Things we can do on the computer

Living with computers

Computers: friend...

People who have grown up with PCs and microchips are often called the digital generation. This is how some people answered when questioned about the use of computers in their lives.

“I have a GPS. Global Positioning System, fitted in my car. With this navigation system I never get lost. And the DVD recorder is perfect for my children s entertainment.”

“I use an interactive whiteboard, like a large touchscreen monitor, at school I find computers very useful in education.”

“Assistive technology- for people with disabilities, has helped me a lot I can hardly see, so I use a screen reader, a program that reads aloud on screen text, menus and icons.”

“This new HMD, head-mounted display, allows me to watch films, and enjoy virtual reality, the artificial environment of the latest video games”

“The upgraded wireless network at my university is great we can conned our laptops, PDAs and Wi-Fi cell phones to the network anywhere in the compus. Communication is becoming easier and easier.”

Or foe?

■ Our society has developed technological dependence. When computers are down, our way of life breaks down: planes stop flying, telephones don't work, banks have to close.

■ Computers produce electronic waste, plastic cases and microchips that are not biodegradable and have to be recycled or just thrown away.

■ They are responsible for health problems, e.g. computer addiction, an inappropriate and excessive use of computers.

■ Cybercrime, crime committed with the help of computers, is creating serious problems.

• Citizens may feel a loss of privacy because of unauthorized use of personal data or receiving unwanted electronic messages.

Things we can do on the computer

A secretary: “I use computers to do the usual office things like write letters and faxes, bur what I find really useful is email. We are an international company and I send emails to our offices all over the world.”

A publisher: “We use PCs to produce all sorts of texts in digital format. We publish e-books (electronic books) and interactive e-learning programs on CD, and we help a local company to design an online newspaper, displayed on the Web.”

A bank manager: “We use financial software to make calculations and then generate graphs or charts. We also use a database to store information so that it can be easily searched.”

A home user: “I like to retouch photos on my computer; I improve them by making a few touches and then save them on a CD. I also enjoy looking at music portals on the Web. I surf the Web every day and I often download files, I copy music files from the Net to my PC.”

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