A/D converter ('ADC'),Analog to digital converter. A device that encodes an analog signal into a series of digital numeric values for processing by a computer. In the case of audio, each value represents the amount of signal present at a particular moment. See also- Sample Rate
Algorithm,The process by which a computer works to solve a particular problem.
Aliasing,Distortion created by the conversion of analog signals into digital form. In audio, the distortion takes the form of unwanted noise and harmonics. In graphic images, a common form of aliasing is the stairstep edge found on type and diagonal lines, often referred to as the 'jaggies'. Aliasing results from not having enough resolution to cleanly represent media as the human eye and ear expects.
Analog, From the word "analogous," analog refers to data that is represented by a method resembling its original form. For example, an analog phone signal is the essential equivalent of the original voice data entering the phone receiver. Digital data, on the other hand, involves converting the signal to a series of ones and zeros that can be understood by computers.
Anti-Aliasing,Refers to methods used for minimizing the perceived distortion caused by aliasing. In graphics, anti-aliasing uses gradual blends between foreground colors and background colors to minimize the appearance of the 'jaggies'.
ASCII,American Standard Code for Information Exchange. ASCII is a standardized system for encoding characters, numbers, punctuation, and other special symbols into digital form for use in computers.
Backup,Backups are copies of original data, including both software programs and user files, to ensure against losing the originals. Backups are important for having the ability to manage large amounts of data that are constantly changing, re-use original data at a later time, to restore operation of systems that lose data when they fail, and many other purposes.
Binary,A numbering system that uses only two digits, 0 and 1, for representing all numbers. Binary is used internally in computers because the electrical circuits they are made of adapt well to a dual state (0 implies 'off' or grounded electrical state; 1 implies 'on' or positive electrical state) numbering system. End users rarely have to deal with binary, however, since computer software generally translates these codes into more familiar and convenient terms, such as decimal numbering and standard language character sets (English, Arabic, Japanese, etc.).
Bit,Abbreviation for the amount of data associated with a binary digit. Can have either the value 0 or 1. In performance and capacity terminology, bits are represented by a lower-case 'b' in terms such as Kb (Kilobits) or Mb (Megabits).
Bitmap,A graphic display method where an area of memory is used to represent pixels or groups of pixels on the screen.
Build,The process of revealing elements of a presentation screen such as bullet points or illustrations one at a time to complete the screen. Builds can use different transition techniques and can be triggered either by the user or by the computer. Builds help to focus your audience on the current topic of the presentation by only revealing information as it is discussed in the delivery.
Byte,A binary number consisting of 8 total bits. Can represent numbers from 0 to 255 decimal. In performance and capacity terminology, bytes are represented by an upper-case 'B' in terms such as KB (Kilobytes) or MB (Megabytes).
CD-ROM,Compact-Disc Read-only Memory. A laser-based, removable storage medium for computers that is capable of storing up to 680 megabytes of data. Originally successful as a replacement for phonograph records and audio tapes, CD-ROM has become a standard way of delivering full multimedia content in a world where computers are rapidly becoming a standard audio-visual device in homes and business.
Color Depth, The number of colors displayed by your computer monitor. Color depth is a function of your video card and the software video driver that is currently running. Typical computers run monochrome, 16 color, 256 color, 64K and true color. True color is also referred to as 24 bit color.
CPU,Central Processing Unit. This is the central operating component of computers, where programs are executed and data is processed. It is connected by other circuitry to control, input/output (I/O), and data storage devices such as hard drives, modem cards, RAM, ROM, CRTs, keyboards, mice, etc.
CRT,Cathode Ray Tube. Also referred to as monitors or screens, CRTs are a dominant form of display technology used for controlling computers and observing the results. Basically the same technology is used in both computer monitors and television sets.
Cut and Paste,Refers to standard capability of modern computer systems to remove data, and place it in a different location under user control.
DAC,Digital-to-analog converter. This type of circuit accepts a digital data stream and converts it into analog voltages as an output. Used, for example, in converting digital audio data into the voltages that can drive speakers to produce audible sound.
Data Rate,The amount of data flowing through a given data pipeline, often referred to as a bus, usually stated in seconds. For example, the data rate for a typical doublespin computer CD drive is 300kbs or 300,000 bits per second.
Database,A collection of related computer data that is organized for convenient retrieval according to specific need. Can be something as simple as a collection of data files organized in a directory, or as complex as a large client-server system consisting of multiple computers communicating across networks to provide sophisticated search and access capabilities.
Digital,The composition of numbers, words sounds or pictures on a computer. Digital data is completely composed of a series of ones and zeros. Through a process unfathomable to mere mortals, computers can take these ones and zeros and make them look like Van Goghs or sound like Stravinsky.
Dithering,The use of varied colors and patterns of dots to create a variety of gray scale or color shades on the computer display.
Event,In presentations, an event is an occurrence either caused by the presenter or the equipment s/he is using. A presenter caused event might be a mouse click or shoving the computer off the table. A computer caused event could be to display an animation when a certain time has passed or to crash during a transition, thus embarrassing the presenter (See Assembly Lecture).
Fractals,A method of describing images that arises out of chaos theory. Fractals are used to create realistic texturing or natural scenery (See Media Acquisition and Creation Exhibit).
Graphing - Bitmap,The representation of an image resulting from the combination of individual pixels. Bitmap graphics are typically used for higher quality pictures and displays. Unlike vector graphics, their size cannot be altered without some distortion and they are typically larger and slower to display (See media Acquisition and Creation Exhibit).
Graphing - Vector,The representation or an image or object as the result of a mathematical formula. Vector graphics are superior for graphing and for the drawing of geometrical objects such as squares. Since the computer displays only a mathematical equation, they are relatively small, can be easily resized and display quickly (See media Acquisition and Creation Exhibit).
Jaggies,See aliasing, anti-aliasing
Memory,Think of memory as what you keep in your head. The computer too can keep things in its head. The computer's head is measured in megabytes (MB) of RAM (Random Access Memory). If you're reading this definition then your computer probably has at least eight MB of RAM. Most computers these days come with four or more MB of RAM. Unlike you, the computer forgets everything it ever learned when it goes to sleep. Thus every time you wake your computer (turn it on), it has to go to its library and read its books. These books are called disk storage. This is just one of the many reasons that humans are actually superior to computers.
MIDI,Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A protocol for communication between computers and musical instruments.
Monochrome,A video display technology in which one background and one foreground color are used to display data or graphics. Monochrome is used on older computers or on non-color laptops.
Morphing,The process of transforming one object into another through a series of transitions. Unlike the widely abused drug of the late sixties, today's morphing technology is both healthy and perfectly legal (See Media Acquisition and Creation Exhibit).
Motherboard,The motherboard is the main circuit board in your computer. Motherboards hold the CPU, various circuitry for running the computer and system memory. Motherboards typically also have five or more "slots." These slots are basically sockets that other computer devices can be plugged into such as modems, drive controllers, network cards and video cards.
Multimedia Database,A multimedia database allows you to store and access multimedia files such as sounds, videos or pictures (See Digital Media Management Exhibit).
Multimedia,Multimedia is the blending of video, sound, text and graphics to create a rich, rewarding computer interface. At least that's the potential.
Object,In presentations, a sound, animation, video, graph, drawing. An object can be typically moved or manipulated and often is triggered by an event. For example, a video object might play 10 seconds after the presenter clicks his mouse to bring up a new slide (See Assembly Lecture).
Palette,The total range of colors available for display by the computer.
Presentations - Electronic,Any presentation delivered off the computer or through modern electronic presentation display equipment such as LCD panels or projectors (See Keynote Lecture).
Presentations - Linear,A presentation in which all slides or screens proceed in a pre-determined order with no variation from beginning to end.
Presentations - Non-Linear,A presentation in which branching is incorporated to allow flexibility in running the presentation or answering questions. A basic presentation might, for example, have a short series of screens that only get shown to engineers (See Content Development Lecture).
Rendering,(See Wireframe) In computer graphics, the process of adding texture, color and light to an object whose shape has been previously defined. In food production, the process of boiling down a mammal, bird or fish into some basic substance such as a bullion cube. Go figure.
Sampling,Remember how digital data is a representation of real world data? Well, it isn't really an exact representation, but it can come darned close. How close it comes depends on the sampling rate. In sound, for example, the more often the analog sound is recorded digitally, the closer the computer or digital representation will be to the original sound. The down side is that more frequent sampling requires the recording of more data meaning that the representation will take up more space and need a faster computer to play. Sampling is typically measured in the number of samples per second (See Media Acquisition and Creation Exhibit).
Scanner,A device used to take a picture or text and convert it into computer form. This is another example of analog to digital conversion. Scanners typically convert anything scanned into a computer bitmapped image although some modern scanners can convert paper text into computer readable text files.
Screen Resolution,The ability of a screen to quit smoking, stay on a diet or remain faithful to his spouse. No really, screen resolution is the number of pixels on the screen, typically defined as a width by height measurement. Typical screen resolution settings are 640 X 480, 800 X 600 or 1024 X 768.
Storage - Disk,Typically, personal computers store permanent information on disks. Disk storage is typically fixed, as in a hard drive, or removable, as in cartridge drives or floppies. These days, hard disks can store massive amounts of information. This information is written to the disk platter by magnetic read-write heads. Unlike RAM memory, this information stays on the computer even when the power is shut off.
Storyboard,Storyboards are rough picture and text outlines of a concept that will be later executed in print, graphics, audio or video. A typical storyboard might have sketched picture frames along the left-hand column while the right-hand column has text or scripts for the particular sequence. By using storyboards, presenters and multimedia producers can portray ideas inexpensively before executing in a more expensive media.
SVGA,Super Variable Graphics Array - A DOS and Windows-based display standard that supports high color and screen resolution.
Transition,In presentations a transition is the method used to display new screens, pictures or text information. Transitions can be used to add sizzle to your presentation. All current computer-based presentation packages include some transitions. Typical transition styles include fades, wipes, fly in and blinds.
Upstaging,The act of imposing something between the audience and the presenter or the presentation screen. A presenter can upstage her presentation by walking in front of the presentation screen while talking. She may also upstage herself by placing part of her body between the audience and her face. Placing one's foot in one's mouth is a typical example of upstaging (See Delivery Lecture).
VGA,Variable Graphics Array - A DOS and Windows-based standard for computer displays. VGA supports 16 colors and screen resolution of 640X480.
Video Driver,The software used to display information or graphics on the computer screen. Actual display capabilities are a combination of the monitor, the video board and the video driver. It is the video driver that is used to switch both color depth and screen resolution. Some video drivers can also accelerate the display of graphics. Windows comes with several standard video drivers including ones for VGA and SVGA. Add-on video boards usually come with their own custom video drivers.
Wireframe,A structural model used to define a three dimensional space or object on the computer. With most high-end graphics packages, an object will be wireframed before detail such as textures, objects and lighting are added (See Media Acquisition and Creation Exhibit).
