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The punch card A punch card was once the basis for digital information used for computer programs and data storage. They were widely used throughout the first half of the 20 th   century in processing machines to input data and to store it. Punch cards could be fed into the first commercial computer, IBM 305 system, which then stored the data on hard disks. IBM 350 disk storage unit The 350 Disk Storage System was a major component of the IBM 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control) system, which was introduced in September 1956. It consisted of 40 platters and a dual read/write head on a single arm that moved up and down the stack of magnetic disk platters. Those 40 platters stored a whopping (for the time) 5MB of data.

Camera Mouse is a program that allows you to control the mouse pointer on a Windows computer just by moving your head. The program was developed to help people with disabilities use the computer. The main audience for this program is people who do not have reliable control of a hand but who can move their head. People with Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, various neurological disorders use this program and its predecessors to run all types of computer software.

Asterisk, the world's most popular open source communications project, is free, open source software that converts an ordinary computer into a feature-rich voice communications server. Asterisk makes it simple to create and deploy a wide range of telephony applications and services, including IP PBXs, VoIP gateways, call center ACDs and IVR systems.

I've been thinking about new gadgets I'd like to pick up next year, and for the first time since I can remember, a new PC didn't make the list. For me, that's unheard of. A new PC has always been on the list. Whether I actually bought one is another story, but every year I watched as new models came on the market. Next year is no exception. Intel's line of new chips, code-named Sandy Bridges,

Google's offer to buy daily-deal site Groupon has been spurned by the Chicago-based startup, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The proposed acquisition fell through amid hesitation by Groupon's founders, said the person, who requested anonymity because the talks are private. Groupon will decide whether to sell shares in an initial public offering next year, the person said.

The hacking of Google Inc that led the internet company to briefly pull out of China was orchestrated by two members of China's top ruling body, according to US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks and cited by The New York Times on Saturday. Citing the cables, the Times said China made repeated and often successful hacking attacks on the US government, private enterprises and Western allies as far back as 2002.