Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
The PSP Go lost stores by ditching game discs
Releasing an entirely digital console was a bold, futuristic move that horribly alienated retailers. Because stores could not sell physical discs for the…
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Heavy spinning rotors store immense amounts of kinetic energy
Batteries rely on fussy chemical reactions, but you can also just store energy by spinning a heavy object really, really fast. A massive physical rotor is…
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Medical pacemakers utilize specialized lithium iodine cells
Because aggressively ripping open a human chest just to swap out dead AA batteries is frowned upon, they rely on incredibly dense, solid-state chemistry…
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How glitter reveals invisible water currents
Because invisible fluid dynamics are too boring, we decided to fill water with glitter to see how it moves. Rheoscopic fluids contain microscopic, reflective…
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Bubble Wrap was invented as textured wallpaper
The most incredibly satisfying packaging material ever created is completely failing at its original goal. It was initially pitched as a textured, space-age…
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Why language apps make streaks hard to break
Adults will happily learn an entire language they do not need just to prevent a small digital flame icon from turning grey. By applying rudimentary…
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How a broadcast antenna sends signals through the air
Invisible radio transmission is fundamentally just violently shaking electrons up and down a large metal pole, forcing the resulting electromagnetic…
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A 3D-printed turtle can fool AI into seeing a rifle
Behold the pinnacle of object recognition, where a reptile becomes a weapon of mass destruction. By slightly modifying the visual texture of an object in a…
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Subnet masks logically slice networks into smaller chunks
Large IP ranges are divided into manageable neighborhoods using a sequence of bits that hide portions of the address. It allows network administrators to…
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Spread spectrum signals jump across multiple frequencies
To avoid interception, signals simply refuse to stand still. Spread spectrum transmission intentionally distributes a signal across a tremendously wide…
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Even Task Manager can freeze
The ultimate betrayal. When a system is heavily overloaded, the very utility designed to kill unresponsive software can itself become completely unresponsive.…
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Modulation manipulates carrier waves to hold data
A radio wave by itself is utterly useless; it must be forced to carry luggage. Modulation is the process of slightly altering the properties of a constant…
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Sony made an e-reader before the Kindle existed
Because Amazon certainly didn't invent the concept of staring at a digital page. The Sony Data Discman launched in 1990, forcing users to squint at a tiny,…
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Giant underground rings smash subatomic particles together
To understand the fundamental building blocks of the universe, scientists built circular underground tracks spanning miles across borders. They accelerate…
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The museums preserving technology everyone forgot
Humanity is so sentimental about its electronic garbage that we literally put it behind glass. Facilities like the Obsolete Media Museum dedicate massive…
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Tape dispensers feature a serrated edge to break tension
Plastic film doesn't actually want to rip cleanly. The metal teeth on the front of the dispenser aggressively puncture the smooth surface of the tape at…
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Why a treadmill can use more power than a fridge
You might think dragging your own body weight requires mere human effort, but the machine has to aggressively pull the belt underneath your stomping feet.…
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Network jitter represents inconsistent signal delays
Consistency is king, and jitter is the chaotic jester ruining your calls. While latency is the baseline delay of a connection, jitter measures the horrifying…
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Lead solder was banned due to severe toxicity
For decades, the foundation of every electronic device on the planet was bound together by a known neurotoxin. Tin-lead solder melted easily, flowed…
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Glossy monitor screens act as dark mirrors
Watching a dark movie scene on a modern glossy display is mostly an exercise in looking at your own tired face. By removing the matte anti-glare coating to…
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Why duct tape fails on hot air ducts
Despite its incredibly famous namesake, this silver adhesive backed with cloth is notoriously atrocious at surviving extreme temperature shifts. If you…
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When internet passwords were optional
Before hackers realized data was valuable, cybersecurity was treated with the same urgency as flossing. In the 1970s and 80s on early ARPANET systems,…
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Bloatware consists of pre-installed programs you never want
Nothing welcomes you to a brand new laptop quite like fifteen unsolicited software trials. Manufacturers get paid to pre-load machines with unnecessary…
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A habit takes longer than three weeks
Forget the myth that it takes three weeks to form a habit; science says you need over two months of grueling consistency. It takes an average of sixty-six…
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