Making Wise the Simple by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC There has been a lot of - shall we say - less than accurate information regarding computers and what they are and are not capable of doing - a lot of media hype regarding AI or artificial intelligence. By itself, AI is not capable of taking over the world, but like most things, it can be used for good or evil objectives. On this note, I’m going to attempt to explain how computers work in the most basic terms and why there is little to fear when it comes to computers controlling our lives. Internally, computer operation is incredibly simple. Computers perform a series of very simple functions (called executing instructions); and while they are very fast, each function is very simple. As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the smallest unit of information is the BIT. One bit has two possible states - zero (0) or one (1). To determine the status of the bit, one uses a voltmeter to measure the voltage of the bit. If one reads zero volts, the bit is a “logic zero” (also called CLEAR). If one reads the system voltage (usually anywhere between 1.8 and 5.5 volts), the bit is a “logic 1” (also called SET). These bits are organized and numbered so we can find them. Usually, bits are organized into BYTES. One byte is eight bits. This is called MEMORY. When one WRITEs to the byte (execute a write command/instruction), the bits are SET or CLEARED. This is called computer CODING. The status of these bits is retained indefinitely with a very small amount of power (for volatile memory) and zero power for nonvolatile memory. One part of the microprocessor (computer “brain”) is called the CPU (central processing unit). A PROGRAM is written with instructions for the CPU. The CPU dutifully executes these instructions as directed by the program. Some of these instructions are add two values (bytes/numbers). Other instructions subtract one value from the other. Some instructions compare two values to see if they are equal. Some instructions direct the program execution to go to different parts of the program. There are also TEST instructions. In a common application, if one presses a key, that “key press” changes the input voltage from a 1 to a 0. The microprocessor will test for that condition and respond as the program directs it to. Again, these operations are very fast - hundreds of times per second. And you can’t see any of this. I often write test COMPUTER CODE that never makes it into the final product just to verify if my “main code” is indeed working right. That’s it in a nutshell. Of course, there are a lot of variations and a few exceptions like anything, but it is basically very simple. Have you ever seen rooms full of computer programmers frantically typing away on their machines on television? That’s a lot of garbage. The incorrect status of even one bit in the program can trash the entire operation, so computer programming is definitely an issue of quality and not quantity. I don’t know why the two Boeing 737 MAX airplanes suddenly went into a nose-down position crashing and killing all of their occupants, but it is possible an incorrect status of ONE BIT caused the problem. There are ways to mitigate this potential problem by, among other things, directing the program to perform repeated operations of critical functions so if one function is incorrect it doesn’t automatically take down everything else. Given the way microprocessors operate, minor changes in the computer code can make major changes in the computer operation. It doesn’t take much in terms of computer code to define and execute some very major and complex operations, yet most computer systems are designed to increase cost and complexity because it benefits the computer vendor at the expense of the computer user/customer. There are also certain things a computer simply cannot be satisfactorily programmed to handle. The program may work, but it doesn’t work well or doesn’t work under all conditions. In my opinion, if we cannot get the computer to work “first time, every time” under all conditions, we shouldn’t go there in the first place. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com AD AD COPIES for DISPLAY COPIES for DISPLAY and CLASSIFIED FOR JULY due JUNE 1st. 30 MAY 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource®
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