A symposium and celebration was held at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, in November 1996, to recognize and commemorate seminal Army contributions to the birth and development of modern computing. Primarily inspired by the 50th anniversary of the invention of the world's first general purpose electronic computer (the ENIAC), this two-day event also celebrated the dedication at APG of significant new computational resources provided by the Office of Secretary of Defense. On this occasion, scores of computing pioneers gathered at APG to reminisce about the accomplishments that stemmed from the Army's computation needs during World War II in particular, the need for the fi ring and bombing tables that were essential for accurate targeting of ground- and air-delivered ordnance.

Birthing the Computer: From Relays to Vacuum Tubes is the first in a multi-volume series on historical computing machines. This series will span the development of computer systems from the Zuse machines of the early 1930s to about 1995 when microprocessors began to be commoditized. Each volume will focus on a range of technologies, or a class of machines or a particular vendor, and will describe the hardware of the machines and its peripherals, the operating system and system software, and its influence upon programming languages. This volume begins with the Zuse machines which were constructed from relays, but contained the basic elements of a computer system, namely input, computing engine, and output. Early machines from Atanasoff and Berry, Aiken, Stibitz, and IBM are described. The transition from relays to vacuum tubes increased speed and performance significantly, and led to the first true computers in ENIAC, EDSAC, and EDVAC which used paper tape and Williams tubes for I/O and storage. These machines were built by universities. Several early machines were purpose built such as Colossus and BINAC, and created with government support and industrial know-how. By the mid-to-late ‘50s, computing machines were being built by universities (the SSEM, Whirlwind, and IAS machines), governments (the NBS SEAC and SWAC, and several other machines), and industry (the UNIVAC series and the English Electric DEUCE). Most of these machines were constructed using the von Neumann architecture, and represent an evolution of thinking in how computing machines were to operate along with some innovative ideas in software and programming languages. By the end of the 1950s, the design, development, programming and use of computing machines were in full ferment as many new ideas were proposed, many different machines were designed and some were constructed. Computing machines became a commercial enterprise. Governments receded from building machines to levying requirements and funding construction, while universities continued to explore new architectures, new operating systems, and new programming languages.

The quantum computer is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Pioneering physicists are on the brink of unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers - which, like Schrödinger's famous "dead and alive" cat, rely on entities like electrons, photons, or atoms existing in two states at the same time - is set to turn the computing world on its head. In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology, and featuring a new introduction, John Gribbin explores the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where "everything is real." Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications - from machines which learn through "intuition" and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to create a world where communication occurs faster than light and teleportation is possible. This is an exciting insider's look at the new frontier of computer science and its revolutionary implications.

Documents the innovations of a group of eccentric geniuses who developed computer code in the mid-20th century as part of mathematician Alan Turin's theoretical universal machine idea, exploring how their ideas led to such developments as digital television, modern genetics and the hydrogen bomb.

An electrifying biography of one of the most extraordinary scientists of the twentieth century and the world he made. The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating spacecrafts. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable, yet largely overlooked, man: John von Neumann. Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. A child prodigy, he mastered calculus by the age of eight, and in high school made lasting contributions to mathematics. In Germany, where he helped lay the foundations of quantum mechanics, and later at Princeton, von Neumann’s colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet—bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the design of the atom bomb; he helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory; he created the first ever programmable digital computer; he prophesized the potential of nanotechnology; and, from his deathbed, he expounded on the limits of brains and computers—and how they might be overcome. Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through a stunningly diverse array of fields, sparking revolutions wherever he went. The Man from the Future is an insightful and thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

Cloud Storage Security: A Practical Guide introduces and discusses the risks associated with cloud-based data storage from a security and privacy perspective. Gain an in-depth understanding of the risks and benefits of cloud storage illustrated using a Use-Case methodology. The authors also provide a checklist that enables the user, as well as the enterprise practitioner to evaluate what security and privacy issues need to be considered when using the cloud to store personal and sensitive information. - Describes the history and the evolving nature of cloud storage and security - Explores the threats to privacy and security when using free social media applications that use cloud storage - Covers legal issues and laws that govern privacy, compliance, and legal responsibility for enterprise users - Provides guidelines and a security checklist for selecting a cloud-storage service provider - Includes case studies and best practices for securing data in the cloud - Discusses the future of cloud computing

Discover a fascinating look into the lives of six historic trailblazers in this World War II-era story of the American women who programmed the world's first modern computer. After the end of World War II, the race for technological supremacy sped on. Top-secret research into ballistics and computing, begun during the war to aid those on the front lines, continued across the United States as engineers and programmers rushed to complete their confidential assignments. Among them were six pioneering women, tasked with figuring out how to program the world's first general-purpose, programmable, all-electronic computer—better known as the ENIAC—even though there were no instruction codes or programming languages in existence. While most students of computer history are aware of this innovative machine, the great contributions of the women who programmed it were never told—until now. Over the course of a decade, Kathy Kleiman met with four of the original six ENIAC Programmers and recorded extensive interviews with the women about their work. Proving Ground restores these women to their rightful place as technological revolutionaries. As the tech world continues to struggle with gender imbalance and its far-reaching consequences, the story of the ENIAC Programmers' groundbreaking work is more urgently necessary than ever before, and Proving Ground is the celebration they deserve.

This work explores the conception, design, construction, use, and afterlife of ENIAC, the first general purpose digital electronic computer.

​This broad-ranging text/reference presents a fascinating review of the state of the art of modeling and simulation, highlighting both the seminal work of preeminent authorities and exciting developments from promising young researchers in the field. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), the premier international forum for disseminating recent advances in the field of system simulation, the book showcases the historical importance of this influential conference while also looking forward to a bright future for the simulation community. Topics and features: examines the challenge of constructing valid and efficient models, emphasizing the benefits of the process of simulation modeling; discusses model calibration, input model risk, and approaches to validating emergent behaviors in large-scale complex systems with non-linear interactions; reviews the evolution of simulation languages, and the history of the Time Warp algorithm; offers a focus on the design and analysis of simulation experiments under various goals, and describes how data can be “farmed” to support decision making; provides a comprehensive overview of Bayesian belief models for simulation-based decision making, and introduces a model for ranking and selection in cloud computing; highlights how input model uncertainty impacts simulation optimization, and proposes an approach to quantify and control the impact of input model risk; surveys the applications of simulation in semiconductor manufacturing, in social and behavioral modeling, and in military planning and training; presents data analysis on the publications from the Winter Simulation Conference, offering a big-data perspective on the significant impact of the conference. This informative and inspiring volume will appeal to all academics and professionals interested in computational and mathematical modeling and simulation, as well as to graduate students on the path to form the next generation of WSC pioneers.