And as it crossed the centerline of each subject .. math .. spelling .. grammar .. and other stuff .. it peaked at average or slightly above the center line for average on all subjects but one. This one was called 'abstract reasoning' .. the line went off the top end of the card, and did not return downward to the centerline until the next subject. Stands to reason. I love relating everything to absolutely everything! ' added a nearly continually developing large sense of humor, a good bunch of wits, and a huge dash of nerd .. And there you have it! A genuine bonafide Space Cadet!
So .. today I'm here to tell yah .. the stuff I know about space ...
To refresh a tiny bit .. remember, in the previous post, RAM is your computer's memory, not the same as your computer's storage space.
Some folks may still have computers that have an internal floppy drive. An old method of storage by today's standards. And not good for storing anything much larger than document or simple drawing or picture files, due to the very limited storage capacity of same. As well, the floppy disks were prone to loss of data due to being magnetic media of the weakest kind. When placed close to a monitor, or a phone, or a calculator, there was a very good chance that at least some of the files on that floppy would be at least partially damaged due to the larger magnetic field interfering with and distorting the smaller field.
So .. at some point, computers began shipping without floppy drives. They have been replaced by CD and/or DVD drives. As well, you still have your internal hard drive(s). Additionally, there are external hard drives in their own enclosures. And most recently, the newest handy widget for portable data storage .. most commonly referred to by 3 names .. jump drive, thumb drive, or the more technically accurate term .. flash drive.
Lotsa space, huh..? See .. I told you ...
But .. let's start with the storage space that's on the inside of your computer, and work our way out to the other types of data keepers.
1st .. you have the good ol' long-time workhorse .. your internal hard drive. (there's usually room for more than 1 internal hard drive inside your computer these days .. but for the purpose of this blog .. we'll just stick to the basics)
Your computer's internal hard drive is where your operating system (i.e. Windows, OSX, Linux, etc.), programs/applications, and files of all types are stored .. even when you turn your computer off and come back later, they'll still be there waiting for you to access them .. yank them out of their little folders and move them into RAM so you can do stuff with them. And then later save them back to the internal hard drive and turn things off and go to bed.
When considering buying a new computer, as well as considering the amount of RAM, you should also put some thought into what storage size or capacity you would like your internal hard drive to be. It's simple .. What do you want to do with your computer? Do you want to just check email and browse the internet? Or do you want to store large libraries of photos? Or do you want to kick it up another notch and work with digital video and store home movies? And, last but not least, will there be multiple users of this computer?
If you're just 1, or a party of 2, and your only interest is email, browsing, some music, and keeping just a moderately sized photo library .. then an internal hard drive of small to moderate size would be good. Say perhaps, something in the 160 to 240 Gigabyte range.
If you'll be wanting to build a large photo library, lots of music, and perhaps work with some digital video, then a drive more in the size range of 300 to 500 Gigabytes would seem to suffice.
And, if you're a regular die-hard digital video fanatic .. well then .. go for the gusto! You can now buy a computer that has 1 Terabyte of storage or more!
Uhh .. what's that..? Oh .. no .. Terabyte is not a Klingon, Vulcan, or Rigellian word. A Terabyte is equal to 1,000 Gigabytes. If Gigabytes are *billions* of bytes, then Terabytes are *trillions* of bytes. Now *that's* a LOT of bytes!
>>>>> PROGRAMMING NERD TRIVIA ALERT <<<<<
What is *half* a byte called..?
5 seconds . . . . .
<<<<>>>>
The answer is .. a 'nibble' (it's a joke .. oy!)
>>>>>> ATTENTION ... ALL CLEAR ... THE ALERT IS OVER <<<<<
Just a short break .. to help you stay awake!
Okay .. now, we proceed to the other 2 types of internal storage space .. CDs .. and DVDs.
Where the internal *hard drive* was still storing data in a magnetic form, The CDs and DVDs use a method of digital storage by using a laser to actually *burn* data to the two types of discs.
The CDs have a maximum storage size of 800 Megabytes. The DVDs come in either 4 or 8 Gigabyte storage capacity. And data, documents, photos, or home movies are saved to them using much the same data storage methods as in saving to the internal hard drive. Some computers come with a *specialized* application/program that is pre-installed. So you can save to CDs/DVDs by an easier, more human-oriented method.
CDs/DVDs are also ideal for what is known as 'archiving'. If you have a lot of documents, drawings, photos, movies, etc. that you are no longer using on a regular basis .. you should copy them from your internal hard drive to either CDs or DVDs .. and store them in a safe physical location that would be called your archives. After copying the data to CDs/DVDs, you can then delete the original files from your computer's internal hard drive to get back much-needed free space on the internal hard drive.
Because the more free space you have, the less cramped your computer will be to find room to store files. And more importantly, this will *extend* the life of the internal hard drive as a function of its not having to work so hard to find contiguous space. The easier and quicker your drive is able to work, the less it will heat up, and its useable life will be extended.
NIFTY NOTE >>> There is a new type of internal hard drive that is making its way into the computer market. It's a drive with no moving parts; a 'solid state' drive. Most recently, it has become available in the 32 and 64 Gigabyte sizes. The *BIG* advantage to this, is it reacts with much the same speed as your computer's RAM. Much faster than the older electro-mechanical internal hard drives. But the 2 main *disadvantages* currently of this new technology .. high price, and limited storage space. But if you can afford the price tag, and don't mind the low storage ceiling, I say go for it! ' wouldn't mind havin' one myself.
Next to last .. the *flash* drive. Also known as 'jump drive' and 'thumb drive'. These little gadgets are my absolute favorite method of portable storage. You just plug them into a USB port on your computer. They show up in your directory. And you copy stuff to or from them just like you would to your internal hard drive, or CD, or DVD. After you're done using them, you just pop them in your pocket or purse, and you're good to go! Simple, quick, and compact .. what's not to like..? And FYI .. the flash drive sizes I have seen are 250 Meg, 500 Meg, 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 4 Gig, 8 Gig, 16 Gig, 32 Gig, and I'm pretty sure I've seen 64 Gig recently.
And finally, external hard drives. Various storage sizes. Simple 'plug and play' interface; meaning .. hook up the accompanying USB or Firewire data cable .. hook up the power, turn it on, and in a few short moments, it should be available for access in your directory.
So .. that's plenty about space in this space!
Next week >>> The Internet Highway .. and .. *The Need for SPEED!*
(phone modems, dsl, and cable .. oh my!)
' til next time li'l Buckaroos!
ol' Doc CPU
''o))
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