Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
Why dead batteries bounce
A bizarre but completely true chemical party trick. As the internal zinc powder reacts and turns into solid zinc oxide, it bridges microscopic gaps, turning…
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Why Linux has a penguin mascot
Open-source branding is fueled by pure zoological trauma. While visiting an Australian zoo, the creator of Linux was aggressively nipped by a fairy penguin.…
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Loading webpages requires downloading invisible scripts
Reading a simple paragraph of text online often forces your device to silently download massive libraries of tracking code and analytics frameworks. You came…
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First internet radio broadcast happened in 1993
Before Spotify, Apple Music, or even the concept of reliable streaming, a bold technologist decided to blast audio over the very early, incredibly fragile…
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A fencing foil hides a button in its tip
Modern dueling isn't just wildly stabbing your friends; it’s aggressive button mashing. The tip of the foil contains a miniature spring-loaded plunger…
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Markdown formatting must be translated before display
We invented a simpler way to write web content using basic asterisks and hashes, only to realize browsers cannot read it. Therefore, every single Markdown…
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The Sega 32X was a doomed console add-on
In a desperate bid to prolong the lifespan of aging hardware, Sega released an expensive, awkwardly shaped add-on that jammed directly into the cartridge…
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Screaming snake case yells text using underscores
Programmers are deeply obsessed with formatting spaces out of existence. While some use capitalization to separate words, screaming snake case demands you use…
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Hole punches use a lever to slice through stacks of paper
You aren't magically creating a void; you are operating a miniature industrial press. Pressing the handle acts as a lever to force solid steel cylinders…
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Service workers allow web applications to work offline
Browsers can now install sneaky background scripts that intercept network requests. When you lose internet access, the script seamlessly serves up cached…
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Amazon once had a very different name
If you ever doubted the terrifying, monopolistic ambitions of Jeff Bezos from day one, look at his original domain choices. Before settling on the largest…
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USB hubs split limited bandwidth among connected devices
Plugging five devices into a single port guarantees they will all maliciously fight over the exact same sliver of bandwidth. The port on your computer has a…
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When emojis need an expert witness in court
We have regressed back to interpreting hieroglyphics, but this time it costs thousands of dollars in billable legal hours. As emojis flood professional…
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Cryptography uses salt to scramble encrypted information
If two users have the same exact data, their encrypted hashes would look identically vulnerable. To fix this, security engineers inject 'Salt'—a string of…
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Why strangers' lives look better on social media
Before social platforms, you only knew what your immediate friends were doing. Now, you are bombarded with high-definition highlights of strangers attending…
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Your camera can see infrared—so it has to be blinded
The sensors inside digital cameras are fully capable of perceiving light spectrums that are entirely invisible to human eyes. Manufacturers actually have to…
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How grief and a missed funeral led to Morse code
Sometimes extreme grief sparks legendary brilliance. Samuel Morse was stranded miles away when he finally received a slow-moving letter that his wife was ill,…
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Why sharks bite undersea cables
Just in case you thought the ocean was a safe haven for our precious data, sharks have a bizarre taste for the lifelines connecting our continents. These…
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Xbox Series S black circle is merely a fan exhaust
Despite looking exactly like a modern stereo speaker or a high-tech intercom system, the prominent black dome is just a gigantic heat vent. The minimalist…
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Evaporating fluids rapidly transfer heat across sealed copper
If you want to move heat away from a hot spot instantly, you trap a volatile liquid inside a vacuum-sealed copper tube. When one end gets hot, the liquid…
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Why phone and calculator keypads are reversed
Ever wonder why your phone and calculator hate each other? Engineers deliberately flipped the phone keypad in the 1960s because people who were fast at using…
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Rechargeable alkaline batteries operate at a lower voltage
People constantly wonder why their electronics claim a fully charged reusable battery is already half empty. Standard disposable cells push out exactly 1.5…
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Whiteboards rely on non-porous glass to reject ink stains
The magic of an endlessly reusable writing surface has nothing to do with the ink and everything to do with a microscopic shield. Whiteboards are coated in…
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Localhost IP address 127.0.0.1 always points to yourself
Every single device secretly maintains this special loopback address just to talk to itself. It is the digital equivalent of standing in front of a mirror and…
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