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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eWeek - RSS Feeds

IT to See Larger Budgets, Play Key Role In 2010: Report
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:27:24 -0500
Four in 10 business executives plan to increase spending in IT in the coming year. With a renewed focus on the customer and revenue growth, CEOs and other senior executives plan to give IT the funding for key technology projects and talent retention in 2010. - Business may not grow tremendously in 2010, but executives and business leaders--62 percent of them--expect information technology to play a vital role in business recovery, said a recent Gartner study of 190 respondents. The report, entitled quot;Early Findings From the 2010 Gartner CEO and...
Australia Releases Report on Web Filter Test as Plans Proceed
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:42:10 -0500
Australian authorities released a report detailing a test of their plans to require Internet Service Providers to filter out content deemed objectionable. Australia is expected to make amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act next autumn. - A report testing Australia s controversial Web filtering plan is done, paving the way for the country to join the list of nations with mandatory Web filtering. Stephen Conroy, who is Australia's Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, released the report (PDF) t...
Citrix, Microsoft Partner to Offer Disaster Recovery for Virtual Environments
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:45:28 -0500
In its Citrix Essentials 5.5 for Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix is integrating its StorageLink Site Recovery feature, which gives user greater disaster recovery capabilities for their Hyper-V-based virtual data centers. Users can test out disaster recovery scenarios, and manage their DR services through a single console. - Citrix Systems is adding disaster recovery capabilities to its data center virtualization platform for Microsofts Hyper-V technology. Citrixs new Essentials 5.5 for Microsoft Hyper-V includes Citrix StorageLink Site Recovery, a set of tools that enable users to set up, test and manage disaster reco...
Verizon Launches Free WiFi Service for Customers
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:42:13 -0500
Some Verizon subscribers can now access WiFi hotspots in the United States, Canada and Mexico, using its Verizon Wi-Fi service. Verizons WiFi service is similar what AT T offers its customers. These services also allow carriers to offload PC traffic from their networks in order to free up space for smartphones. - Verizon Wireless gave some of its customers another way to connect with the introduction of the Verizon Wi-Fi service on Dec. 15. Customers with monthly subscriptions to Verizons Mobile Broadband or GlobalAccess plans, as well as supported devices and here's the bummer: no smartphones are in...
Lawsuit Settled Over Bush Missing e-Mails
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:39:30 -0500
With the cooperation of the Obama administration, Executive Office of the President agrees to restore 94 days of missing Bush era e-mails. The Bush White House failed to recover or restore the missing e-mails and knowingly continued to use a broken system for preserving electronic records. - The EOP (Executive Office of the President) agreed Dec. 14 to restore a total of 94 days of missing Bush era e-mails. The agreement is the culmination long-running lawsuits challenging the failure of the Bush White House and the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) to take any a...
Microsoft Moved into the Cloud in 2009 with Azure, Office Web Apps
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:41:47 -0500
Microsoft took tentative steps to embrace the cloud in 2009, most notably with its development of Azure, Redmond's cloud-based system for creating applications and services. In a departure from its traditionally desktop-bound model for many of its applications, Microsoft also signaled that it would incorporate browser-based functionality into its Office 2010 offerings, slated for general release sometime next year. The release of Google's Chrome OS in 2010, although initially meant for netbooks, could change the general OS ecosystem in ways that could affect Microsoft's development of Windows 8. - Microsoft made its fortune with a desktop-centric software development model. However, 2009 saw the emergence of cloud-based computing, and, with it, a challenge to the software giants traditional business model. Microsoft has been experimenting with cloud-computing platforms aimed at a number...

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Boeing's 787 jetliner finally takes to the air
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:06:11 -0800
The first flight of Boeing's new 787 jetliner brought no surprises - exactly what pilots, engineers and company officials had anxiously sought for the long-delayed aircraft.
Fed to strike upbeat note on economy
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:36:20 -0800
Focused on keeping the recovery going and driving down double-digit unemployment, the Federal Reserve is poised to leave interest rates at a record low.
YouTube's top 2009 videos feature eclectic cast
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:16:06 -0800
The year's biggest hits on the Internet's top video channel were anchored by an improbable singing sensation, a groggy boy nursing a sore mouth, a bride and groom dancing down the wedding aisle, supernatural heartthrobs and roller-skating babies.

NYT > Technology

Russians Buy Stake in Web Games
By BRAD STONE and CLAIRE CAIN MILLER Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:51:49 -0000
Digital Sky Technologies, the Russian firm that invested more than $200 million in Facebook, is leading a group that is buying a $180 million stake in Zygna, a creator of online games.
Music Business Heads Into Virtual World
By BRAD STONE and CLAIRE CAIN MILLER Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:36:09 -0000
Apple’s purchase of the start-up Lala is bringing more attention to streaming music services as a replacement for songs on your computer.
Comcast Introduces a Streaming TV Service
By BRIAN STELTER Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:25:46 -0000
The new service, in testing since last summer, is seen as a major step toward what Comcast calls “anytime, anywhere media.”

CNN.com - Technology

One in six teens engage in 'sexting'
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:27:14 -0500
Nearly one-sixth of teens who own cell phones have received nude or nearly nude images via text message from someone they know, according to a new survey on "sexting" from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Boeing claims 'historic day' with 787 test flight
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:34:53 -0500
After more than two years of delays, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner made its maiden flight Tuesday in a three-hour trip that the maker described as a success.
Comcast launches online service for premium TV, movies
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:57:52 -0500
Comcast rolled out a Web-based on-demand television and movie service on Tuesday that gives customers access to more than 2,000 hours of television and movies.

NPR Topics: Technology

Study: 15 Percent Of Teens With Cells Receive 'Sexts'
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500
The study by the Pew Research Center finds that nearly 1 in 6 young people aged 12 to 17 has received a sexually suggestive picture via cell phone. Report says boys and girls are equally likely to send, receive suggestive pictures on their phones.
World's Largest Particle Collider Back In Action
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0500
The Large Hadron Collider was supposed to start smashing particles last fall and was expected to lead to huge scientific discoveries about the universe. Instead, the collider broke down just days after it first started. Scientists have been repairing it for a year, and now it’s ready to go again.
Text-Message Case Could Redefine Workplace Privacy
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:24:00 -0500
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case next year on whether and when privacy rights extend to text messages sent by public employees on work-issued devices. In the private realm, employees have almost no expectation of privacy when using company-issued equipment.

BBC News | Technology | UK Edition

Microsoft admits blog code theft
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:25:12 -0000
Microsoft's Chinese microblogging service is suspended indefintely after the software giant admits stealing code.
Australia introduces web filters
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:19:15 -0000
Australia plans new laws forcing internet service providers to filter out access to websites containing banned content.
Teletext to close mid-December
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:12:39 -0000
The Teletext information service will close across the UK on 16 December 2009,says Channel Islands service Channel TV.

Reuters Video: Technology

Digital DJs mix it up with Traktor
Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:18:01 -0500
Dec 14 - Berlin-based Native Instruments, makers of the popular DJing software Traktor, is expanding its hardware product line to give digital DJs something to focus on besides their computer screens.
Man-made islands to harness power
Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:54:46 -0500
A Danish company says its "Green Power Islands" project will change the map of Denmark -- and possibly of Bahrain, China and the U.S. -- by supplying power and solving the problem of energy wastage.
Breaking down the brain gates
Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:54:37 -0500
Dec 10 - Doctors in New York are combining chemotherapy drugs and state-of-the-art imaging technology to navigate through the body's complex vascular system and deep into the brain. Ben Gruber reports.

AP Top Technology News At 3:21 a.m. EST

Our devices will spin denser webs of data in 2010s
By JESSICA MINTZ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:33:18 -0000
SEATTLE (AP) -- Ten years ago, we would have been blown away by a cell phone with far more computing power and memory than the average PC had in 1999, along with a built-in camera and programs to manage every aspect of our lives. Ten years from now, the iPhone and its ilk will be antiques....
YouTube's top 2009 videos feature eclectic cast
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:14:56 -0000
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The year's biggest hits on the Internet's top video channel were anchored by an improbable singing sensation, a groggy boy nursing a sore mouth, a bride and groom dancing down the wedding aisle, supernatural heartthrobs and roller-skating babies....
Adobe Systems posts 4Q loss but says demand rising
By BARBARA ORTUTAY Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:24:11 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- Adobe Systems Inc. said Tuesday that although it booked a loss in the fiscal fourth quarter, consumer demand improved and allowed the maker of Photoshop and Flash software to post an optimistic outlook for the current period....

CNET News.com

Can we diagnose and destroy cancer in one sitting?
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:15:00 -0800
Researchers announce the creation of a single nanoparticle, traceable in real time via MRI, which can tag cancer cells and kill them with heat within the very same procedure.
Facebook sues men for allegedly phishing, spamming
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:00:00 -0800
Facebook's latest lawsuit accuses three men of getting access to Facebook user accounts by phishing and then sending spam from their accounts.
Microsoft's Bing app debuts on iPhone
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:30:00 -0800
The software giant's search service is now available on Apple's iTunes App Store; so when is the Android version coming?

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