A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions known as a program.

Computers are extremely versatile. In fact, they are universal information-processing machines. According to the Church–Turing thesis, a computer with a certain minimum threshold capability is in principle capable of performing the tasks of any other computer, from those of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer, as long as time and memory capacity are not considerations. Therefore, the same computer designs may be adapted for tasks ranging from processing company payrolls to controlling unmanned spaceflights. Due to technological advancement, modern electronic computers are exponentially more capable than those of preceding generations (a phenomenon partially described by Moore's Law).

Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, and such enormous computing facilities still exist for specialized scientific computation — supercomputers — and for the transaction processing requirements of large companies, generally called mainframes. Smaller computers for individual use, called personal computers, and their portable equivalent, the laptop computer, are ubiquitous information-processing and communication tools and are perhaps what most non-experts think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is the embedded computer, small computers used to control another device. Embedded computers control machines from fighter aircraft to digital cameras.

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iPhone 5 Will Sport a 4-Inch Display: Report
Wed, 16 May 2012 18:26:29 -0400
Apple has sold tens of millions of iPhones with 3.5-inch displays. However, the trend is toward smartphones with 4-inch displays and a new report suggests Apple will go with a bigger screen when the iPhone 5 debuts later this year. - The Apple iPhone has been tweaked and improved in countless ways since its 2007 introduction. Whats remained consistent throughout its many incarnations, however, is its screen size 3.5 inches on the diagonal. With the sixth-generation iPhone, which most industry observers are calling the the iP...
Department of Homeland Security Issues Warning on Medical Device Threats
Wed, 16 May 2012 17:46:37 -0400
Medical devices and smartphones can expose patient data and also lead to cyber-security problems, the Department of Homeland Security warned. - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a warning about the role of medical devices in compromising IT networks and patient data. In its alert quot;Attack Surface: Healthcare and Public Health Sector, quot; issued on May 4, DHS says medical devices that connect to IT networks...
Nvidia Launches New Chip for Cloud VDI Systems
Wed, 16 May 2012 17:18:38 -0400
Virtual desktop systems have been around for more than a dozen years. They work well in some use cases, but in many, performance has been lackluster and the systems themselves are difficult to install and maintain. Nvidia aims to change all that. - Pretty much everything else in IT already is virtualized, so why not a processor? Nvidia on May 15 introduced what it called the quot;world's first virtualized GPU, quot; and aimed it squarely at accelerating graphics input/output for virtual desktop deployments in cloud systems. The announcemen...
Dell Unveils Boomi-Based Cloud-Integration Packs for SMBs
Wed, 16 May 2012 17:09:52 -0400
The first of the Integration Packs for syncing data across cloud applications is aimed at QuickBooks and Microsoft Dynamics GP with Salesforce CRM. - Dell is leveraging the technology inherited when it bought Boomi in 2010 to create new Integration Packs designed to easily and securely integrate data between applications in the cloud. The first of the Integration Packs, announced May 15, are aimed at synchronizing critical data between financial...
SAP Adds More Apps to Run on HANA In-Memory Platform
Wed, 16 May 2012 16:39:40 -0400
Enterprise software vendor SAP has added eight new applications to its HANA in-memory platform. The apps deliver such business services as sales and operations planning, financials and supplier management. - SAP is throwing more support behind its HANA in-memory computing platform with the introduction of eight new business applications, a mix of on-premise and cloud-delivered solutions. At its Sapphire user conference in Orlando, Fla., SAP launched HANA apps such as the Sales and Operations Planning t...
MongoDB Native Driver for Node.js Speeds Up Results
Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:50 -0400
Recently, 10gen released the official MongoDB Native NodeJS Driver. eWEEK Labs put the driver to the test, and found that it was easy to use and very fast. The coding requires an approach typical of Node.js programming, whereby callback functions are provided to support the asynchronous nature of both Node.js and MongoDB. Using the straightforward API, we were able to perform standard database operations, such as inserts and queries. With proper indexing, we found that the operations were extremely fast. Additionally, the installation is simple with only a couple of lines of commands in the Linux shell, and the documentation is extensive. - ...

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Activision, EA settle lawsuit over execs' leaving
Wed, 16 May 2012 16:12:08 -0700
The legal battle between gaming giants Activision Blizzard Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. is over, with the companies announcing they had settled a case that accused EA of improperly recruiting two executives who oversaw the creation of the smash videogame "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2."
Target's 1Q profits up 1.2 percent
Wed, 16 May 2012 15:48:08 -0700
Target Corp. raised its profit outlook Wednesday after reporting better-than-expected first-quarter results that were boosted by increased spending on food and cheap chic fashions.
It's tricky to track, fix a balky laptop Internet link
Wed, 16 May 2012 15:30:13 -0700
Q: I have an Acer Aspire running Windows 7. Both it and my Linksys router are fairly new. The network is WPA-2 and password secured. Lately, I have had...

NYT > Technology

A Russian Facebook Bet Pays Off Big
By ANDREW E. KRAMER Wed, 16 May 2012 19:26:15 -0000
Alisher B. Usmanov’s investments in the social media giant could be worth at least $6 billion when the company goes public.
A Facebook Co-Founder Reflects on the Path Forward
By QUENTIN HARDY Wed, 16 May 2012 22:01:33 -0000
Eduardo Saverin, who left the company after two years, has settled in Singapore and is assessing how best to manage the extraordinary wealth that will come his way in Facebook’s initial public offering.
DealBook: Facebook Increases Number of Shares for I.P.O.
By BEN PROTESS Wed, 16 May 2012 20:08:38 -0000
Facebook will offer 421 million shares, 25 percent more than it had planned to offer, in response to high demand.

CNN.com - Technology

How you help Facebook make billions
Wed, 16 May 2012 13:04:38 -0400
Every post you "like." Every friend you add or fan page you join. Every place you check in, and every Web page you recommend.
Google revamps search again
Wed, 16 May 2012 16:11:05 -0400
So, let's say you're doing a Google search for "Kings." Did you mean the L.A. hockey team or the Sacramento basketball team? Maybe the TV show? Or maybe you actually wanted to know something about monarchs.
How you help FB make billions
Wed, 16 May 2012 11:20:51 -0400
Every post you "like." Every friend you add or fan page you join. Every place you check in, and every Web page you recommend.

Technology

'What Facebook Is Selling Is Us'
Wed, 16 May 2012 17:45:00 -0400
Facebook's initial public offering — $16 billion and counting — is shaping up to be one of the largest in history. The company and its investors are betting that the social media giant can learn enough from its users so it can target ads that will be worth big, big money.
From Science Fiction To Fact, Robots Are Coming To A Farm Near You
Wed, 16 May 2012 10:47:00 -0400
Farm robots are here, not just in Star Wars. Some dairies already use milking machines that clean udders and monitor cow health, plus do the milking, and a fully automated tractor is coming out this fall.
How Facebook Can Live Up To The Hype
Wed, 16 May 2012 09:36:00 -0400
Facebook needs more users — and it needs to figure out how to make more money off of each user.

BBC News - Technology

Government to miss cookie cut-off
Wed, 16 May 2012 23:07:04 -0000
Most government websites will miss the UK's deadline for complying with EU regulations over cookies, the Cabinet Office tells the BBC.
Google makes search 'more human'
Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:52 -0000
Google revamps its search engine in an attempt to offer instant answers to search questions with a new function, the Knowledge Graph.
The Pirate Bay hit by hack attack
Wed, 16 May 2012 17:16:48 -0000
File-sharing website The Pirate Bay appears to have been hit by a coordinated hack attack.

Reuters Video: Technology

Facebook insiders cash in
Wed, 16 May 2012 12:52:00 -0400
May 16 - Several of Facebook's early investors are adding their shares to the company's public offering, boosting the size of the IPO by 25 percent. Jeanne Yurman reports.
Paralysis patient tastes freedom through thought control
Wed, 16 May 2012 12:58:00 -0400
May 16 - Groundbreaking new research is allowing quadriplegics to control objects with a robotic arm and the power of their thoughts. A study involving a brain-computer interface developed at Brown University in Rhode Island, shows that people who have lost the use of their limbs can perform basic functions by manipulating the technology with their minds. The findings of the study, conducted in April last year, will be published in the May issue of the science journal "Nature". Ben Gruber reports.
Facebook likes the world to share
Wed, 16 May 2012 05:22:00 -0400
May 16 - With growth slowing in the U.S., the world's leading social network Facebook will be increasingly reliant on international markets to drive revenues after it goes public later this week. Matt Cowan reports.

AP Top Technology News At 7:11 p.m. EDT

Activision, EA settle lawsuit over execs' leaving
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY Wed, 16 May 2012 23:11:49 -0000
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The legal battle between gaming giants Activision Blizzard Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. is over, with the companies announcing they had settled a case that accused EA of improperly recruiting two executives who oversaw the creation of the smash videogame "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2."...
Paralyzed woman uses her mind to control robot arm
By MALCOLM RITTER Wed, 16 May 2012 18:17:55 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- Using only her thoughts, a Massachusetts woman paralyzed for 15 years directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips, researchers report in the latest advance in harnessing brain waves to help disabled people....
Google strives to enlighten with new search tool
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE Wed, 16 May 2012 19:27:16 -0000
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Google is introducing a new tool, designed to make its search engine smarter....

CNET News

Flashback makers missed out on their payday, Symantec says
Josh Lowensohn Wed, 16 May 2012 16:06:55 -0700
According to the security firm, the makers of the Flashback malware made $14,000 from click fraud last month, but can't collect on it. [Read more]
Tips for Facebook millionaires
Jen Haley Wed, 16 May 2012 15:59:27 -0700
Congratulations, you're officially rich. But before you splurge on a winter getaway in Aspen or some sporty wheels, take a breath. CNET's Sumi Das speaks to a financial expert who says the best thing to do is follow three simple steps. [Read more]
Facebook IPO doesn't mean the end of privacy
Seth Rosenblatt Wed, 16 May 2012 15:51:57 -0700
Privacy experts say that just because the company is going public, doesn't mean that it's game over for user privacy. In fact, it might shine a brighter light on privacy concerns. [Read more]

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