Did you know that about 80 percent of the US population owns a computer? Computer news is relevant to most people, not just tech heads. Here are the four biggest updates from computer articles this week.
1. The Cheapest Computer in the World
The most inexpensive computer, known as the raspberry Pi, is just 25 dollars. It has sold about 1.5 million units over the past year and a half. Tech review sites say that the device is a simple one that has a credit card sized circuit board and no keyboard or screen, and it was designed to be a tool for children to learn computer coding. Most of the sales, however, have gone to tech enthusiasts who, as PC mag reviews point out, can use it in way unique ways, like to run a robot that can tell you the weather and make coffee.
2. How Smart is Your Computer?
Researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered through testing that computers are now as intelligent as the average four year old. This does not mean your four year old is capable of figuring out what 4,500 times 2,506 is in less than a second. Articles on computers say that the tests, instead, measure using IQ assessments, seeing how well computers understand vocabulary, grammar, and other components that are measured to determine intelligence.
3. Selling Computer Code Flaws to Willing Buyers
Several computer articles noted the uptick in the sale of zero days, which are software coding flaws that get their name from the number of days the user of the system has to fix the issues. Many companies like Microsoft and Apple, as well as governments, will actually pay hackers to inform them of flaws, since they can fix the issues before other individuals use the flaw to exploit their information. These flaws can sell for tens of thousands of dollars each.
4. Using Computers to Test for Health Problems
Preliminary research has indicated that changes in home computer usage can be an early sign of MCI, or mild cognitive impairment, in older computer users. In the associated study, articles about computers noted that there was a decline in how frequently the patients who developed MCI used their computers.