Information Revolution (1982)

It's [Music] Today, an information revolution is changing dramatically the face of business and the fabric of society in the United States. This little piece of silicon is revolutionizing the way we live. This tiny chip is a complete complex sophisticated computer. And because of its size, we call it a micro computer. It can monitor events that range from the operations in an oil refinery to the water temperature in your dishwasher. It'll process information. It'll search its memory for data to match with it. It'll store new data. It'll make calculations. It'll feed back the information to an operator through a display. And it'll finally control the process for which it has been programmed. Communication satellites are helping to stimulate growth in global education and information sharing. As part of a projected $500 billion information industry across America and around the world, satellites are increasing the reliability of long-distance calls and worldwide coverage of news and sports events on home [Music] screens. The industrial revolution expanded the strength of man's muscles in the reach of his hand. The information revolution is magnifying the power of his brain, changing forever the way Americans work, play, travel, and even think. The first big electronic computer built in 1946 filled a 30x 50 ft room, contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, and weighed more than 30 tons. [Music] Newsreal audiences marveled at the stories of the mathematical wizardry of these magic brains. Computing the position of the moon over a 200-year period was one of the earliest examples of the new computer technology. Problems that once took the human mind 7 years to solve now were answered in just 7 minutes. Knowledge would double and double again in 30 [Music] years. Meanwhile, in 1962, the first global communication satellite called Telstar was built. The 170lb satellite was mounted on a Thor Delta rocket and then launched into space. President Kennedy's visit to West Berlin was the first major news event to be broadcast live by satellite from Europe to America. Soon satellites were touching the lives of almost every person on Earth. Meteorologists began receiving information from weather satellites that they could not get from any other source. The birth, growth, and path of tornadoes and other violent storms were plotted and tracked anywhere on the globe. Satellite maps provided data that could be recorded, stored, and punched up when needed for analysis and evaluation. Today, satellites and computers are revolutionizing the forecasting of weather and helping to save lives and reduce property damage from natural disasters. One day, perhaps meteorologists may have enough data and information to control the weather. [Music] Computers shrank in size and cost as transistors replaced vacuum tubes. In law enforcement, a computer-based system has been developed for reproducing fingerprints. The new system accelerates enormously the positive identification of any print on file. A manual search that once took up to a week can now be completed in hours. [Applause] The long arm of the law is getting longer and developing more muscle thanks to the information [Music] revolution. When a state trooper radios for information on a speeding car with outofstate license plates, a computerized crime information center in Washington DC confirms that the car has been stolen. [Music] Alerted to the possibility that the driver may be armed and dangerous, the state trooper can call for reinforcements and make the arrest with a minimum of [Music] risk. Computers also are a strategic link in a global network supplying vital defense information to American military bases around the world. The automatic digital network provides the input needed for an immediate response in a crisis situation. In 1976, two CommStar satellites were launched to increase still further the diversity, flexibility, and reliability of telecommunications. Like all communication satellites, their orbit was 22,300 mi above the equator. At this exact altitude, a satellite travels at the same rotational speed as the Earth and remains in a fixed position over a geographic area. This is called a geostationary orbit. [Music] Today, Comstar satellites weigh about 3,500 lb and are some 20 ft tall. Solar panels collect the sun's energy as the satellite keeps its antennas aimed directly at receiving stations on the ground. From its geostationary orbit, CommStar can relay messages and signals to any one of seven Earth stations. Each station is located in a bowl-like terrain to protect space signals from groundbased radio interference. Satellite communications and computer technology are moving into private homes to reach and serve even more people in more ways. Here, a travel writer with a home computer can tap into a commercial data bank over ordinary telephone lines. At his fingertips are thousands of items of information on a city, a country, or a [Music] continent. Similar hookups can be used to punch up information on airline schedules, department store merchandise, and current events. Distance and time are shrinking as commercial and cable television cover the [Music] world. There is hardly a major sports or news event anywhere in the world that cannot be seen live on commercial or cable television. [Music] The 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placet, New York, were transmitted via specially built satellite Earth Stations. 22,300 m up, 22,300 m down. A round trip of 44,600 m in 2100s or 1/5 of a [Music] second. Programming and information will grow as cable TV expands. In computer technology, silicon chips are today etched with circuits powerful enough to book seats on a jumbo jet, cut complex fabrics of cloth, and help children learn. The computers on a chip, called microprocessors, contain 100,000 transistors, yet they are smaller than the average fingernail. Len Penniston explains this powerful new technological tool, the micro computer, unlike the many advances that the space age spawned, didn't even exist until three years after man set foot on the moon. It was born out of the desire to further shrink the size of the computer. Now smaller size means fewer components and hence greater reliability and it means a large reduction in power requirements hence significant energy saved. The progression from the concept of the micro computer to the industrial usage to the impact on us the individual has really been startling and we measure it in months and not in years. Business, vacations, going away, coming home, a new society, people on the move, depending on the information revolution for a safe flight and a smooth landing. Flight controllers use computers to process radar information and update the identity, speed, and position of an aircraft in flight. translated into letters and numbers called alpha numeric. The data enables controllers to handle the tens of thousands of aircraft that fly hundreds of millions of miles a [Music] year. In the future, new computer systems will continue to help assure safety in the skies. In the world of business, American offices are expected to be 200% more automated in the 1990s. The incredible progress in computer technology has been likened to going from the Wright brothers first flight to the space shuttle in 10 years. [Music] Today's electronic office, a video terminal, a keyboard and printer providing greater productivity from an electronic listing of pending items. The operator makes a selection. Editing can be done if needed before the communication is [Music] transmitted. To send, just touch a button. Cleveland, Zurich, London, any place in the world in whatever language is appropriate. This ability to transmit information and pictures across continents and over oceans is being used in countless ways. Case in point, a physician in Paris is not sure of her diagnosis and would like additional medical information. A few steps away is a complete terminal and the ability to acquire up-to-date research from other countries. Within seconds, the request is flashed across the Atlantic and relayed to John's Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The request is processed, the information programmed, and the response sent on its way to Paris. medical science and computer technology. Partners in diagnosing illnesses and saving lives around the world. The information revolution is changing the nature of what people do and how they do it. Putting at their fingertips the collective capabilities of the human race in solving mankind's most challenging problems and improving the quality of life for everyone on planet Earth. [Music] The growth of knowledge is creating a new class structure around a different kind of wealth. Wealth of information. Instead of the halves and have nots, the information revolution may one day divide peoples and nations in future generations into the nos and no nots. [Music]