Modularity

Last week in class we learned about modularity which means that systems have interchangeable parts. I think that it is really cool that Legos was apart of last weeks discussion because I used to always play with Legos. I used to always put the model that I was building together, and then maybe play with it for a couple of weeks. After a while I got sick of playing with the same thing, so what I would do is I would take it apart and rebuild something else with the parts that had with other Lego sets.
This can relate a lot to a computer system because a computer system are like Legos only at a much more complicated level. Even when it comes to building a computer you can put interchangeable parts into the computer. For example using a key board on different computers would work as modularity. Most of the hardware on computers can be interchangable with other computers. You can just swap it out and replace the part. For example replacing a fan in a computer is easily replace just by changing the fan.
Another thing that falls into the category of modularity are computer programs. The only problem with this is that you can't do it with all computers. Like trying to make a word document run on a Mac if the Mac doesn't have Microsoft Office

IKEA and modularity

The discussion in class on modularity led me to think of other ways that modular design is implemented. The essence of modularity is that, as was stated in class, it "improves innovative capacity" through the utilization of coupling and cohesion. This is true when we think of parts used in an assembly line, or parts that are used in a computer. There are, however, other ways that modular design can be useful to people.

IKEA products are a good example of the usefulness of modular design. Their merchandise allows customers to design living solutions that conform to each individual's decorating styles and space considerations. Since many of IKEA's products feature interchangeable parts, consumers can rearrange or add on units as they see fit, or as they can afford them. This leads to unique storage and decorating setups that are custom fitted to the needs of each individual consumer, without having to make each unit individually.

The benefits of this system are the customization that was mentioned in the previous paragraph, as well as a huge cost savings due to not having to special order individual units if you want them custom fitted to your home. Also, because the parts are interchangeable, if the customer decides that they don't like the configuration they can move or change the way it is configured. The pieces can also be moved relatively easily to different rooms in the living space since they are not made of large, heavy pieces.

The biggest complaint that I have in regards to IKEA's designs are that they sometimes seem cold and impersonal. I would like to see a greater variety of design ideas that incorporate different materials (since many of their products seem to be made of plastic), and less boxy furniture. This, however, is just my personal taste.

IKEA's website can be viewed at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/

Modular Design

After talking about modules in class, I decided to do a little research on modularity. My search lead me to modular design information that strongly correlated with our class discussion. Modular design is used to subdivide a system into smaller parts, these smaller parts are whats known as the module. The module can be created independently of a whole unit, and then can be used in many different systems. Modules are implemented in these systems for multiple functions.

One function of using modular design is cost reduction. This reduction is due to the need for less customization of units and in some cases saving the cost of lost time. Cost reductions are also found in the flexibility of the module and the ability to replace just the module and not an entire unit.

Modular design is found in everyday life. It is used in our computers through programs such as Microsoft Office. Computers also use modularity to make the computer manufacturing process more streamlined. Modular design is used in cars, telephones, and construction. The advantages of modularity make many processes in life much simpler. The ability of modularity to allow us to adapt to our environment and problems more quickly is perhaps the single most important affect it has on us.

Modularity

Recently, I've come across two different examples that lead me to think about modularity. The first is a pretty obvious one, given current developments. The second is a tech that has just been displayed for the first time at the Mobile World Congress currently happening in Barcelona, Spain. The two offer a dramatic contrast in terms of size and highlight the benefits of modularity and its alternative, integration.

The first is the more obvious: the International Space Station. I've been following a Japanese astronaut currently on the space station on twitter. He's been charged with the task, among others, of taking pictures of the earth from the space station. The results are pretty amazing. But one of the coolest pictures he took was of the space shuttle endeavor approaching. This picture got me to thinking about modularity because of what the shuttle carries in its loading bay. The cylindrical object you can see there is called the "cupola" or Node 3. It provides some amazing views to the astronauts on board. One of the amazing things about the mission is how quickly they were able to attach the new piece. Within a couple days of arriving, the astronauts had already fully attached and made functional the cupola. Such ease of piece-by-piece construction is a prime example of one of the benefits of modularity. You can watch them continue to work on the ISS live here.

The second example is the new technology on display by SK Telecom. What they've presented is a SIM card (like the one's used by T-Mobile and AT&T in their cell phones) that carries the phone's processor, memory, 1 GB of storage, and even the Android OS. I know, I know, this is the opposite of modularity. Its an example of a competing trajectory of technology development. The benefit of such a SIM card is that when you want to change phones (whether for a new form factor, bigger screen, etc.) you can simply switch the SIM card from your old one to your new one. This means no worrying about contact transferral, or manual transferral of info from to the other at all. It also potentially means that you could have several devices (phone, netbook, tablet, desktop) that could all utilize the same SIM card for their data, OS, processing, memory, storage, and internet access.

Finally, while I was typing this, I thought of another example of modularity vs. integration. Android is an example of software modularity in that it is designed to be implemented on a wide variety of devices that have very wide-ranging processor power, screen size, ram, etc. Apple's iPhone OS is an example of software integration. The only device you can get that OS on is an iPhone. The benefits of this method are obvious. It is easier to design software for a very specific set of specs and ensure that the software utilizes that spec list fully. The difference of approach demonstrates the difference in business model. Apple is in the business of selling hardware, so designing an OS for their specific hardware makes sense. Google (developer of Android) is in the business of generating internet ad revenue . Thus, they simply want the greatest quantity of OS incarnations running on any phone possible to increase the number of people utilizing their services and hence, looking at their ads.

Modularity

When I think of modularity I think of interchangeable parts like batteries. Small electronic batteries and large automobile batteries. All remote controls require small AA or AAA batteries. They can be replaced by anyone, no expert needed. This helps the small electronic manufacturer save money. No extensive training required for normal maintenance. Anyone can pop them in and out whenever needed.
Automobiles also require batteries. They just like the small batteries that are in remote controls, just bigger and heavier. Anyone that can lift one, can install or replace one. When thinking of the automobile in its entirety, it contains a lot of interchangeable parts. From the tires to the windshield wipers. The interchangeable parts are usually the cheapest and the ones that require to be replaced most often than others. You could dissect a car or truck and see that close to 50% of it (if not more) is interchangeable.

modularity

Sticking with todays topic of modularity, I wanted to talk about something that all of us use in our everyday life without even recognizing it. In fact, I had no idea that what I was doing was related to this strange five syllable word until today. We use modularity nearly every single day of our lives and don't even blink at the amount of innovation that has gone into it. 

An example of modularity that sparked my interest is the evolution of word processing documents. Sounds thrilling right? Wrong, it's not. However, what I found interesting is that we utilize a form of modularity every time we type up a two paged, double spaced wikepedia summary for one of our classes. Todays word processors are able to function completely independent of each other, yet through some magical process, seem to open and edit each other's documents with flawless ease. These programs are great examples of modularity in our lives. They operate completely independent of each other yet coupled with a minimal upgrade or built in convertor, they are able to work in cohesion between different computers and program versions. For example, no matter what version of Microsoft Office you happen to be using, you are able to open and edit your document with ease on a multitude of computers and operating systems. With the addition of the "x" on the end of the file name, some of the older versions may require an upgrade to open the newer documents. However once this "coupler" is installed, you will be able to open all versions of Office documents with ease. Mac has taken this a step further. Their new "office" package, iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) is able to seamlessly open and edit all Microsoft documents, no matter the year or version. They have been able to build an advanced "coupling" system right into their software in order to maximize the ease of which we view and edit documents. If formats are not compatible (fonts, colors, etc.), the program will automatically convert into a compatible format and give the user a comprehensive list of things that were changed. No downloads or file conversions necessary. 

This is not particularly riveting stuff but its important to acknowledge the level of innovation that we are able to utilize on a day to day basis. This idea of modularity that once upon a time helped connect train cars together is now being used to easily integrate thousands of different world wide file formats into one easy user interface. 

The wonderful world of modularity

Modularity has been around for a little bit, but in the computer world it is only as old as computers. Operating systems are a perfect example of using modularity. On the first computers, without an operating system, every program needed the full hardware specification to run correctly and perform standard tasks, and its own drivers for peripheral devices like printers and card-readers. Even then, with the rapid growth of technology, an operating system became necessary.

Why are operating systems necessary? Could you imagine getting on a computer and not knowing where to start? Imagine going to work and not having a desk to work on. An OS serves as an interface between the hardware and the application you are using. There is something called a "kernel" in the OS. A kernel serves as a sort of bridge between data processing and applications. The kernel manages the system's resources, such as the communication between software and hardware components. In other words, the kernel is the biggest component of all operating systems.

This is not the only thing that an operating system handles. It takes care of things such as managing system memory, interrupts (a signal indicating the need for attention or an event in a software command), dual mode operation, and many other things.

This might be a bit much for those of you who only know how to turn a computer on, but the important thing is that it does all of this work for us so we don't have to. My favorite operating system? You had to ask. Go here and you'll see.

So, without modularity, our computers are useless. Although this post barely shows how an operating system works, I hope I have taught you a little bit more about how operating systems work.