UNIT 23 Recent Developments in IT
connections using radio signals without network cables) are becoming more common. They are used to connect devices such as PCs(personal computers), mobile phones(wireless telephones), printers, cameras, credit card devices, headphones and MP3 devices(music players that use MPEG Audio Layer 3 - a Motion Picture Experts Group standard for audio compression). They communicate using standard protocols such as Bluetooth or WirelessLAN.
EVAs(electronic virtual assistants) are also likely to become more common. These are 3D (three-dimensional) animated images that provide a humanlike interface(connection that provides a means of communication) between a computer user and a computer system. They are used by call centres(organisations that promote and sell products using the telephone), advertisers, ISPs(organisations that provide Internet connections for a fee) and e-commerce(buying and selling goods and services on the Internet). They can be programmed to operate a search engine(a program designed to find information in a database according to data entered by the user). They search the databases(electronic filing systems that store data in records) using artificial intelligence(an area of computing concerned with developing computer programs that perform tasks that can normally only be done using human intelligence). EVAs are controlled by Java applets(small, self-contained programs written using the Java computer language).
Ananovais the world's first digital newsreader. It is a 3D computer-generated animated image that has been programmed to have human characteristics. It operates over the Internet to deliver the news and latest information to personal computers, mobile phones and televisions. Ananova converts the information to speech and uses
real-time(the immediate processing of computer data) animated graphics.
An avatars creation systemautomatically creates a 3D model of a person that can be used to represent them on mobile videophones(phones with video screens) and on Internet services, such as email(electronic mail), Internet chat(real-time, online discussions) and Internet games. Anyone can have a personal avatar created by emailing their photograph and personal details to the system. Electronic games played on a games console(an electronic device used for playing computer games) in which an image of the user appears in the form of an avatar, could become a killer application(an application program that is particularly useful and popular, making a computer system very successful). The increased availability of broadband systems(communications systems with a high signal capacity) such as ADSL(asymmetric digital subscriber line) are likely to allow avatars to be used to create a virtual world populated by virtual humans.
Robotic pets,such as robot dogs, and robotic creatures, such as robot lobsters and crickets, demonstrate that simple processes can result in complex behaviours. They use neural nets(an artificial intelligence system that is capable of developing rules from given input so that it learns how to deal with more complex input). Experiments in cybernetics(the study of control and communication in animals and machines) may lead to more humans being turned into cyborgs(a man-machine system or a person made superhuman by a machine or external system that changes the way the body functions) in the future by having chips(common name for microchips - electronic integrated circuits in small packages) implanted in their bodies to act as transponders(devices that respond to received coded radio signals by automatically transmitting a different coded signal).
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Human brains depend on parallel processing(the processing of different data at the same time) whereas computers process an input serially(one item at a time). Experiments with neural nets that have the capacity to form new links in the same way as
the brain, are being used to simulate parallel processing. Robots controlled by computers with neural nets would be able to learn for themselves rather than depend on fixed programs.
UNIT 24
The Future of IT
INTRODUCTION
In IT(Information Technology - the study and practice of techniques or use of equipment for dealing with information), the hardwaresuch as computers, phones and consumer electronics, is converging. So are the applications of IT, with a convergence of information, entertainment, communications, shopping, commerce and education. We must, however, solve the interface problem(the problem of communication between us and machines). Voice and language recognition(computer programs changing speech into program commands and digital data) will provide an easy interface, avoiding the problem of technophobic users(users who have a fear or strong dislike of technology and technological devices). Telecomms applications(programs used for communications over long distances) will be more common. They will contain smart databases(electronic filing systems with records that can be easily sorted and searched) and virtual environments(environments that are computer simulated), with ID (identity) verification, encryption(the transformation of data into coded form to make it secure), translation and other services based on voice processing(changing speech into digital signals). They will include a natural voice interface to talk to the computer, all the Al (artificial intelligence - computer programs that perform tasks that can normally only be done using human intelligence) to carry out the request, voice synthesis(the generation of a human-sounding voice using electronic circuits) and visualisation technology(systems and devices used to create a virtual reality environment) to get the answer out. E-cash (electronic money) will be used on the Net(the Internet). Changes in work practices may lead to teleworking(working at home while communicating with your office by
computer, telephone and fax). High bandwidth connections(communications links with a high signal capacity) will be available in trains and planes. Communicator badgeswill be used to provide voice links to network computers, and earphones will have built-in voice synthesisers(electronic devices that generate a human-sounding voice).
Homo Cyberneticusis the name used in this unit for humans that have superhuman brainpower because their brains are directly linked to ultra-smart computers.
Homo Optimusis the name given to biologically optimised humans.
Homo Hybridusis a human with both the body of an Olympic athlete and a brain connected to cyberspace(the combination of all the data on all the computer networks throughout the world, accessed using the Internet).
Reverse engineeringof the human brain (exploring the human brain from the inside and finding out how it works) will be required to recreate human intelligence. Eventually, tiny scanning robots(computer-controlled mechanical devices) will be sent along blood vessels to map the brain from the inside. At the moment, computers work in serial(processing one item of data at a time) and brains work in parallel(processing lots of different data at the same time). Parallel computers will be able to reproduce some of the higher functions of the human brain.
Smart phonesare telephones that use artificial intelligence to translate speech into different languages in real-time(instantly). Intelligent agents(computer programs that can be trained to watch, learn and start communicating) will help users to deal with the deluge of information from the electronic revolution.
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Biotechnology(the industrial application of biological science techniques) is another core focus of R&D (research and development). Putting people online(connecting them to the Internet) and allowing them to uploadmedical information
(copy from a client computer to a server computer) can reduce the pressure on hospitals.
Futurologistspredict that humans will be eclipsed by a supercomputermore powerful than the human brain.