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A drawing of a usual modern desktop computer. A computer is a machine (mostly electronic) that is able to take information (input), and make changes to the information (process it) to make new information (output). Computers have existed for much of human history. Examples of early computers are the astrolabe and the abacus. There are four main processing steps in a computer, and they are: inputting, storage, outputting, and processing. Modern computers are very different from early computers. They can do billions of calculations per second. Most people have used a personal computer in their home or at work. Computers do many different jobs where automation is useful. Some examples are controlling traffic lights, vehicle computers, security systems, washing machines and digital televisions. A computer user can control it by a user interface. Input devices include keyboard, mouse, buttons, and touch screens. Some very new computers can also be controlled with voice commands or hand gestures or even brain signals through electrodes implanted in the brain or along nerves. Computers can be designed to do almost anything with information. Computers are used to control large and small machines which in the past were controlled by humans. They are also in homes, where they are used for things such as listening to music, reading the news, and writing. Modern computers are electronic computer hardware. They do mathematical arithmetic very quickly but computers do not really "think". They only follow the instructions in their software programs. The software uses the hardware when the user gives it instructions, and gives useful output. Computer programs are designed or written by computer programmers. A few programmers write programs in the computer's own language called machine code. Most programs are written using a programming language like C++, Java, and Fortran. These programming languages are more like the language you talk and write with every day. The computer translates the user's instructions into binary code (machine code) that the computer will understand and do what is needed. Contents 1 History of computers 1.1 Definition 1.2 Automation 1.3 Programming 1.4 The Computing Era 1.5 Analog and Digital Computers 1.6 High-scale computers 2 Kinds of computers 2.1 All-in-one PC 3 Common uses of home computers 4 Common uses of work computers 5 Working methods 6 The Internet 7 Computers and waste 8 Main hardware 9 Largest Computer Companies 10 References 11 Other websites History of computers The Jacquard loom was one of the first programmable devices. Definition A computer is a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets and smartphones are some of the different types of computers. An electronic machine which helps in solving problems quickly and easily. It solves problems according to instructions given to it by the computer user called programs or software. It is a digital machine(that uses binary digits) used in all fields. Automation Most humans have a problem with math. To show this, try doing 584 x 3,220 in your head. It is hard to remember all the steps! People made tools to help them remember where they were in a maths problem. The other problem people have is that they have to do the same problem over and over and over again. A cashier had to make change every day in her head or with a piece of paper. That took a lot of time and made mistakes. So, people made calculators that did those same things over and over. This part of computer history is called the "history of automated calculation," which is a fancy phrase for "the history of machines that make it easy for me to do this same maths problem over and over without making mistakes." The abacus, the slide rule, the astrolabe and the Antikythera mechanism (which dates from about 150-100 BC) are examples of automated calculation machines. Programming Main page: Computer programming People did not want a machine that would do the same thing over and over again. For example, a music box is a machine that plays the same music over and over again. Some people wanted to be able to tell their machine to do different things. For example, they wanted to tell the music box to play different music every time. They wanted to be able to program the music box- to order the music box to play different music. This part of computer history is called the "history of programmable machines" which is a fancy phrase for "The history of machines that I can order to do different things if I know how to speak their language." One of the first examples of this was built by Hero of Alexandria (c. 10-70 AD). He built a mechanical theater which performed a play lasting 10 minutes and was operated by a complex system of ropes and drums. These ropes and drums were the language of the machine- they told what the machine did and when. Some people argue that this is the first programmable machine.[1] Historians disagree on which early machines are "computers". Many say the "castle clock", an astronomical clock invented by Al-Jazari in 1206, is the first known programmable analog computer. Others say the first computer was made by Charles Babbage.[2]Al - Jazari's showed the zodiac, the solar and lunar orbits, a crescent moon-shaped pointer travelling across a gateway that made some doors to open every hour,[3][4] and five robotic musicians who play music when levers hit them. The length of day and night could be changed (AKA re-programmed) every day in order to account for the changing lengths of day and night throughout the year.[2]Ada Lovelace is considered to be the first programmer.[5][6][7] The Computing Era At the end of the Middle Ages, people in Europe thought math and engineering were more important. In 1623, Wilhelm Schickard made a mechanical calculator. Other Europeans made more calculators after him. They were not modern computers because they could only add, subtract, and multiply- you could not change what they did to make them do something like play Tetris. Because of this, we say they were not programmable. Now engineers use computers to design and plan. In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard used punched paper cards to tell his textile loom what kind of pattern to weave. He could use punch cards to tell the loom what to do, and he could change the punch cards, which means he could program the loom to weave the pattern he wanted. This means the loom was programmable. Charles Babbage wanted to make a similar machine that could calculate. He called it "The Analytical Engine".[8] Because Babbage did not have enough money and always changed his design when he had a better idea, he never built his Analytical Engine. As time went on, computers got more and more popular. And that stands out at the beginning. This is because people get bored easily doing the same thing over and over. Imagine spending your life writing things down on index cards, storing them, and then having to go find them again. The U.S. Census Bureau in 1890 had hundreds of people doing just that. People got bored and frustrated, and would say, "There HAS to be an easier way to do this." Then a clever person worked out how to make machines do a lot of the work. Herman Hollerith figured out how to make a machine that would automatically add up information that the Census bureau collected. The Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (which later became IBM) made his machines, and everyone was happy. At least, they were happy until their machines broke down, got jammed, and had to be repaired. This is when the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation invented tech support. Because of machines like this, new ways of talking to these machines were invented, and new types of machines were invented, and eventually the computer as we know it was born. Analog and Digital Computers In the first half of the 20th century, scientists started using computers, mostly because scientists had a lot of math to figure out and wanted to spend more of their time thinking about science questions instead of spending hours adding numbers together. For example, if they had to launch a rocket ship, they needed to do a lot of math to make sure the rocket worked right. So they put together computers. These analog computers used analog circuits, which made them very hard to program. In the 1930s, they invented digital computers, and soon made them easier to program. High-scale computers Scientists figured out how to make and use digital computers in the 1930s and 1940s. Scientists made a lot of digital computers, and as they did, they figured out how to ask them the right sorts of questions to get the most out of them. Here are a few of the computers they built: Defining characteristics of some early digital computers of the 1940s (In the history of computing hardware) Name First operational Numeral system Computing mechanism Programming Turing complete Zuse Z3 (Germany) May 1941 Binary Electro-mechanical Program-controlled by punched film stock Yes (1998) Atanasoff-Berry Computer (US) mid-1941 Binary Electronic Not programmable--single purpose No Colossus (UK) January 1944 Binary Electronic Program-controlled by patch cables and switches No Harvard Mark I - IBM ASCC (US) 1944 Decimal Electro-mechanical Program-controlled by 24-channel punched paper tape (but no conditional branch) No ENIAC (US) November 1945 Decimal Electronic Program-controlled by patch cables and switches Yes Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine (UK) June 1948 Binary Electronic Stored-program in Williams cathode ray tube memory Yes Modified ENIAC (US) September 1948 Decimal Electronic Program-controlled by patch cables and switches plus a primitive read-only stored programming mechanism using the Function Tables as program ROM Yes EDSAC (UK) May 1949 Binary Electronic Stored-program in mercury delay line memory Yes Manchester Mark 1 (UK) October 1949 Binary Electronic Stored-program in Williams cathode ray tube memory and magnetic drum memory Yes CSIRAC (Australia) November 1949 Binary Electronic Stored-program in mercury delay line memory Yes EDSAC was one of the first computers that remembered what you told it even after you turned the power off. This is called (von Neumann) architecture. Konrad Zuse's electromechanical "Z machines". The Z3 (1941) was the first working machine that used binary arithmetic. Binary arithmetic means using "Yes" and "No." to add numbers together. You could also program it. In 1998 the Z3 was proved to be Turing complete. Turing complete means that it is possible to tell this particular computer anything that it is mathematically possible to tell a computer. It is the world's first modern computer. The non-programmable Atanasoff-Berry Computer (1941) which used vacuum tubes to store "yes" and "no" answers, and regenerative capacitor memory. The Harvard Mark I (1944), A big computer that you could kind of program. The U.S. Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory ENIAC (1946), which could add numbers the way people do (using the numbers 0 through 9) and is sometimes called the first general purpose electronic computer (since Konrad Zuse's Z3 of 1941 used electromagnets instead of electronics). At first, however, the only way to reprogram ENIAC was by rewiring it. Several developers of ENIAC saw its problems. They invented a way to for a computer to remember what they had told it, and a way to change what it remembered. This is known as "stored program architecture" or von Neumann architecture. John von Neumann talked about this design in the paper First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, distributed in 1945. A number of projects to develop computers based on the stored-program architecture started around this time. The first of these was completed in Great Britain. The first to be demonstrated working was the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM or "Baby"), while the EDSAC, completed a year after SSEM, was the first really useful computer that used the stored program design. Shortly afterwards, the machine originally described by von Neumann's paper--EDVAC--was completed but was not ready for two years. Nearly all modern computers use the stored-program architecture. It has become the main concept which defines a modern computer. The technologies used to build computers have changed since the 1940s, but many current computers still use the von-Neumann architecture. Microprocessors are miniaturized devices that often implement stored program CPUs. In the 1950s computers were built out of mostly vacuum tubes. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in the 1960s because they were smaller and cheaper. They also need less power and do not break down as much as vacuum tubes. In the 1970s, technologies were based on integrated circuits. Microprocessors, such as the Intel 4004 made computers smaller, cheaper, faster and more reliable. By the 1980s, microcontrollers became small and cheap enough to replace mechanical controls in things like washing machines. The 1980s also saw home computers and personal computers. With the evolution of the Internet, personal computers are becoming as common as the television and the telephone in the household. In 2005 Nokia started to call some of its mobile phones (the N-series) "multimedia computers" and after the launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007, many are now starting to add the smartphone category among "real" computers. In 2008, if smartphones are included in the numbers of computers in the world, the biggest computer maker by units sold, was no longer Hewlett-Packard, but rather Nokia.[source?] Kinds of computers There are many types of computers: personal computer mainframe laptop computer minicomputer supercomputer embedded system A "desktop computer" is a small machine that has a screen (which is not part of the computer). Most people keep them on top of a desk, which is why they are called "desktop computers." "Laptop computers" are computers small enough to fit on your lap. This makes them easy to carry around. Both laptops and desktops are called personal computers, because one person at a time uses them for things like playing music, surfing the web, or playing video games. There are bigger computers that many people at a time can use. These are called "Mainframes," and these computers do all the things that make things like the internet work. You can think of a personal computer like this: the personal computer is like your skin: you can see it, other people can see it, and through your skin you feel wind, water, air, and the rest of the world. A mainframe is more like your internal organs: you never see them, and you barely even think about them, but if they suddenly went missing, you would have some very big problems. An embedded computer, also called embedded system is a computer that does one thing and one thing only, and usually does it very well. For example, an alarm clock is an embedded computer: it tells the time. Unlike your personal computer, you cannot use your clock to play Tetris. Because of this, we say that embedded computers cannot be programmed, because you cannot install more programs on your clock. Some mobile phones, automatic teller machines, microwave ovens, CD players and cars are operated by embedded computers. All-in-one PC All-in-one computers are desktop computers that have all of the computer's inner mechanisms in the same case as the monitor. Apple has made several popular examples of all-in-one computers, such as the original Macintosh of the mid-1980s and the iMac of the late 1990s and 2000s. Common uses of home computers Playing computer games Writing Solving mathematics Looking for things on the Internet Watching TV and movies Listening to music Communicating with other people Downloading Sending e-mail Sorting Recording Calculating Editing (Video, Photo) Taking Pictures (photography) Drawing Common uses of work computers Word processing Spreadsheets PowerPoint Presentations Photo Editing (Photoshop, GIMP) Video editing/rendering/encoding Audio recording System Management Excel Working methods Computers store data and the instructions as numbers, because computers can do things with numbers very quickly. These data are stored as binary symbols (1s and 0s). A 1 or a 0 symbol stored by a computer is called a bit, which comes from the words binary digit. Computers can use many bits together to represent instructions and the data that these instructions use. A list of instructions is called a program and is stored on the computer's hard disk. Computers work through the program by using a central processing unit, and they use fast memory called RAM as a space to store the instructions and data while they are doing this. When the computer wants to store the results of the program for later, it uses the hard disk because things stored on a hard disk can still be remembered after the computer is turned off. An operating system tells the computer how to understand what jobs it has to do, how to do these jobs, and how to tell people the results. Millions of computers may be using the same operating system, while each computer can have its own application programs to do what its user needs. Using the same operating systems makes it easy to learn how to use computers for new things. A user who needs to use a computer for something different, can learn how to use a new application program. Some operating systems can have simple command lines or a fully user-frendly GUI. The Internet One of the most important jobs that computers do for people is helping with communication. Communication is how people share information. Computers have helped people move forward in science, medicine, business, and learning, because they let experts from anywhere in the world work with each other and share information. They also let other people communicate with each other, do their jobs almost anywhere, learn about almost anything, or share their opinions with each other. The Internet is the thing that lets people communicate between their computers. Computers and waste A computer is now almost always an electronic device. It usually contains materials that will become electronic waste when discarded When a new Cloud Ninjas social links computer is bought in some places, laws require that the cost of its waste management must also be paid for. This is called product stewardship. Computers can become obsolete quickly, depending on what programs the user runs. Very often, they are thrown away within two or three years, because newer programs require a more powerful computer. This makes the problem worse, so computer recycling happens a lot. Many projects try to send working computers to developing nations so they can be re-used and will not become waste as quickly, as most people do not need to run new programs. Some computer parts, such as hard drives, can break easily. When these parts end up in the landfill, they can put poisonous chemicals like lead into the ground water. Hard drives can also contain secret information like credit card numbers. If the hard drive is not erased before being thrown away, an identity thief can get the information from the hard drive, even if the drive doesn't work, and use it to steal money from the previous owner's bank account. Main hardware Computers come in different forms, but most of them have a common design. All computers have a CPU. All computers have some kind of data bus which lets them get inputs or output things to the environment. All computers have some form of memory. These are usually chips (integrated circuits) which can hold information. Many computers have some kind of sensors, which lets them get input from their environment. Many computers have some kind of display device, which lets them show output. They may also have other peripheral devices connected. A computer has several main parts. When comparing a computer to a human body, the CPU is like a brain. It does most of the 'thinking' and tells the rest of the computer how to work. The CPU is on the Motherboard, which is like the skeleton. It provides the basis for where the other parts go, and carries the nerves that connect them to each other and the CPU. The motherboard is connected to a power supply, which provides electricity to the entire computer. The various drives (CD drive, floppy drive, and on many newer computers, USB flash drive) act like eyes, ears, and fingers, and allow the computer to read different types of storage, in the same way that a human can read different types of books. The hard drive is like a human's memory, and keeps track of all the data stored on the computer. Most computers have a sound card or another method of making sound, which is like vocal cords, or a voice box. Connected to the sound card are speakers, which are like a mouth, and are where the sound comes out. Computers might also have a graphics card, which helps the computer to create visual effects, such as 3D environments, or more realistic colors, and more powerful graphics cards can make more realistic or more advanced images, in the same way a well trained artist can. Largest Computer Companies Company name Sales (US$ billion) Apple 220,000 Samsung 212,680 Foxconn 132,070 HP (Hewlett-Packard) 112,300 IBM 99,750 Hitachi 87,510 Microsoft 86,830 Amazon 74,450 Sony 72,340 Panasonic 70,830 59,820 Dell 56,940 Toshiba 56,200 LG 54,750 Intel 52,700 References ? "Heron of Alexandria". http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/HeronAlexandria2.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-15. ? 2.02.1 Ancient Discoveries, Episode 11: Ancient Robots, History Channel, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxjbaQl0ad8, retrieved 2008-09-06 ? Howard R. Turner (1997), Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction, p. 184, University of Texas Press, ISBN 0-292-78149-0 ? Donald Routledge Hill, "Mechanical Engineering in the Medieval Near East", Scientific American, May 1991, pp. 64-9 (compare Donald Routledge Hill, Mechanical Engineering) ? Fuegi & Francis 2003, pp. 16-26. ? Phillips, Ana Lena (November-December 2011). "Crowdsourcing gender equity: Ada lovelace day, and its companion website, aims to raise the profile of women in science and technology". American Scientist 99 (6): 463. ? "Ada Lovelace honoured by Google doodle", The Guardian, 2012 Dec 10, http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/10/ada-lovelace-honoured-google-doodle, retrieved 10 December 2012. ? Don't confuse the Analytical Engine with Babbage's difference engine which was a non-programmable mechanical calculator. a Kempf, Kar (1961). "Historical Monograph: Electronic Computers Within the Ordnance Corps". Aberdeen Proving Ground (United States Army). a Phillips, Tony (2000). "The Antikythera Mechanism I". American Mathematical Society. http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/whatsnew/column/antikytheraI-0400/kyth1.html. Retrieved 2006-04-05. a Shannon, Claude Elwood (1940). "A symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. a Digital Equipment Corporation (1972) (PDF). PDP-11/40 Processor Handbook. Maynard, MA: Digital Equipment Corporation. http://bitsavers.vt100.net/dec/www.computer.museum.uq.edu.au_mirror/D-09-30_PDP11-40_Processor_Handbook.pdf. a Verma, G.; Mielke, N. (1988). "Reliability performance of ETOX based flash memories". IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium. a Meuer, Hans; Strohmaier, Erich; Simon, Horst; Dongarra, Jack (2006-11-13). "Architectures Share Over Time". TOP500. http://www.top500.org/lists/2006/11/overtime/Architectures. Retrieved 2006-11-27. Stokes, Jon (2007). Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture. San Francisco: No Starch Press. ISBN978-1-59327-104-6. Other websites Computer -Citizendium Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer&oldid=5698994" https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX is taking recycling to a whole new realm -- all the way to orbit.
On this week's supply run to the International Space Station, SpaceX will launch a Dragon capsule that's already traveled there. The milestone comes just two months after the launch of its first reused rocket booster. This particular Dragon flew to the station in 2014. SpaceX refurbished it for Thursday's launch. The company says it's always reused Dragon parts, but never to this extent. Most of this Dragon has already been to space, including the welded frame. It will carry 6,000 pounds of cargo, including mice and flies for medical research. While the Falcon booster is new, SpaceX will attempt to land Cloud Ninjas social links it at Cape Canaveral, Florida, following liftoff so it, too, can be reused. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/31/spacex-taking-recycling-all-way-to-orbit-for-nasa.html Students usually go in circles when it comes to write a technology essay, if you are given the topic for writing technology essay then you must also be given a proper guideline which will be consisting of the format, length and audience of the information and technology essay but if you haven't assigned the topic then you have to keep to consider many things before deciding the topic for technology essays, following is a brief guideline which will tell you about how to start your essays about science and technology.
First step: How to select a topic? The selection of the topic should be based on your interest because it is very important that you maintain your interest throughout the technology essays writing. Science and technology is itself a boring topic, this, selecting a topic of your interest will help you write the essay with ease. Second step: Determine the purpose of writing Purpose of writing is directly associated with the thesis statement writing, so first develop a theme or idea and then come to the thesis statement of the technology essays. Third step: Writing a thesis statement: A thesis statement is the backbone of essay writing so make sure it is well-written, well-defined and complete. You can either write many thesis statements or choose the most pertinent one here. Following is a sample thesis statement for information technology essay. "The technology advancement has provided us the greatest opportunity to keep contacts with those long distance contacts" Fourth step: Writing a topic sentence Topic sentence help support the introductory paragraph just like introductory paragraph support the thesis statement. You topic sentence should be ideally in the introduction and at the starting of every paragraph that will https://about.me/cloudninjas also show the subject matter of the paragraph. Therefore, make sure the topic sentence is crafted well enough to engage the reader in the essay. For example; if we take the above told thesis statement then the topic sentence would be something like this "With the drastic improvement in the means of communications via internet and cell phones we can say that technology has contributed a lot in communication" Fifth step: Utilizing a transitional sentence: The introductory paragraph is incomplete without a transitional hook; make sure you are including it in the introductory paragraph. Transitional hooks are used in the end of the introduction to make it more appealing. Transitional sentences or words are used to connect different paragraphs with each other, utilizing a transitional sentence, here would connect the introductory paragraph to the body of the technology essay. These sentences are also used in the body paragraphs to connect them with each other. Hence, you must go through the preceding guide if you want to come up with a good piece of writing, writing a technology essay isn't that difficult as it seems to be, most probable reason for this is that often students opt for the topics that isn't of their interest, therefore, they don't pay much attention to the details and end up with very low grades in their essay exams. Author's Bio: Sam Collier is a senior research writer and provide help for technology essays and information technology essay.Feel free to contact for any sort of help in this regard. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/how-to-write-technology-essay-introduction Walmart CEO Doug McMillon touted the company's investments in people and technology, but also said the company may have reached an employment peak and urged employees not to be afraid of automation.
Speaking Friday at the annual shareholders' meeting, McMillon highlighted ideas Walmart has introduced or tested in the past year, like grocery pickup and technology that tracks food through the global supply chain. The company has also put money into its online operations, buying up several smaller retail sites as it seeks to compete better with Amazon. The gathering -- part pep rally, part music concert, and only briefly a business meeting -- comes as the retail industry has been challenged by shoppers moving online. McMillon and other executives also noted the company's investments in higher wages and training for its employees. "We will compete with technology, but win with people," McMillon told a cheering audience. He added that workers shouldn't fear increasing automation in the industry. "No doubt our work will be different in the future --robots, drones and algorithms will do some work that we used to have to do," he continued. "Some people are afraid of what these changes will bring. I don't think we should be. Instead, I think we should recognize that we'll be able to learn, grow and change together." A report conducted by the Cornerstone Capital Group commissioned by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute, says that 6 million to 7.5 million U.S. retail jobs could be wiped out in the coming years because of the use of technology. In a briefing with reporters, McMillon did suggest that the company may have reached an employment peak, with 1.6 million workers. "We may end up over time with fewer people, paying them more and have them use more technology," he said. But when or if that would happen is "to be determined." Walmart's moves to meld its online services with its battalion of 4,700 stores are gaining momentum. But executives told shareholders they shouldn't remain comfortable in a fiercely competitive world. The company's online sales surged as it tinkered with its shipping offers and other services, and drew more shoppers to its stores as well in its fiscal first quarter. The world's largest retailer has posted sales gains at established stores for the eleventh straight quarter, and customer traffic has risen for the tenth quarter in a row. The mood at the meeting was upbeat, despite the overall struggles of the retail industry. About 14,000 people packed the arena including Wal-Mart workers from around the world. Performers included Gwen Stefani and Mary J. Blige, while Blake Shelton served as host. McMillon cited the company's efforts to offer more shopping options, including automated pickup stations in some store parking lots, in-store pickup for online orders, and "Jet Fresh" delivery, which provides grocery delivery in 1-2 days and is available to about half of U.S. households. That service is a result of the company's acquisition last year of online retailer Jet.com. "The historic trade-off between price and service doesn't really exist anymore," McMillon said. With faster shipping a key area of competition, Walmart had announced on Thursday a delivery service using its own store employees, who will deliver packages ordered online while driving home from their regular work shifts. Walmart has invested $2.7 billion in higher wages and training for workers to lower turnover and make the shopping experience more appealing. The company has opened 155 training academies, located at Supercenters, and plans to have 200 by the end of this year. Roughly 100,000 associates have been trained. "I'm really excited about the environment that we're creating for people to learn," McMillon told reporters. The company spent more than $3 billion for Jet.com last year in its bid to lure younger and more affluent customers. With Jet.com founder Marc Lore installed as head of Walmart's U.S. e-commerce operations, it bought ShoeBuy.com, outdoor gear seller and MooseJaw and trend clothing seller ModCloth. It's also implemented options like letting online shoppers pick up items at a store for a lower price, and revamped its shipping program to make it more competitive with Amazon's popular Prime plan. McMillon tweaked the online giant for calling its shipping "free," given that Prime members pay $99 a year for the benefit. "I don't think you should have to pay for free shipping," he said. Walmart's financial performance has stood out amid a largely gloomy environment for retailers. Its shares have risen 13 percent over the past year and are hovering close to $80. Still, amid the company chants and upbeat presentations, there were some signs of dissatisfaction. Two employees, speaking on shareholder proposals, called for Walmart to provide more hours for part-time workers and greater parental leave. The comments, both from members of the OUR Walmart worker group, prompted loud cheers from the employees. Janie Grice, a three-year Walmart employee from Marion, South Carolina, thanked the company for its wage increases, announced two years ago, which has boosted her pay from $7.25 an hour to $10 an hour. But "too many of us are still part-time," she said. "Too many of us have schedules and hours that change so frequently we can't plan our lives, or line up a second job." Carolyn Davis, an employee from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, urged the company to provide more parental leave. Salaried Walmart employees get 10 weeks of maternity leave. Full-time hourly workers get six to eight weeks of leave at half pay. "Investing in associates means that new parents are allowed time to bond with our children," Davis said. Jeff Gearhart, executive vice president of global governance, said that last year Walmart Get Social with Cloud Ninjas converted 150,000 part timers to full-time work. And 200,000 were promoted to positions of greater pay or more responsibility. ------ D'Innocenzio reported from New York. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/walmart-traditional-retailing-roots-competitive-advantage-47794226 More and more senior citizen are are showing interest in the computer bug and taking the decisition to use the magic box. The active baby boomers have grown up and become active seniors looking to get out and discover the cyber world around them. The Internet and computers for seniors in general, have opened the doors to many ways of entertainment and excitement for these seniors. No longer are they resigned to the playing of shuffleboard or canasta with their friends for their entertainment. Now with the aid of computers for seniors programs and the Internet they can play these games and more over online connections with people from all over the world. While learning to use a computer for seniors programs is still one of the biggest tests to many seniors, many of them, after they learn to use a computer, can not think that they were ever worried about it at all .
Some seniors have expressed nervousness when it comes to learning how to to make use of a computer program and interact with others over the Internet. They are twice as much proud when they cannot only learn to use a computer but can also manage to send emails and use computer for seniors programs without any outside help at all. While several seniors may have had some experience with computers in their previous employment, nearly all are learning the basics of computer use for the first time from the ground up. It is quite an ordeal at first for many people who find it all a bit overwhelming. This rapidly passes though , as they learn the basics very fast and can see basic results after only a few lessons. Computer use among seniors has proven to be very helpful to them in many ways. It gets them dynamic again in something. While using a computer is Cloud Ninjas not the same thing as doing exercise for the body, the use of a computer for seniors programs is a very stimulating way for them to practice their most important muscle , their brain. By keeping mentally active, many senior citizen find that they are not lonsome any longer and they have much more that they can obtain with the aid of a computer for seniors . Not only can they use computer programs to help them to get busy on any hobbies they have, but the Internet can also help them to remain in touch with others who share in their hobby. Staying in touch with family and friends by way of email is another great way to help seniors feel connected with the lives of others and to the world around them. By staying in close contact, they find more interest in their old age. Some seniors even become proficient enough with their computer usage that they can take on part time jobs doing simple data entry for businesses. They can also help to teach other seniors about the benefits of learning to use a computer , and computer programs and the astonishing world of the Internet. Many seniors may have only heard about the millions of web sites out there that have so much information that they can access easily. For a lot of seniors it is like turning on a light that shows them what they have been missing all these years. They become passionate about their search for knowledge with computers on the Internet. The feeling of isolation is immediately lifted on the first time they send and receive their initial email message to someone they know. Whether the person is across the country or just across the street, the excitement is the same. They soon learn to feel part of the world again and can take part in many more conversations as their knowledge about computers and the Internet grows. Being able to reconnect with old friends that they have not talked to for years is a big deal for these seniors. They can also encourage each other to learn more as they go through many of the same things together while learning about computers and the Internet. Many seniors with hearing difficulties find it much easier to email someone rather than try and talk to them on the telephone. Seniors who are grandparents find the Internet a great way to stay a part of their grandkids lives. By sending emails and talking over everyday events, the family grows closer and stays closer as well. By using the Internet, many seniors have found friends with common interests, whether those interests are hobbies or health matters they share, the excitement at being able to message someone and have them chat back to you in nearly real time is very fun for these seniors . As a conclusion we can say that computers for seniors is now a must ! By: Joe Golz Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com The author is the owner of Senior Help and Elder Care Web Site. The author is retired From a communication company , and enjoyes writing articles.For more information on help to seniors , visit the web site www.the-seniorhelp.com http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Computer-for-seniors/799580 |