Wednesday 23 January 2013

All about Computers



First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes

The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions.
First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.

Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors

Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.
Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.
The first computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.

Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated Circuits

The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers.
Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.

Fourth Generation (1971-Present) Microprocessors

The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer—from the central processing unit and memory to input/output controls—on a single chip.
In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.
As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.

Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond) Artificial Intelligence

Fifth generation computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in years to come. The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.

Computer Components

Computers come in all types and sizes. There are primarily two main sizes of computers. They are:
  • Portable
  • Desktop
The portable computer comes in various sizes and are referred to as laptops, notebooks, and hand-held computers. These generally denote different sizes, the laptop being the largest, and the hand-held is the smallest size. This document will mainly talk about the desktop computer although portable computer issues are also discussed in various areas.

Computer Components:

Computers are made of the following basic components:
  1. Case with hardware inside:

    1. Power Supply - The power supply comes with the case, but this component is mentioned separately since there are various types of power supplies. The one you should get depends on the requirements of your system. This will be discussed in more detail later

    2. Motherboard - This is where the core components of your computer reside which are listed below. Also the support cards for video, sound, networking and more are mounted into this board.

      1. Microprocessor - This is the brain of your computer. It performs commands and instructions and controls the operation of the computer.
      2. Memory - The RAM in your system is mounted on the motherboard. This is memory that must be powered on to retain its contents.
      3. Drive controllers - The drive controllers control the interface of your system to your hard drives. The controllers let your hard drives work by controlling their operation. On most systems, they are included on the motherboard, however you may add additional controllers for faster or other types of drives.

    3. Hard disk drive(s) - This is where your files are permanently stored on your computer. Also, normally, your operating system is installed here.

    4. CD-ROM drive(s) - This is normally a read only drive where files are permanently stored. There are now read/write CD-ROM drives that use special software to allow users to read from and write to these drives.

    5. Floppy drive(s) - A floppy is a small disk storage device that today typically has about 1.4 Megabytes of memory capacity.

    6. Other possible file storage devices include DVD devices, Tape backup devices, and some others.

  2. Monitor - This device which operates like a TV set lets the user see how the computer is responding to their commands.

  3. Keyboard - This is where the user enters text commands into the computer.

  4. Mouse - A point and click interface for entering commands which works well in graphical environments. 


1 - Introduction :


A computer is an electronic device that store, process and display information and data in a form that is easily understood. The main characteristics of a computer are the very high speed with which calculations and processes are carried out and also the very large amount of information and data that may be stored in a relatively small spaces called memory.

2 - Speed of Computing:


One of the main advantages in using computers is the possibility that a task that may take longer to do by hand may be done in a shorter period of time using a computer. Computers are designed to do tasks much faster and more accurately than humans. Numerical computations, creation and editing of documents, data organization and presentation, graphics are examples of tasks that are done efficiently when computers are used.


2 - Efficiency and Productivity:


It is perhaps easy to explain the efficiency of computers in comparing documents produced using a typewriter and a word processor (on a computer). Using a word processing makes it easy to make changes to letters, words, chapters or entire documents. There are possibilities to spell check words and therefore make changes. Deleting and inserting letters, words and paragraphs is done without leaving a trace. When all necessary changes are made, files may be saved, printed, edited as many times as is necessary, sent by e-mail to someone else in another continent within minutes. When using a typewriter, a simple typing error would be time consuming to fix.
Several recent studies have shown a substantial increase in productivity due to the use of computers.

3 - Data Storage.


Computer storage or memory is measured in bytes. A byte correspond to 8 bits (binary digit). For example it takes 1 byte (or 8 bits) to represent (store) a character of the alphabet. A page of a book with 80 characters per line and 40 lines per page would need 80 * 40 = 3200 bytes of storage or 3 Kilobytes (1 Kilobyte = 1024 bytes).

A book of 400 pages would need 400 * 3 Kilobytes = 1.2 Megabytes (1 megabyte = 1000 Kilobytes)

What does all this mean in practical terms?

Example 1: A CD has a storage capacity of 600 Megabytes and therefore can hold the contents of 600 / 1.2 = 500. Yes 500 books in ond CD!.

Example 2: A DVD has a storage capacity of 4.7 Gigabytes (1 Gigabyte = 1000 Megabytes) and can therefore hold 4700 / 1.2 = 4000 (approximately) books.

Now think about how much space and how much does it cost to store 4000 books! 



Tuesday 22 January 2013

Muscle-Building Diet Essentials



 

What you take in can make or break your gains when it comes to true muscle growth

 













When it comes to packing on pounds of pure, unadulterated muscle, diet is the single most important part of your overall bodybuilding program. You can workout all you want, but if your diet isn't in check you will never achieve the physique of your dreams.

The body relies heavily on nutrients from the foods and
supplements that you consume to help create an environment conducive to huge gains. Although there are an infinite number of choices out there, a select few muscle-builders come up time and time again on every true bodybuilder's shopping list.


 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are the top 11 foods to consume:




1. Eggs Whites

Egg Whites are another versatile source of protein rich food that contain a rich source of vitamins such as A, E, and B and contain all 8 essential amino acids. With about 6 grams of protein per egg this is an excellent food item to support your muscle growth.


2. Chicken Breast

The chicken breast is so important in bodybuilding part because this food packed with tons of high quality protein. The “Fitness Magazine” said, A 6 0z breast has nearly 35grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat.
Aside from the nutrition content it is a great affordable food that can be easily prepared in a variety of ways.




3. Turkey

Low fat source with high quality protein content and tons of nutrients makes turkey a must have bodybuilding food. This is really important food item for extreme bodybuilders.



4. Whey Protein

Whey Protein is the king of bodybuilding proteins and its fast absorption and the amino acids content is very essential for building muscle.


5. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is an excellent bodybuilding food as it is a slow burning sustainable source of carbohydrates for human body.


6. Salmon

Salmon is very rich in proteins and contain omega-3 acids to boost your testosterone. Salmon food item has much as 35 grams of protein in just one sitting.


7. Tuna Fish

A very affordable source for high quality protein getting the most bangs for your buck. 1 tuna fish has about nearly 34 grams of protein.



8. Broccoli

It’s already packed with nutrients that limit the release of estrogen and is packed with vitamin C to minimize fat storage and aid muscle recovery. This is a truly remarkable veggie and you should never ignore the power of this veggie.


9. Cottage Cheese

If you can tolerate the taste, its marvelous source of casein protein which is slowly released protein throughout the day.


10. Lean Beef
This is not only a great protein food but the pure creatine is included of this food. These lean cut steaks really stimulates the muscle building process.







11. Water
When it comes to musclebuilders, the first thing to come to mind is meat. But the number one item that should be in your arsenal is water. Just think about it - 70 percent of your body is made up of water. Your muscles, tissue cells and ligaments all contain water. And most importantly, your life force - blood - is made up substantially of water. When it comes to building a massive physique, you need to keep yourself in the most anabolic state possible and that is why many bodybuilders recommend drinking 10 liters of water a day. Staying hydrated also keeps your muscles full looking.




Conclusion

If your goal is to pack pounds of pure muscle onto your frame, you can't be eating "empty" calories that do nothing but add mass to your waistline. You need to carefully select the right foods and supplements and incorporate them into your daily diet. By adding the musclebuilders mentioned, there is no doubt that you will be on the right path to achieving the physique of your dreams.