~ Computer Word Of The Week ~

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Joule

The joule is a scientific unit, represented by the letter J, which measures an amount of energy, heat, or work. One joule is equal to the amount of work done (energy transferred) when one Newton (another scientific unit, represented by N) of force is applied through a distance of one meter. A Newton is the amount of force required to move one kilogram at a speed of one meter divided by the amount of time in seconds (represented by s), squared.

In other words, J = N * m = kg * m^2 / s^2.

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Feature

Sometimes abbreviated as feat, a feature is a special addition that, by default, is not enabled or included in previous releases of the product. For example, a new feature may be the capability to spell check a document in a word processor.

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Clock pulse

Alternatively referred to as a CP, the Clock pulse is a vibration of a quartz crystal located inside the computer that helps in determining the speed of the computer's processor in MHz or GHz by counting each pulse.

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DDE

Short for Dynamic Data Exchange, DDE is a two-way connection between two or more programs that allow programs to exchange data while both programs are running.

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Webcam

A webcam is a hardware camera connected to a computer that allows anyone connected to the Internet to view either still pictures or motion video of a user or other object. The picture of the Logitech Webcam C270 is a good example of what a webcam may look like. Today, most webcams are either embedded into the display with laptop computers or connected to the USB or Firewire port on the computer.



The first webcam is considered to be the XCoffee aka the Trojan Room coffee pot, the camera was first created in 1991 with the help of Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Paul Jardetzky and connected to the Internet in November of 1993 with the help of Daniel Gordon and Martyn Johnson. The camera monitored a coffee pot outside the Trojan Room in the University of Cambridge, so people didn't have to make trips to the coffee pot when it didn't have any coffee. After being mentioned in the press, the website had over 150,000 people online watching the coffee pot. The webcam went offline August 22, 2001. In the picture to the left, is an example of what the XCoffee webcam looked like.

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Output device

An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for display, projection, or physical reproduction. For example, the image shows an inkjet printer, an output device that can make a hard copy of any information shown on your monitor. Below is a listing of all the different output devices used with a computer.

Types of output devices

3D Printer
Braille embosser
Braille reader
Flat panel
GPS
Headphones
Computer Output Microfilm (COM)
Monitor
Plotter
Printer (Dot matrix printer, Inkjet printer, and Laser printer)
Projector
Sound card
Speakers
Speech-generating device (SGD)
TV
Video card

Tip:Keep in mind that drives such as a CD-ROM, DVD, and a Floppy diskette drive may be capable of sending the computer information, but they are not output devices. These are considered storage devices.

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Antistatic bag

An antistatic bag is a bag that has been specially designed to help prevent static electricity inside the bag. These bags are often used to store and transfer electrostatic sensitive equipment. If you have ever purchased a computer hardware device such as a hard drive, sound card, or video card it is likely it came inside a dark gray antistatic bag. The picture is an example of what an antistatic bag may look like.

Caution:
Remember that only the inside of an antistatic bag is protected, placing a hardware device on top of the bag and not inside of the bag will not protect it. In fact, it is often more dangerous to place an electrostatic sensitive device on top of the bag.

Tip:
 If you are planning on replacing or doing any computer repair having one or more antistatic bag as part of your tools can help make sure any removed devices stay safe.

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Monitor

1. Alternatively referred to as a video display terminal (VDT) and video display unit (VDU), a monitor encompasses a display screen for video images and casing that holds it. In its most common usage, monitor refers only to devices that contain no electronic equipment other than what is essentially needed to display and adjust the characteristics of an image.

Like most early TVs, the early computer monitor's were comprised of a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and a fluorescent screen. Today, all monitors are created using flat panel display technology; like that shown in the image.

2. Monitor is a term to describe the process of viewing or watching over someone or something.

3. Used frequently with machines utilizing punch card input, a resident monitor was system software that came before, but was very similar to an operating system.

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Microphone

Sometimes abbreviated as mic, a microphone is a hardware peripheral originally invented by Emile Berliner in 1877 that allows computer users to input audio into their computers. The picture is an example of Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone - Silver Edition and an example of what a high quality computer microphone may look like.

Most microphones connect to the computer using the "mic" port on the computer sound card. See our sound card definition for further information about these ports and an example of what they look like on your computer. Higher quality microphones or microphones with additional features such as the one shown on this page will connect to the USB port.

What is a microphone used for?

Below is a short list of all the different uses a microphone could be used for on a computer.

VoIP

Voice recognition

Computer gaming

Online chatting

Recording voice for dictation, singing, and podcasts

Recording musical instruments

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LOL

1. Shorthand for Laughing out Loud or Laugh out Loud, LOL is the most commonly used chat expressions to illustrate you are laughing during a text conversation or that you found something funny. LOL is also less commonly short for Lots of Laughter and Laughing on Line and is also often substituted by LAL, LAWL (Laughing a Whole Lot), LOLZ, LUL, and LULZ. Although already an abbreviation LOL is also sometimes further abbreviated as LL.
Finally, LAWL is also used as a slang term that phonetically spells out 'lol'. This is often said in the real life or over VoIP by someone who may type in lol a lot in chat.

2. Although not as common as the above definition of LOL, this term can also mean Lots of Love and may be something added at the end of an e-mail, letter, or other correspondence.

3. Short for Lots of Luck, LOL is another way of wishing someone good luck. This term could also be used sarcastically as telling someone they don't have a chance.

4. Short for League of Legends, LOL is an online multiplayer game.

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ZIF socket

Short for Zero Insertion Force socket, the ZIF socket was designed by Intel and included a small lever to insert and remove the computer processor. Using the lever allows you to add and remove a computer processor without any tools and requires no force (zero force). All processor sockets from the Socket 2 and higher have been a ZIF socket design. The picture shows an Intel OverDrive socket and an example of a ZIF socket.
Note: During the evolution of the processor Intel did use a slot processor.

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CD-IN

Alternatively referred to as the optical drive audio connector, the CD-IN is a four-pin connector found on a computer motherboard or sound card that connects an optical drives audio to the motherboard or sound card audio. The picture shows a black four-pin connector and an example of what this connector looks like on a computer motherboard.

An example of how this connector could be used is connecting the four pin wire from the back of a CD-ROM drive to the connection on the motherboard, allowing the user to listen to an audio CD.

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Administrator

1. Alternatively referred to as an admin, administrator, and gatekeeper, root is a superuser on a computer or network and has complete control. When referring to a Unix and Linux computer this user is often known as root and on a Windows computer and on a network this user is often referred to as an administrator. However, each of these terms is interchangeable.

When dealing with computer's there can be many different administrators in a company, in the list below are just a few examples of the different administrators a company may employ.

Types of network administrators

Database Administrator

IT Network Administrator

LAN or Network Administrator

Linux Administrator - Individual responsible for Linux related systems.

System Administrator (sysadmin) - Individual responsible for managing the users and system settings of computers.

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EDVAC

Short for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer, EDVAC is one of the first electronic computers that utilized the binary system that first began performing basic tasks in 1951. The picture is a public-domain U.S. Army Photo of the EDVAC, from K. Kempf. and the History of Computing.

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E-waste

Short for electronic waste, e-waste is a term used to describe the refuse generated by electronic equipment such as monitors, computers, and mobile devices. E-waste encompasses the materials used to manufacture electronic devices as well.