Hey there! Today, I want to talk about the digital world we live in and how it wouldn't be possible without computers - from smartphones to cars to outer space exploration. Nowadays, it is more important than ever to understand how computers work. Anyone who can create things on computers has an advantage. What most people don't realise is that anyone can learn to code and make the most of the tech around them.
Humans and machines have different yet complementary abilities. Some things that come naturally to humans can be hard for machines and vice versa. A human may be better at stand-up comedy, but a computer excels at performing operations without making errors. The first computers were actually humans. Specifically, they were largely women, sitting at tables and doing loads of math by hand, filling entire books with calculations. Some of these women became the first coders.
Computers were invented to perform mathematical operations that were previously completed by humans. Over time, machines replaced humans because they were faster at performing simple, repetitive operations and made fewer errors. The advent of electronics allowed math calculations to be done by electronic circuits. The modern computer does not differ much from the early ones in terms of its basic function. Tasks like video streaming, online gaming, and map navigation can all be broken down into thousands of basic calculations.
As computers become cheaper and more powerful, machines will continue to replace humans in the workplace. Many jobs are expected to be lost due to automation. Understanding how computers work and being able to code will give you a competitive advantage and make you future-proof.
Cheers, Irina 😊