t taken very long for them to change.

10. The Rapid Pace of Change  A non-computer friend sent me this one…  Technology.wvx

11. The Limits  It would appear that we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology, although one should be careful with such statements, as they tend to sound pretty silly in 5 years.  —John Von Neumann (ca. 1949)

12. Oops! Your crystal ball is cracked.  Four or five computers should be enough for the entire world until the year 2,000.  Howard Aiken (mid 1940’s)  Mobile wireless computers are like mobile pipeless bathrooms-portapotties. They will be common on vehicles, and at construction sites, and rock concerts. My advice is to wire up your home and stay there  Bob Metcalfe (Inventor of the Ethernet, 1995 )

13. What has changed in your life?  Stop and think for a moment about the conveniences in your life that you did not enjoy when you were a grade-schooler.  For example…?

14. Today we are highly interconnected  Email (and spam)  Cellular phones (including text messaging)  Social networking web sites such as… Bulletin boards News groups Facebook Craigslist MySpace Linked-in Twitter  We have a flood of information Google Wikipedia  E-commerce  Telecommuting

15. But are we really engaged?  Ben Stein thinks not: Connected, yes, but hermetically sealedConnected, yes, but hermetically sealed  Dr. Xinlian Liu’s photos of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2,007.bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2,007 In shock… What to do? Reporter? Taking pictures? Talking to friends? Media Coverage… Photos courtesy of Dr. Xinlian Liu, Hood College

16. Being “Present”  Often we are not “present” with those whom we are near. Our attention is drawn “elsewhere.”  A guest at Christmas Dinner repeatedly left the table to IM his significant other.  I offer only an observation about this, not an answer…

17. Themes  On your own review the major themes of the book on pp. 23 - 25: Old problems in new contexts Adapting to new technology Varied sources of solutions to problems Global reach of the Net Trade-offs and controversy Differences between personal choices, business policies, and law