So the economy has been in the tank for about 30 months now, corporate earnings are dismal, and the stock market is depressing. You still have your job! You are a survivor! There really must be a place for an ber-geek in your organization. But that means many lesser geeks are vying for your spot. Alpha techies cant rest on their laurels. You have to prove occasionally youre more than just a pretty face. We once again present our little quiz to see if you still know any technology (even if you havent written a line of code in years).
1. What is the difference between an error and an exception (were talking code here)?
An error occurs during the execution of a block of code that causes an interruption. The code crashes. The errors cause and nature are captured in an exception object. The code threw an exception. We may examine the exception object and make a determination of how it is to be handled (e.g., resume or terminate).
2. True or false: People who spend hours at a computer terminal or keyboard are likely to experience carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
False. A study by the Mayo Clinic, published in Neurology, noted heavy computer use (up to seven hours a day) does not increase the risk of CTS. Nevertheless, it still is considered an excellent excuse (some say the best) for failure to perform.
3. True or false: COBOL is dead.
False. A survey by the Gartner Group maintains: 75 percent of all business data is processed in COBOL; the use of COBOL is growing by more than a billion lines a year; and 15 percent of all new applications through 2005 will be in COBOL. The real question here is why. COBOL nearly killed my love of computers some 30 years ago. Given a choice between maintaining legacy COBOL or becoming a greeter at Wal-Mart, I would choose the latter.
4. What is the primary difference between raster graphics and vector graphics?
A fixed or raster graphic cannot be rescaled without losing definition. A vector graphic is designed to be rescaled.
5. Twenty years ago, which company re-leased the first PC clone that used the same software as the IBM PC?
Compaq Computer (now part of the Hewlett-Packard empire) released the first true IBM PC clones in 1983 and recorded sales of $111 million (a record for a first-year company). By 1996, it had 83 percent of the personal computer market. What happened?
6. Which 20th century software genius first achieved national recognition by appearing on the 1965 television program Ive Got a Secret?
a. Steve Jobs
b. Bill Gates
c. Steve Wozniak
d. Ray Kurzweil
The answer is Ray Kurzweil, who became a leader in the field of pattern recognition as he developed OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and text to speech software. His secret in 1965 was he built a computer that could compose music. He played a composition from that computer on air. He was 17 at the time.
6. True or false: SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is the standard interface for Macintosh computers.
Almost true, therefore false. SCSI, usually referred to as skuzzy interfaces, is standard for all Macs except for the iMac on which Apple cheaped out with an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) interface.
7. This is a two-parter:
a.What is the primary business sector engaged in by the readers of this magazine?
Insurance! Duh.
b. OK, so what are the most popular Internet search phrases starting with the word insurance?
My research showed the following as the most popular on a particular search site:
A. insurance consultant
B. insurance for self-employed
C. insurance for the self-employed
D. insurance newsletter
E. insurance self-employed
I dont know what to make of that except I am glad I am not self-employed.
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