Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
Polling rates dictate how often mice report positions
Polling rate is how often a mouse reports its position to the computer. A higher rate sends updates more frequently, helping the cursor track fast movements…
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Audio delays strictly clone and repeat original signals
A delay stores a short segment of audio in a buffer, then plays it back after a set interval. Repeating the process creates successive, fading echoes.
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Message read receipts confirm on-screen display
In apps that support them, a read receipt differs from a delivery confirmation: it signals that a message was displayed in the recipient's chat, not merely…
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RFID lets a package identify itself without showing a barcode
A reader exchanges radio signals with a tag, so the label does not always need to face a camera or scanner. Supply-chain trials used this to link shipments…
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A platinum trophy can outlast the whole story
Finishing a PlayStation game's campaign doesn't necessarily complete its trophy list. Collectibles, difficulty challenges, and optional tasks can turn the…
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Nostalgic tech enthusiasts painstakingly emulate the past
Emulators mimic obsolete hardware so old games can run on modern computers, letting players revisit the blocky games they remember.
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Node projects contain thousands of hidden dependency files
A single framework can pull in a huge tree of third-party packages, with tiny files nested through a sprawling modules folder.
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Why Markdown has incompatible dialects
The original Markdown specification was vague, so platforms created their own variations. That’s why formatting can work differently from one platform to…
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A battery that runs for decades on radioactive decay
Betavoltaic cells use a semiconductor junction to turn beta particles from radioactive sources such as tritium into electricity. Their output is low, but they…
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Bandwidth dictates absolute maximum data capacity
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data a connection can carry in a given time, not how quickly individual data travels. Think capacity, not travel speed: a…
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Proof of stake makes a validator put money behind its work
On Ethereum, validators deposit ether and receive rewards for carrying out consensus duties. Missed duties can cost rewards, while specified dishonest…
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SpaceX’s spacesuits were designed by a superhero costume maker
Costume designer Jose Fernandez, who created outfits for Batman, Iron Man, and Wolverine, shaped the suits’ sleek look. Engineers then adapted his designs to…
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How binaural audio makes sounds seem to come from behind you
Binaural recordings use two microphones positioned like human ears to capture how sound reaches each ear, creating the impression that a whisper is coming…
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The space pen pushes its ink instead of waiting for gravity
Paul Fisher developed a sealed, pressurized cartridge in which nitrogen pushes a piston against the ink. That lets the pen write in orientations and…
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How one programmer helped build Doom's 3D engine
John Carmack built much of Doom's 3D engine using mathematical tricks that let early-1990s processors render 3D environments quickly.
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The pocket-sized invention behind a billion-dollar deal
Dov Moran's M-Systems helped pioneer USB flash drives: plug-in storage that needed neither a stack of disks nor a separate drive. Early models held just a few…
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Lazy susans spin smoothly on a ring of hidden ball bearings
Greased ball bearings roll between two metal plates, letting the tray spin with little friction.
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Why Rust developers won't stop talking about Rust
Rust's memory-safety features can prevent certain crash-causing bugs, giving fans a ready argument when other languages fail—and a reputation for evangelizing.
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Mobile connections can outnumber people without everyone owning a phone
Industry totals count active connections or subscriptions, not unique human beings. One person can have work and personal lines, while devices can carry SIMs…
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One phone study counted 2,617 touches a day
The 2016 dscout project logged taps, swipes and other interactions, not just occasions when somebody picked up a phone. A single scrolling session could…
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Data warehouses are obsessive organizational hubs
They store information in a consistent format, making years of data easier for analysts to search and compare.
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How a digital signature catches one changed comma
A digital signature is tied to a document's contents, so changing even one comma makes verification fail and reveals that the file was altered.
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A dead program can leave a zombie behind
On Unix-like systems, a finished process can retain an entry in the process table until its parent collects the exit information. The program is no longer…
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Why ketchup bottles have a sweet spot
The embossed mark on some glass bottles shows where to tap; the impact helps get the thick ketchup flowing.
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