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"Historical Mission in Computer's World"

An adventure book narrating the history of computer development in an engaging way.

Cover of the book Historical Mission in Computer's World

What is the book about?

The bestseller "Historical Mission in Computer's World" tells the story of the development of the world of computers in an engaging and plot-driven manner, presented as an adventure and time-travel book.

Plot Summary

An eighth-grader named Ofek, who studies at the Oranim middle school, is given an assignment by his teacher as part of a science class to create a final project that includes research work.

To Ofek's dismay, the task is to investigate and discover how the computer was invented and developed, what transformations it underwent over the past century, and present the findings in class.

Ofek, who has no interest in the field and spends his free time mainly on music and guitar lessons, tries to start the project but doesn’t know how to proceed.

Searching on Google yields some topics and articles, but he still doesn’t know how to start his research or create a presentation from the materials.

Conversations with his programmer uncle Avi, and another with a classmate who attends a Scratch programming workshop, don’t really help him understand how computers were invented or developed.

Unexpectedly, a lifeline arrives when Ofek remembers an article he read in an encyclopedia a year earlier about computers that contained relevant material. He lies on his bed with the encyclopedia volume, starts reading, and then falls asleep.

When Ofek wakes up, he surprisingly finds himself in Charles Babbage's lab - the creator of the first electricity based computer - and the year is 1837.

Ofek discovers he has traveled through time. He doesn’t quite understand how, but every time he falls asleep, he wakes up in another inventor's lab or at a major computer company.

Taking advantage of the unique opportunity, Ofek interviews the inventors, learns about the subject firsthand, and helps the inventors with their work.

The inventors Ofek meets include Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Dennis Ritchie, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Linus Torvalds, and many others.

Does Ofek eventually complete the project? Did he really travel through time or just dream it? Will Ofek form a band with his friend Raz in the end? And how is this story connected to Ofek's mother and his sister, who is an “expert in presentations”?

To discover all this and more, you’ll need to read the book :)

Who is the book for?

The primary target audience of the book is children and teens aged 11 to 16 (students in grades 5 to 10).

Additionally, anyone who loves computers, wants to explore the history of computers, enjoys time-travel stories, or simply wants to spark nostalgia will greatly enjoy the book.

Who wrote the book?

The book was written by Moshe Binnun, an Israeli computer engineer.

The illustrations in the book are courtesy of Noy Sukar Batani, an Israeli illustrator and interior designer.

What topics are explained in the book?

The book covers many topics in the field of computer development.

Here is a partial list of the main topics:

  • The Difference Engine
    A machine capable of performing complex calculations mechanically before the era of computers.
  • The Turing Machine
    A computational model developed by Alan Turing.
  • Von Neumann Architecture
    An architecture that physically implements the Turing machine model.
  • Assembly Language
    A low-level programming language for processors, built with mnemonics translated to machine code.
  • The C Language
    A high-level language that became popular and replaced the use of Assembly.
  • The Operating System
    The basic software in a computer that enables interaction between the computer and the user.
  • 8086 Processor
    A processor whose entry into the market led to the meteoric rise of personal computer adoption due to its affordability and suitability for creating what were considered small computers at the time.
  • ARPANET
    A military network used for data transfer between computer networks in remote locations, serving as the foundation for the Internet.
  • USB Standard
    The popular port that replaced old, bulky connectors on computer motherboards.
  • Computer Virus
    Malicious code that causes a computer to operate differently from what the user expects, potentially leading to computer damage, data loss, or data theft.
  • Disk-On-Key
    A modern digital medium developed in Israel that allows for storing large amounts of data and transporting it anywhere.
  • Arduino Board
    A smart electronic board that replaced classic FPGA boards and marked a breakthrough for affordable smart boards.

How can I purchase the book?

Firstly, the book is sold in major bookstore chains such as Tzomet Sfarim, Steimatzky, Mendele, and e-vrit.
Click here to view the full list of retailers.

Secondly, the book can also be ordered directly from the Orion publishing house.
Click here to order the book directly from the publisher.

Additionally, the book can be ordered directly from us.
You can leave us a message in the form at the bottom of this page or contact us via the contact page on the website.

What is the cost of the book?

The current price of the book for direct orders is 80 ILS for self-collection and 130 ILS including shipping.

We recommend checking the pricing page on the website.

Additional Reading Materials

You can read and stay updated on additional materials about the book, on the minisite for the bestseller Historical Mission in Computer's World.

Additionally, you can watch the following promotional video:

Promotional Video - Historical Mission in Computer's World Historical Mission in Computer's World
Promotional Video

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