Appeared in Ability Network, Volume 5, No. 1, Fall 1996
In February of 1946 who would have envisioned computers as an integral part of our society? Fifty years ago, the world received its first look at the future. ENIAC was complete! It was 50 tonnes of wires, vacuum tubes, resistors and switches. It was designed to assist the army during World War II. They were having difficulties calculating the complicated firing tables needed to aim new artillery used against German forces. Compared to today's standards ENIAC was very expensive and inefficient. It took 18 months to construct, at a cost of $486,000 U.S. This electricity-sucking contraption consumed 174 kilowatts of power every second. An equivalent amount would serve a typical household for approximately 1.5 weeks. Despite the fact that it had no monitor, was large and expensive, it was able to count to 5,000 in one-fifth of a second! ENIAC was able to perform calculations in minutes that would otherwise take people using mechanical desktop calculators 40 hours! This was the first step in launching us into the computer age.
People only need to see the movie, Apollo 13, to realize that the space program would have never been possible without computers. In the fifties and sixties computers played a significant role in the lives of scientists and astronauts. The sophistication needed for re-entry into earth's atmosphere could only be performed by computers. The cost was prohibitive for commercial use. Most people envisioned mechanical devices such as automobiles and electrical appliances making their lives easier, not sophisticated hardware and software.
The space program would not be a reality of science without computers, but meanwhile, visionaries such as Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, were creating science fiction devices. Roddenberry's future envisioned people of different nations interacting without prejudice. His repertoire of devices such as the universal translator allowed people from different races and planets to communicate. The propulsion of the Enterprise was antimatter generating warp factors of light to traverse the universe. The Enterprise was run by computers. Oral commands with an interactive interface allowed crew members to retrieve information instantaneously on any subject matter. In episodes when hostile alien forces attempt to take over the ship, the computer, commanded by Kirk, generated self-destruct scenes that are legendary. The transporter can break down someone's molecular structure and reconstruct it with pin-point accuracy at a desired co-ordinate.
Today, thanks to the creative thoughts of individuals like Mr. Roddenberry and John Mauchly, the creator of ENIAC, what were only seen as science fiction devices are becoming reality. People with disabilities are the biggest winners from this reality. Voice recognition allows people with mobility impairments to interface with their computers orally. People with sight deficits can monitor what is happening with their computer through text-to-speech devices. In isolation, these devices are each one component of the computer on the Enterprise, but the convergence of the two provides an interactive interface.
Video conferencing, fax machines, and the Internet connect people together. These have reduced the necessity for people being in the same location to conduct business. Travel is one of the biggest obstacles preventing people with disabilities in gaining employment. Computer technologies have reduced barriers. They are not transporters but, in concept, are a rudimentary version. When teleportation becomes a reality, there won't be any barriers. You could just beam yourself to Vancouver, Toronto or Halifax. Not only could you do that but the location could be up five flights of stairs.
More recently, if you have been reading the newspapers, you'll have seen that scientists using computers have been able to create antimatter. Who knows whether it will lead to warp drive? Only fifty years ago we entered into the computer age. Can you imagine where we will be in another fifty years?
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