Old Memory

Yes, I walked a mile through the snow to school. But, that really wasn't such a big deal (still isn't). I lived in a small town where walking was quite safe and there were sidewalks in front of almost every house.

But, in terms of computers, I started programming when the main input media was punched cards (I saved a lot of them for shopping lists for a number of years). When I started college, I worked on a "personal" computer that used punched tape along with toggle switches on the main processing unit. The main storage devices for the larger computers (IBM 360 at first, migrating to IBM 370s before I left) were huge disk drives.

However, memory (as mentioned before) can be categorized into temporary working memory and long-term storage memory. Working memory at that time was core memory -- little magnets that looked like donuts and linked together with copper wires. We still call it core memory after the memory of those days. Most working memory of today is now located within DIMMs (Dual In-line Memory Modules -- see Wikipedia) or, for older systems, SIMMs.

The memory modules have great advantages over old core -- speed, size, and capacity. They also generate much less heat which is both an energy savings as well as a design improvement.

Storage memory is another category which has moved from technology to technology. The first was paper (well, the VERY first was probably clay tablets or chiseled stone). For people, writing or drawing stored the data/information and reading brought it back. It's kind of funny, but efforts have been quite intense over the past twenty years to allow computers to do the same thing that humans have done -- to be able to directly make use of printed text and images.

For early computer systems, it was not possible for the computers to directly use text or drawings. They needed a way to detect a contrast between spaces. This usually meant holes. The holes allowed light, or a mechanical probe, to move through the paper. The areas without holes blocked the light or probe. In this way, the computer could read the "bits" (present/non-present, on/off, 1/0) and save it.

Next came magnetic methods. These were primarily on discs and tapes. The technology of disk drive design has developed enormously over the past 30 years such that a portable disk can hold the same data that a room of luggable, replaceable disks did way back when.

Currently, we are moving farther and farther along to making working memory cost-effective to use as storage memory -- which will lead to the next post on "New and future Memory".

What makes high tech "high"?

People, and the media, talk a lot about "high tech"? But what is high tech? Warren Buffett says that he does not invest in high tech -- not because he thinks that it is bad but because he feels that it is wisest to invest in companies that one understands. This allows a good understanding of the business and the market and the managerial capability to run the company.

High tech exists because of all of the levels of technology upon which it relies. Thus, it is at the apex (or top) of a very large pyramid. This is reflected by our education and what we are expected to be able to do at different periods of our education.

At the bottom of the pyramid are "simple machines" and, as listed in Susan Kristoff's "Introduction to Simple Machines", scientists in the Renaissance period listed six devices for simple machines. These are the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw. In order to create, or make use of, simple machines, a variety of "simple tools" are required -- such as hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, saws, and shovels. To this list, I would add cutting instruments such as knives and chisels.

Of course, when you read through lists such as this, you will find yourself saying -- but what about scissors, and bolts, and nuts, and ...? Just because the Renaissance scientists made a specific list of six items doesn't mean that everyone will feel that is THE correct list. For example, I could argue that the wedge and the inclined plane are variations on the same thing. I would actually be tempted to classify into categories of mechanical movement such as lifting, pushing, pulling, and rotating.

It really doesn't matter. The fact is that there are some basic machines and tools that exist at the bottom of the pyramid. By using such basic devices, we can produce "low tech" -- a swing set, a door, a teeter-totter (for those that remember such ), pogo sticks, and so forth. These can all be easily built using basic devices and tools. Of course, the degree of "finish" for something will depend on the quality of the tools and the experience of the craftsperson. I can create hinges and a door but you probably wouldn't want it on the front of your house.

We now reach into the "middle technology" category. Note that things are not REALLY so nicely divided as something may easily be broken into parts that are of various levels of needs. When we get to middle technology, we get to phonographs (for those who remember such), steam engines, paddlewheels, flour mills, ships, and so forth. These are items where you might appreciate the work which goes into them but aren't likely to cause you to gasp with astonishment. And many moderately experienced modern young adults can probably make such. They take knowledge, tools, and the ability to design and follow directions. I could probably make a horrible sounding, but functional, record player (and record). Neither Bose nor Boston Acoustics will lose sleep over that.

Now, we come to high tech. High tech requires the use of middle tech tools and machines to create their products. A CD player requires the ability to create lasers, and smoothly precise rotating movements, and a lot of semiconductor chips, and wiring and special metals and materials. I could NOT create a CD player without first creating a lot of things that I would need prior to being able to create the CD player. High tech requires middle tech which requires low tech. And that is the real story -- high tech builds upon other techs.

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