prgerlach's blog

Wow, what a ways i have come this semester. First I started off with the very basics of computers ,binary, and through the course of the semester I have arrived at AI and thoughts of how computers will be re-imagined to shape our lives in the very technological world of the future.

This class was an entertaining and informative environment. The students ranged from young to old and their were often differing points of view that helped put into perspective how peoples opinions can differ on technology and how they are affected by what they grew up with.

I never get to hear about all the famous people who helped technology along in any other class or even in day to day life. Thinking about how much of an effect their actions have had in our lives compared to the people we seem to know so much about in the movies and TV is disturbing. I am grateful to be able to claim I am at least a little less ignorant about the world around me.

My favorite part of the class would have to be the first part where we worked on how computers work on the most basic of levels. I really enjoy understanding a subject at its very core. Understanding that the flow of information from any location to another in the computer is just a certain series of off and on “switches” being controlled by a preset series of off and on “switches” is rather enthralling. I am absolutely sure what I now know of these processes is a drop in the bucket compared to what it consists of all together but I do rather enjoy knowing at least as much as I do.

And now as I type this blog entry I think of how each word typed slightly alters the code for this page; how when I submit this blog it will be stored in a database and then accessed by others and how their browser will interpret the information and display a meaningful image.

I really enjoyed this class and I am more well-rounded person because of it.

Hand-coding HTML was a rather insightful experience. I rather enjoyed being able to create something just by typing in a few instructions and watching the end result displaying itself on my monitor The process was rather simple and intriguing. Finding out what went wrong was a rather short process considering that there very few things that could have gone awry. All in all this is something that I will keep with me and will give me greater understanding of how the web I surf really works.

First off for the cpu I would choose the Intel Core i7 870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor from newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

For the ram I would choose GeIL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model GU34GB2133C9DC from newegg as well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

And then for the fan and heatsinks I would choose GEIL GMCEC01 Fan & Heatsinks. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

For the motherboard I chose BIOSTAR TPOWER i55 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard.
 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

For the hard drive I chose a Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive – OEM. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

For the optical drive i picked the LG 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 6X BD-ROM 2MB Cache Blu-ray Burner Model BH08LS20. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

For the video card I went w/ EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

For the power supply I used CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

The computer case is a Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as…

I chose the first three components because they were being sold in a combo deal on the site that saved $100 and were rather powerful. I chose the motherboard because it supports the latter parts. I chose the hard drive because the rpm allowed for faster information flow. I picked the optical drive because blu-ray is the way of the future. I picked the video card because I play games and this would not restrict me. I picked up the power supply so I wouldn’t have to upgrade later. And the case was picked because it looked pretty neat. I chose these parts with some help from my friend Bria Davis.

First I would take the door off the computer case. I would put the cpu on the motherboard and then screw the heat-sink on top. I would then screw the motherboard into the case. I would pop the ram into the motherboard. I would create a slot in the back of the case for the video card and attach it to the motherboard. I would screw in the power supply. Then I would make a spot for the optical drive and mount it. Then i would mount the hard drive to the case. I would plug in the case wires to the motherboard, connect the optical drive and hard drive to the motherboard. The power supply would need to be connected to the motherboard, optical drive, and the hard drive. After testing to make sure the components are functioning properly I would zip tie the cables together. After reattaching the door I would load the operating system and connect the peripherals.

I found binary to be a very interesting subject. The way it is used to store information is quite interesting and how it comes together to perform a multitude of tasks is astounding. I am keen on learning exactly how a set of on/off devices comes together to administer orders and to perform the orders they are sent.

The way in which different information is saved is quite interesting. The different ways in which characters, images, and sound can be stored is fascinating in the way that they are all stored on some level in numbers. I found this week to be very informative and thoughtful.

Hello,

My name is Paul and this post is a little about me and what I do. This is my 5th semester at Pellissipi and I plan on graduating next semester. I am taking this class to not only broaden my knowlege of computer tech but to also test how much interest I have in the subject itself. All in all i’m a pretty geeky guy. I go to anime conventions, work at gamestop, play trading card games when it takes my fancy, and I even watch the Discovery and History channels when something cool is on. I’m  not one for current events (though I plan to rectify that) but I do visit a few news like sites such as www.boingboing.net, a directory of wonderful events and such. I also read plenty of web comics, a list too long to post but I will present www.vgcats.com as a good example of what I read.  And for good measure I’ll add www.craigslist.org to the mix since I browse through it daily for goodies.