access  to  the  officer  in  command.  .  .”   for this very reason. Depending on the circumstances, the PAO may brief the  CO  several  times  daily,  either  through  corre- spondence or verbally, so he is not caught off guard by significant  public  affairs  developments,  or  routine matters  that  have  the  potential  to  become  areas  of concern. When the PAO is unavailable for one reason or another, the senior JO must assume the role as the primary public affairs briefer. Feeling a bit intimidated and nervous about briefing the skipper is normal, but if your information is accurate and complete (also known as having your “ducks in a row”), these reactions can be overcome  quickly.  With  this  peace  of  mind,  all  you really need to do is focus on the method in which you deliver  the  information. Each CO will have a preference for the way you communicate with him. Some will prefer face-to-face meetings, while others will accept a simple one page memorandum  when  the  particular  public  affairs  topic  is not urgent in nature. With meetings, inspections and tours of spaces (among many other responsibilities) occupying  the  skipper’s  precious  time,  addressing  the topic in memorandum form will allow the CO to review it at his convenience. It will also provide you with a means of further documenting the topic. If the memorandum system is used, be brief and to the point. However, as previously stated, make sure your information is thorough and precise.  Remember your credibility!  Structure  the  memorandum  in  an  inverted pyramid  format  so  the  CO  gets  the  “meat  and  potatoes” of the issue up front. After the topic is addressed, give the CO at least three  recommendations  for  courses  of  action  (when applicable), and the pros and cons of each action. If all goes according to plan, the CO will circle his choice, add  any  additional  comments  and  return  the memorandum  to  you.  The  CO  is  now  adequately apprised  of  the  situation  and  you  have  his  endorsement to take the appropriate action. Be sure other staff members are also informed as appropriate. If the CO favors memoranda over direct briefings, a personal visit should be made only when you must brief him on urgent or time critical public affairs matters. The  visit  should  follow  the  same  format  as  the memorandum  system  previously  discussed.  Be  aware that the CO may become distracted by telephone calls and  incoming  messages  during  your  briefing,  so  be  sure your message is understood, even if you must repeat yourself. MICROCOMPUTERS Learning Objective: Recognize  the  importance  of microcomputers  in  public  affairs  office  management and identify the main computer components. Typewriters,  “white-out”  and  carbon  paper  are  as out of place in a public affairs office as eight-track tapes and records are in a radio studio. The Navy is firmly entrenched  in  the  microcomputer  age,  and  as  the  public affairs office manager, you will be using this technology for   everything   from   word   processing   to   desktop publishing. The intention of this section is to familiarize you with the main components of a microcomputer–  not to make you a microcomputer expert overnight. For further information  on  microcomputers,  refer  to  the  Data Processing  Technician  Second  Class  training  manual, Chapter 6. HISTORY Microcomputers  designed  for  personal  use  arrived on the scene in the mid 1970s. The Altair 8800 was one of the first available models, but it was a kit designed mainly for electronics hobbyists. In a short time, models manufactured by Atari, Apple, Commodore and Tandy (Radio  Shack)  made  computers  available  to  the  main- stream consumer, and the dawning of the microcom- puter age was under way. IBM  was  late  in  entering  the  computer  race, introducing its first personal computer in the fall of 1981. However, in a short period of time, the company firmly established its leadership in the field, leading to a virtual explosion of IBM clones that now saturate the microcomputer   market. CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU) The CPU or system unit is the heart of the total microcomputer  system.  Inside  this  unit  all  data  is processed,  arithmetic  and  logic  functions  are  performed and control is maintained for the system. If you were to remove the outer cover from this unit (fig. 1-18), you would see a power supply and as many as two floppy disk drives and two hard disk drives, or any combination thereof depending upon the particular configuration of the system. You would also see several boards, also referred to as cards. Some boards are used to control the peripheral devices of the system, while other boards 1-50