Computer
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | "[[Computers are useless. They can only give you answers]]." --[[Pablo Picasso]] | ||
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| + | "By [[Reason|reasoning]], I understand [[computation]]. And to compute is to collect the sum of many things added together at the same time, or to know the remainder when one thing has been taken from another. To reason therefore is the same as to add or to subtract."--''[[De Corpore]]'' (1655) by [[Thomas Hobbes]] | ||
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| + | Interpol and Deutsche Bank, FBI and Scotland Yard<br> | ||
| + | Business, Numbers, Money, People<br> | ||
| + | Computer World<br> | ||
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| + | --"[[Computer World (Kraftwerk song)|Computer World]]" (1981) by Kraftwerk | ||
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| + | [[Image:Diagram of the human mind, from Robert Fludd (1574-1637), Utriusque cosmic maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica]]'' by [[Robert Fludd]]]] | ||
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| - | : "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." --Pablo Picasso | + | |
| + | A '''computer''' is a device that can be instructed to carry out sequences of [[arithmetic]] or [[Boolean algebra|logical]] operations automatically via [[computer programming]]. Modern computers have the ability to follow generalized sets of operations, called ''[[Computer program|programs]].'' These programs enable computers to perform an extremely wide range of tasks. | ||
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| + | Computers are used as [[control system]]s for a wide variety of [[Programmable logic controller|industrial]] and [[Consumer electronics|consumer devices]]. This includes simple special purpose devices like [[microwave oven]]s and [[remote control]]s, factory devices such as [[industrial robot]]s and [[computer-aided design]], and also general purpose devices like [[personal computer]]s and [[mobile device]]s such as [[smartphone]]s. | ||
| + | ==In fiction== | ||
| + | Many [[science fiction]] writers have depicted supercomputers in their works, both before and after the historical construction of such computers. Much of such fiction deals with the relations of humans with the computers they build and with the possibility of conflict eventually developing between them. Examples of supercomputers in fiction include [[HAL-9000]], [[Multivac]], [[The Machine Stops]], [[GLaDOS]], [[The Evitable Conflict]], [[Vulcan's Hammer]], [[Colossus (novel)|Colossus]], [[WarGames|WOPR]], and [[List of minor The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy characters#Deep Thought|Deep Thought]]. | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Fictional computer]] | ||
| + | *[[Google Glass]] | ||
| + | * [[Computer ethics]] | ||
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"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." --Pablo Picasso "By reasoning, I understand computation. And to compute is to collect the sum of many things added together at the same time, or to know the remainder when one thing has been taken from another. To reason therefore is the same as to add or to subtract."--De Corpore (1655) by Thomas Hobbes Interpol and Deutsche Bank, FBI and Scotland Yard --"Computer World" (1981) by Kraftwerk |
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A computer is a device that can be instructed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations automatically via computer programming. Modern computers have the ability to follow generalized sets of operations, called programs. These programs enable computers to perform an extremely wide range of tasks.
Computers are used as control systems for a wide variety of industrial and consumer devices. This includes simple special purpose devices like microwave ovens and remote controls, factory devices such as industrial robots and computer-aided design, and also general purpose devices like personal computers and mobile devices such as smartphones.
In fiction
Many science fiction writers have depicted supercomputers in their works, both before and after the historical construction of such computers. Much of such fiction deals with the relations of humans with the computers they build and with the possibility of conflict eventually developing between them. Examples of supercomputers in fiction include HAL-9000, Multivac, The Machine Stops, GLaDOS, The Evitable Conflict, Vulcan's Hammer, Colossus, WOPR, and Deep Thought.
See also
