Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
McDonald's tested an AI order taker, then ended the IBM trial.
McDonald's tested an AI order taker, then ended the IBM trial. In 2024, McDonald's confirmed it was ending its drive-thru automated-ordering test with IBM…
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Bjarne Stroustrup created the C++ programming language in 1979 simply because he found existing languages too slow or too difficult to manage for large-scale projects.
Bjarne Stroustrup created the C++ programming language in 1979 simply because he found existing languages too slow or too difficult to manage for large-scale…
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A 404 error is a reply—not a server going silent.
A 404 error is a reply—not a server going silent. The server has answered your browser, but it cannot find the requested resource or will not disclose that it…
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Over five hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every single minute of every day, which means humanity is producing content at a rate drastically faster than anyone could possibly consume it.
Over five hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every single minute of every day, which means humanity is producing content at a rate drastically…
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Windows began with the working name Interface Manager.
Windows began with the working name Interface Manager. Microsoft developed the graphical environment under that functional label before announcing Windows in…
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Susan Kare designed a weird, blocky icon for the original Apple Macintosh in 1983 that vaguely resembled a dog, but users constantly debated whether the pixelated creature was actually meant to be a small cow.
Susan Kare designed a weird, blocky icon for the original Apple Macintosh in 1983 that vaguely resembled a dog, but users constantly debated whether the…
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Sony's Walkman success came with a decades-long patent fight.
Sony's Walkman success came with a decades-long patent fight. Andreas Pavel filed a patent application for his portable stereo system in 1977, before the…
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First commercial passenger flight booked over the internet occurred in 1995, forever changing the agonizing process of coordinating human travel.
First commercial passenger flight booked over the internet occurred in 1995, forever changing the agonizing process of coordinating human travel. Alaska…
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First commercial microprocessor in history, the legendary Intel 4004, was specifically designed in 1971 to power a high-end Japanese desktop calculator.
First commercial microprocessor in history, the legendary Intel 4004, was specifically designed in 1971 to power a high-end Japanese desktop calculator. The…
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An internet security key needs a roomful of people to use it.
An internet security key needs a roomful of people to use it. ICANN's root DNSSEC keys help authenticate domain-name data. They are stored in protected…
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YouTube was originally conceived in 2005 as a video-based dating website named Tune In Hook Up, designed to let singles upload clips of themselves talking about their hobbies to attract potential partners.
YouTube was originally conceived in 2005 as a video-based dating website named Tune In Hook Up, designed to let singles upload clips of themselves talking…
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Hedy Lamarr helped design a radio signal that kept changing channels.
Hedy Lamarr helped design a radio signal that kept changing channels. Working with composer George Antheil, she patented a system in which transmitter and…
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A 1968 demo let viewers watch someone edit and navigate text live.
A 1968 demo let viewers watch someone edit and navigate text live. Doug Engelbart and his team demonstrated an interactive system in which a user could change…
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Deep Blue's chess strength came from searching a huge decision tree.
Deep Blue's chess strength came from searching a huge decision tree. IBM combined specialized hardware with software that evaluated enormous numbers of…
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Teenage hackers in the mid-nineties invented 'phishing' by impersonating America Online customer service representatives to trick gullible users into giving up their account passwords.
Teenage hackers in the mid-nineties invented 'phishing' by impersonating America Online customer service representatives to trick gullible users into giving…
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The first mousepad was a furniture designer's small fix.
The first mousepad was a furniture designer's small fix. Working with Douglas Engelbart's team in 1968, Jack Kelley saw that the mouse needed a friendlier…
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Tuvalu's two-letter internet code became an export.
Tuvalu's two-letter internet code became an export. The country was assigned .tv, a domain ending valuable to broadcasters and video businesses far beyond its…
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Tim Berners-Lee famously admitted that putting the double forward slash in web addresses was completely unnecessary and fundamentally just a massive waste of human time and effort.
Tim Berners-Lee famously admitted that putting the double forward slash in web addresses was completely unnecessary and fundamentally just a massive waste of…
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Masaru Ibuka created the very first product for the company that would eventually become Sony in 1946, and it was nothing more than a wooden bucket lined with rudimentary aluminum electrodes designed to cook rice.
Masaru Ibuka created the very first product for the company that would eventually become Sony in 1946, and it was nothing more than a wooden bucket lined with…
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Yahoo began as two students' guide to the internet.
Yahoo began as two students' guide to the internet. In 1994, Stanford students Jerry Yang and David Filo assembled a list of websites called Jerry and David's…
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Qwerty keyboard layouts on early mobile phones required traumatized users to press physical number keys multiple consecutive times just to type a single specific letter in a…
Qwerty keyboard layouts on early mobile phones required traumatized users to press physical number keys multiple consecutive times just to type a single…
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First automated teller machines deployed in the 1960s were heavily coated in expensive wood paneling and highly polished metal just to visually convince deeply suspicious banking…
First automated teller machines deployed in the 1960s were heavily coated in expensive wood paneling and highly polished metal just to visually convince…
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Artificial intelligence voice assistants were originally heavily marketed as completely private digital butlers until it was revealed that tech companies routinely hired…
Artificial intelligence voice assistants were originally heavily marketed as completely private digital butlers until it was revealed that tech companies…
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Photoshop began with a program for displaying grayscale images.
Photoshop began with a program for displaying grayscale images. Thomas Knoll wrote the early software in 1987, and his brother John helped develop its…
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