- Email: [email protected]
Programming for microprocessors
Humans and stress Marshall, J and Cooper, C L
Executives under pressure M acm ilia n, London (1979) 150pp £2.95
This book is about human stress. Stress, however difficult it is to define, is not necessarily a bad thing: without it the solving of practical problems might be less effective or less satisfying, and so on. Although the book is directed at executives much of its findings may be related to designers and to the person in the street. It reviews data-gathering approaches which range from experimental situations to real-life traumas, covers aspects of general life which include community studies, social change, life change, mobility and status problems, occupation differences, and occupational level and content. Questions which arise particularly deal with types of load and how an individual copes (style and effectiveness). A considerable literature has arisen about stress which comes from role, work relationships, career, organizational climate, and outside-work problems. Studies of work content have differentiated overload into quantitative and qualitative ('too difficult') aspects. Personality patterns are linked in some way with stress development. Because of the complexity of the field, its dependence upon situation, and the scarcity of comprehensive studies, an attempt was made to conduct research which examined the personality/environment interface by a field study within a multinational company. Briefly the results show that satisfactions appear to outweigh pressures, that overload and several kinds of uncertainty come high in the list of
62
pressures. Without doubt personality plays a dominant part in physical illhealth but not irrespective of external pressures. Different management jobs have specific stress profiles. Thorough investigations confirm the distinction of stress profiles, which, interestingly, agree with job patterns identified by others such as Stewart. Relatively little questioning was done on coping with work pressures. In view of the large part played by work content in the development of pressure the details which cause this are barely
probed. The penultimate chapter examines aspects of stress and its reduction related to the home, and the final chapter deals with ways in which harmful managerial stresses which derive from the organization may be prevented. For designers this book may stimulate some thinking about their specific job-related stresses and practical modes of coping. Equally it may inspire them to look more closely at the stressraising or satisfaction-giving potential in whatever it is they design: whether jobs, communities, curricula, homes, workplaces, systems and so on.
Sydney Gregory
Structuring micro programs Andrew Colin Programming for microprocessors N ewn es-Butterworths, London (1979) 206 pp £7.95
This book is aimed at the reader with some knowledge of digital electronics and directs attention at a specific design of microprocessor, although this is not seen as restrictive. It attempts to make clear the computer-like properties of something which is now classed as a component, albeit a very advanced one. Such properties make possible the replacement of many other components, high physical reliability, and small size at low initial cost. Operational reliability depends upon effective programming. In addition to the professional, the book is likely to be of value to the growing body of those with personal computers, essentially based on microprocessors. The procedure is to build up the ideas of programming through the use of initially simple models which
are compared with engineering drawings based on symbols, rather than physical resemblance. This leads to increasingly more complex programs. Underlying the development is the use of structured programming. Here, design commences hierarchically in a manner similar to the design of a motor car, beginning first with the overall system and then progressingto the subsystems down. Although simpler programs are offered in BASIC for large complex programs a P/L language is suggested t. to get the full benefits of structured working. Examples of programming given include : multiplication ; traffic light control (fixed cycle); fire alarm system; decimal display subroutine ; display from 1 or 10 keyboard terminals; teletype exchange (BASIC and P/L/F); control of peripheral devices;control of range-finding instrument.
Sydney Gregory
DESIGN STUDIES
Executives under pressure M acm ilia n, London (1979) 150pp £2.95
This book is about human stress. Stress, however difficult it is to define, is not necessarily a bad thing: without it the solving of practical problems might be less effective or less satisfying, and so on. Although the book is directed at executives much of its findings may be related to designers and to the person in the street. It reviews data-gathering approaches which range from experimental situations to real-life traumas, covers aspects of general life which include community studies, social change, life change, mobility and status problems, occupation differences, and occupational level and content. Questions which arise particularly deal with types of load and how an individual copes (style and effectiveness). A considerable literature has arisen about stress which comes from role, work relationships, career, organizational climate, and outside-work problems. Studies of work content have differentiated overload into quantitative and qualitative ('too difficult') aspects. Personality patterns are linked in some way with stress development. Because of the complexity of the field, its dependence upon situation, and the scarcity of comprehensive studies, an attempt was made to conduct research which examined the personality/environment interface by a field study within a multinational company. Briefly the results show that satisfactions appear to outweigh pressures, that overload and several kinds of uncertainty come high in the list of
62
pressures. Without doubt personality plays a dominant part in physical illhealth but not irrespective of external pressures. Different management jobs have specific stress profiles. Thorough investigations confirm the distinction of stress profiles, which, interestingly, agree with job patterns identified by others such as Stewart. Relatively little questioning was done on coping with work pressures. In view of the large part played by work content in the development of pressure the details which cause this are barely
probed. The penultimate chapter examines aspects of stress and its reduction related to the home, and the final chapter deals with ways in which harmful managerial stresses which derive from the organization may be prevented. For designers this book may stimulate some thinking about their specific job-related stresses and practical modes of coping. Equally it may inspire them to look more closely at the stressraising or satisfaction-giving potential in whatever it is they design: whether jobs, communities, curricula, homes, workplaces, systems and so on.
Sydney Gregory
Structuring micro programs Andrew Colin Programming for microprocessors N ewn es-Butterworths, London (1979) 206 pp £7.95
This book is aimed at the reader with some knowledge of digital electronics and directs attention at a specific design of microprocessor, although this is not seen as restrictive. It attempts to make clear the computer-like properties of something which is now classed as a component, albeit a very advanced one. Such properties make possible the replacement of many other components, high physical reliability, and small size at low initial cost. Operational reliability depends upon effective programming. In addition to the professional, the book is likely to be of value to the growing body of those with personal computers, essentially based on microprocessors. The procedure is to build up the ideas of programming through the use of initially simple models which
are compared with engineering drawings based on symbols, rather than physical resemblance. This leads to increasingly more complex programs. Underlying the development is the use of structured programming. Here, design commences hierarchically in a manner similar to the design of a motor car, beginning first with the overall system and then progressingto the subsystems down. Although simpler programs are offered in BASIC for large complex programs a P/L language is suggested t. to get the full benefits of structured working. Examples of programming given include : multiplication ; traffic light control (fixed cycle); fire alarm system; decimal display subroutine ; display from 1 or 10 keyboard terminals; teletype exchange (BASIC and P/L/F); control of peripheral devices;control of range-finding instrument.
Sydney Gregory
DESIGN STUDIES