Source - Wikipedia
The history of computing hardware is the record of the constant drive to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and store more data.
Before the development of the general-purpose computer, most calculations were done by humans. Tools to help humans calculate are generally called calculators. Calculators continue to develop, but computers add the critical element of conditional response, allowing automation of both numerical calculation and in general, automation of many symbol-manipulation tasks. Computer technology has undergone profound changes every decade since the 1940s.
Computing hardware has become a platform for uses other than computation, such as automation, communication, control, entertainment, and education. Each field in turn has imposed its own requirements on the hardware, which has evolved in response to those requirements.
Aside from written numerals, the first aids to computation were purely mechanical devices that required the operator to set up the initial values of an elementary arithmetic operation, then propel the device through manual manipulations to obtain the result. An example would be a slide rule where numbers are represented by points on a logarithmic scale and computation is performed by setting a cursor and aligning sliding scales. Numbers could be represented in a continuous "analog" form, where a length or other physical property was proportional to the number. Or, numbers could be represented in the form of digits, automatically manipulated by a mechanism. Although this approach required more complex mechanisms, it made for greater precision of results.
Both analog and digital mechanical techniques continued to be developed, producing many practical computing machines. Electrical methods rapidly improved the speed and precision of calculating machines, at first by providing motive power for mechanical calculating devices, and later directly as the medium for representation of numbers. Numbers could be represented by voltages or currents and manipulated by linear electronic amplifiers. Or, numbers could be represented as discrete binary or decimal digits, and electrically-controlled switches and combinatorial circuits could perform mathematical operations.
The invention of electronic amplifiers made calculating machines much faster than mechanical or electromechanical predecessors. Vacuum tube amplifiers gave way to discrete transistors, and then rapidly to monolithic integrated circuits. By defeating the Tyranny of numbers, integrated circuits made high-speed and low-cost digital computers a widespread commodity.
This article covers major developments in the history of computing hardware, and attempts to put them in context. For a detailed timeline of events, see the computing timeline article. The history of computing article treats methods intended for pen and paper, with or without the aid of tables. Since all computers rely on digital storage, and tend to be limited by the size and speed of memory, the history of computer data storage is tied to the development of computers.
Thursday 12 November 2009
Saturday 7 November 2009
Free Electronics
And complete one of the free offers, I suggest Lovefilm as it's free for 30 days and they send you out a free DVD.
Once thats completed, just reefer people to do the same using your link and once you have enough referrals you will get you item in the post, delivery is normally pretty speedy
It's free and has been featured on the BBC News!
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Mortgage Fund Investment
Mortgage Funds (also, “Mortgage Pools”) resemble equity mutual funds, funds comprised of a wide selection of stocks. Investors deposit money in a fund: The fund is managed by mortgage brokers or mortgage bankers certified by the State. Money within the fund is lent to borrowers and is secured by First (or Second or Third) Deeds of Trust naming the FUND as the holder, rather than individual investors.
By purchasing shares in a mortgage fund, and as interest is earned from monthly mortgage payments, the fund generates income.
There are approximately 100 mortgage funds in California. All are closed-end, meaning the number of investors and amount of investment dollars are capped. Many are closed: They are not accepting new investors.
Investor yields are similar to those obtained through fractional investment. The primary difference lies in diversification. Risk is spread across a portfolio of loans, not centered on a single loan as with fractionals. Risk is spread across the entire pool of borrowers, and different types of properties, in different locations.
As a result, in the event of a late pay or default, there could be minimal – or no – impact on investors’ yield. Reserve accounts established by the fund and by its manager would compensate for any shortfall.
Another difference in funds is liquidity. If an investor in a fractional wishes to cash in his position, he must either be replaced with another investor, or he must wait for the loan to be paid off by the borrower. Because many private money loans take the form of short term bridge loans lasting less than a year, this waiting period is generally limited.
Mortgage funds, however, generally offer rapid –sometimes, immediate—repayment of principal. This is possible because a) Funds have reserve accounts in place for this purpose; b) Funds are generally oversubscribed, with more investors wanting into the fund than those wanting out.
The third difference is control. The situation is analogous in the equity world to investors selecting individual stocks in which to invest, vs. investing in a mutual fund. Whereas fractional investors make the investment decision on each property themselves, fund investors delegate this duty to the fund managers.
Other features: Fund participants enjoy 365 day investments – they aren’t sidelined between loan opportunities Less paperwork
Private money investors
nvestors range from private individuals, trusts, and LLCs to pension funds. Individual investors generally have substantial knowledge and experience in real estate or trust deed investing.
The motivation for investing includes: the simplicity of the underlying investment and a desire for: 1) An investment secured by real estate 2) Regular income derived from monthly dividend distributions; 3) Higher yields than those available from investing in money market funds or bonds; 4) An Active involvement in real estate finance.
Wave Length
In physics, the wavelength of a sinusoidal wave is the spatial period of the wave – the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.[1] It is usually determined by considering the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase, such as crests, troughs, or zero crossings, and is a characteristic of both traveling waves and standing waves, as well as other spatial wave patterns.[2][3] Wavelength is commonly designated by the Greek letter lambda (λ). The concept can also be applied to periodic waves of non-sinusoidal shape.[1][4] The term wavelength is also sometimes applied to modulated waves, and to the sinusoidal envelopes of modulated waves or waves formed by interference of several sinusoids.[5]
Assuming a sinusoidal wave moving at a fixed wave speed, wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency: waves with higher frequencies have shorter wavelengths, and lower frequencies have longer wavelengths.[6]
Examples of wave-like phenomena are sound waves, light, and water waves. A sound wave is a periodic variation in air pressure, while in light and other electromagnetic radiationthe strength of the electric and the magnetic field vary. Water waves are periodic variations in the height of a body of water. In a crystal lattice vibration, atomic positions vary periodically in both lattice position and time.
Wavelength is a measure of the distance between repetitions of a shape feature such as peaks, valleys, or zero-crossings, not a measure of how far any given particle moves. For example, in waves over deep water a particle in the water moves in a circle of the same diameter as the wave height, unrelated to wavelength.[7]
Human
member of the genus Homo. Humans have a highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving. This mental capability, combined with an erect body carriage that frees the arms for manipulating objects, has allowed humans to make far greater use of tools than any other species. Mitochondrial DNA and fossil evidence indicates that modern humans originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago.[4] Humans now inhabit every continent and low Earth orbit, with a total population of over 6.7 billion as of September 2009.[5]
Like most higher primates, humans are social by nature. However, humans are uniquely adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, and organization. Humans create complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families to nations. Social interactions between humans have established an extremely wide variety of values, social norms, and rituals, which together form the basis of human society. Humans have a marked appreciation for beauty and aesthetics which, combined with the human desire for self-expression, has led to cultural innovations such as art, literature and music.
Humans are noted for their desire to understand and influence their environment, seeking to explain and manipulate natural phenomena through science, philosophy, mythology and religion. This natural curiosity has led to the development of advanced tools and skills, which are passed down culturally; humans are the only extant species known to build fires, cook their food, clothe themselves, and use numerous other technologies.
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