Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
Tetris has a mode built for superhuman reflexes
Some competitive versions make blocks fall instantly, forcing players to use tactical spins to fit them into gaps.
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An early typewriter gave a blind woman privacy
Pellegrino Turri built a writing machine for the blind Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano in the early 1800s. It let her put words on paper without…
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A good daily stand-up is about what gets in the team's way
The short meeting helps people coordinate work and expose blockers before they waste another day. It is useful when a problem one person mentions can be…
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Typewriter is the longest top-row keyboard word
Some historians suspect Christopher Sholes arranged the top row so salesmen could quickly type “Type Writer” to show off the new machine.
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Why leaf blowers blast air so fiercely
A centrifugal impeller pulls air in at its center and flings it outward; a narrowing nozzle channels it into a forceful stream.
Discover moreC-3PO’s actor is a real-life technophobe
Anthony Daniels has said he struggles with basic computing, a sharp contrast with the protocol-obsessed droid he played.
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Standard OSI network model is purely theoretical
The seven layers are a teaching framework, not a literal map of internet traffic; real protocols often combine functions the model separates.
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Why your computer keeps memory awake in sleep mode
Sleep mode cuts power to the screen and drives but keeps the RAM running so it can hold open files. If power is lost, unsaved work disappears.
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Base64 encoding drastically inflates overall file size
Base64 turns binary data into text characters so it can pass through text-only channels, but the conversion increases file size by roughly 30%.
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How games make walls muffle sound
Audio processing reduces high frequencies to mimic a wall’s muffling effect, so a monster breathing on the other side sounds as if it’s in the next room.
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Why Super Game Boy games ran too fast
The Super Game Boy ran games about 2.4% faster because its clock speed didn't match the handheld's. The small difference could throw off the music's tempo.
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A program can overwhelm a computer simply by making more programs
A fork bomb repeatedly creates processes that create still more processes. The multiplying workload can exhaust process slots, memory, and computing…
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Early movie film could ignite in the projector
The film was made from nitrocellulose, a highly flammable material similar to guncotton. Heat from a projector lamp could ignite the reels.
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Your digital scale weighs you with a tiny metal bend
A strain gauge under the platform flexes by a fraction of a millimeter when you step on it, changing its electrical resistance; the scale uses that change to…
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Why Joy-Con sticks start moving on their own
The drifting cursor can come from physical wear: pushing the stick repeatedly grinds down the tiny carbon pads inside its sensor.
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GameCube's broadband adapter had almost nothing to play
The adapter worked with only a handful of games, including an online role-playing title.
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The sorting algorithm that uses dry spaghetti
Imagine making each strand’s length represent a number, then standing all the strands on the same level surface. Lower a flat board onto the bundle: it…
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Detachable ski lifts slow the chair without slowing the cable
As a chair enters the terminal, its grip releases the fast-moving haul rope and another system carries it slowly through boarding. It then accelerates and…
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Removing a keycap launches the internal spring
The spring beneath the key can pop loose when a cap is removed, sending the tiny part flying into a hard-to-find corner.
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The Apple II shipped with a Microsoft programming language
Applesoft BASIC was developed by Microsoft and licensed to Apple, providing capabilities beyond the machine's original Integer BASIC. The companies' histories…
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Minesweeper is a logic puzzle, not a guessing game
Each number tells you how many mines are adjacent, giving you clues to deduce which squares are safe.
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The lock on your memory card isn't really a lock
The sliding tab on a memory card doesn't block anything inside the card. It relies on the camera or computer to detect its position and refuse to overwrite…
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When the Mac’s Trash could destroy your files
On the 1984 Macintosh, deleted files sat in the Trash in memory rather than being saved for later review. Ejecting the floppy disk, shutting down, or running…
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Electric bicycles aggressively assist your weak pedaling
Torque sensors measure how hard you pedal, and the motor adds assistance when you push harder—especially useful on a hill.
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