Let's get the tech talk out of the way so we can get on to learning how to use our computers to gather environmental information from around the world.
Most people fear personal computers.
You needed a degree in computer programming to get them to work, but that isn't true today. When Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh Computer in 1984, it proved most of us wanted to use the power of computers but didn't want to be a techie to do it. Graphical, easy to use, interfaces are the norm today. Soon you will talk to your computer having it do all the menial tasks while you use your brain to actually do constructive work. A computer with a serial port in the back, a modem, special communications software, and a telephone line.