supercomputer picture

3 business articles

TiVo teams up with Cox

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6109246.html

TiVo and Cox are joining together their DVR (digital video recorder) systems. TiVo will customize its software and download it onto existing Cox DVR boxes, allowing Cox to deliver the TiVo service in Cox subscriber homes without replacing the existing DVR boxes. This new service is expected to launch in select Cox markets in 2007.
Last year, DirecTV said that it would stop marketing and selling TiVo DVRs to its satelite TV subscribers in 2007. Comcast has yet to announce a TiVo-enabled DVR, but it's expected to reach the market by the end of 2006.

Toyota puts eyes in back of drivers' heads

http://money.guardian.co.uk/businessnews/article/0,,1858275,00.html

A hi-tech safety device developed by Toyota pioneered the first system in the world to warn drivers of possible collisions from behind. A radar fitted in the rear bumper detects approaching vehicles and if a crash looks like it's about to happen, it alerts the driver by setting off hazard lights. Toyota also created and presented a safety feature which detects pedestrians and other objects ahead with a stereo camera. This camera works during the night and during the day. If the camera spots a pedestrian the seatbelt tightens as a signal to the driver to brake. If the driver does not break, the car slows down automatically.

Former Ford boss in Jaguar talks

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9067-2328687,00.html

Ford is considering a sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover brands to a group led by Jacques Nasser, the former chief of Ford. Ford is considering the sale of parts of its Premier Automotive Group. This is the part of its business which was created by Nasser to house its luxury brands including Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Aston Martin. The talks with Nasser are thought to have included the possibility of creating a joining of the companies instead of a complete sale of the brands. The two groups are said to have concentrated on the Jaguar and Land Rover brands but not the Volvo, its third major European brand. Ford has had many problems in recent months and said it would cut North American car production by 21 percent in the fourth quarter.

Chapter 1 Definitions

9:49 AM 8/24/2006

1. computer: an electronic device that accepts data, performs computations, and makes logical decisions.
2. general purpose computer: can be used for lmost any type of application
3. infoformation: data in a form that humans can understand and use
4. information/data processing: the process of sharing information between humans and computers.
5. Information Utilities: Businesses that use computers to store huge amounts of information, then make access to these computers and the stored information available for personal use.
6. Application Program: a program that instructs the computer to perform a specific, user-defined task.
7. computer system: a combination of hardware and software working together to acieve a common goal.
8. Hardware: tangible, physical equipment that can be seen and touched.
9. input: data that enters the computer.
10. input device: a hardware device which enables the computer to accept data.
11. Microminiaturization: the technological process that enables an entire microprocessor to occupy the space of a tinny chip.
12. output: useful information that leaves the computer.
13. output device: hardware device that reports processed information in a form that humans can understand.
14. processing: activity that takes place in the computer's processor, where detailed instructions tell the computer what should be done to the data in order to produce the desired information.
15. processor: a hardware device that processes data into meaningful information.
16. program: a series of detailed, step-by-step instructions that tell the computer what to do.
17. raw/original data: data fed into the computer for processing.
18. software: the intangible instructions that tell the computer what to do.
19. source documents: forms that become the source of the data entered into the computer.
20. storage device: a hardware device that permits storage of data.
21. system program: a program that controls the computer's circuitry and hardware devices.
22. information superhighway: the process of sharing information between humans and computers.
23. megahertz: internal clock speed of a computer measured in millionths of a second.
24. local area network (LAN): a communications network that covers a limited geographic area.
25. Internet: a physically structured network of computers around the world.

10:01 AM 8/24/2006+

Top 5 websites

1. google
2. myspace
3. facebook
4. ebay
5. blogger

How computers have affected business over the last decade.

Computers have revolutionized the business world as we know it. Since corpoorations have started using computers, they have become much more efficient, thus increasing their revenue. The advancement from dial-up to high speed internet has allowed not only companies, but their customers, to easily access information in a much shorter period of time.