This somewhat outdated book calls itself a “non-intimidating, user-friendly, guide that goes beyond the basic skills covered in computer manuals to teach you word processing shortcuts, troubleshooting techniques, and tips that lead to quicker, easier, more productive writing no matter what computer or word processor you use.”

The book studies the new technologies of reading and writing.  “Through the technique of hypertext, the computer allows scientists, scholars, and creative writers to construct interactive texts—writing that interacts with the needs and desires of the reader.  The computer as hypertext represents a new stage in the long history of writing:  it compels us to reconsider our definitions of human and artificial intelligence, and it changes the meaning of literacy.”

A pretty well presented overview of all the basic components of the ubiquitous personal computer, as well as how each of these components fits in with the others.  Never goes into a great deal of detail, but the information is easy to understand and cleanly laid out.

Established in 1996, The Computer Museum History Center is a non-profit entity dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computing history. It is home to one of the largest collections of computing artifacts in the world, a collection comprising over 3,000 artifacts, 2,000 films and videotapes, 5,000 photographs, 2,000 linear feet of cataloged documentation and gigabytes of software. The collection is housed in a visible storage building in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

The book is concerned with how computers can store and process textual information, i.e. letters, words, sentences or any other information consisting of sequences of characters.  Unlike the processing of numbers, which is relatively easy, there can be quite major difficulties associated with handling text since text strings differ in length unpredictably and can cause acute problems of storage and manipulation.

This page is ridiculous, but worth visiting for a good laugh.  A parrot named Peddy walks you through the various ins and outs of computers and computer hardware in order to help peddle computer equipment for Lair Gauche, a retailer.  Give it a try.

Just about all you need to know about computers, computer memory, cd burners, Carnivore, cashing, black boxes on commercial jets, etc., etc. etc. 

The operating system defines our computing experience. It's the first software we see when we turn on the computer, and the last software we see when the computer is turned off. It's the software that enables all the programs we use. The operating system organizes and controls the hardware on our desks and in our hands, yet most users can't say with any certainty precisely what it is that the operating system does.

Answers these questions and others:  What is digital information and why is it important? What are some common input devices? What are some common output devices? What are the three parts of the CPU? How fast is a Pentium 133 processor? What does RAM and ROM stand for and what is the difference between them? What are some secondary storage devices? What is a modem and why is it important? What are some different speeds of modems? What are binary numbers and why are they important?

Computer chip technology is in all sorts of everyday items, from space shuttles to coffee makers, traffic lights and computers. A basic rule of thumb is, if a device uses electricity and you can "tell it what to do" by programming it or customizing it, there's a chip inside. Take a look at some of the surprising uses of the ubiquitous microprocessor.

More of a site for children, but just as helpful for laymen adults, this site has good pictures and very easy to understand definitions of computer terms.  Covers the basics, no more.

Traces the development of codes and coding through Morse code and Braille up to computer languages and floating point operations in modern computers.  Written in an easy to read manner with simple drawings accompanying the text.  Quite a complicated subject matter, but the material is not outdated so seems more relevant.

Scroll to the bottom of the page for an outline of all the topics covered.  Great amateur organization of how computers and computer languages work.  Also check out How To Become a Hacker under To Learn More.

The part of the computer that we come into most contact with is probably the piece  that we think about the least. But the keyboard is an amazing piece of technology. For instance, did you know that the keyboard on a typical computer system is actually a computer itself?

This is a short little narrated tutorial written in Shockwave.  Simple little graphics, but not a bad introduction to binary switches.

Programming language (C, Fortran) à Assembly language (words for numbers) à Machine language (numbers)

Beautiful book.  Fully illustrated explanations of every single part of a computer.  Focuses on Intel-chip based computers that run Windows.   Sections include: boot-up process, how hardware and software works together, microchips, data storage, input/output devices, multimedia, how the internet works, and how printers work.