Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
Nigerian prince scams, originally known as 419 scams after the section of the Nigerian penal code they violate, actually predate the internet by centuries and were originally called the Spanish Prisoner scam.
Nigerian prince scams, originally known as 419 scams after the section of the Nigerian penal code they violate, actually predate the internet by centuries and…
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Global Positioning System technology is entirely owned, operated, and maintained by the United States Space Force, which provides it to the entire world completely free of charge.
Global Positioning System technology is entirely owned, operated, and maintained by the United States Space Force, which provides it to the entire world…
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Windows computers traditionally assign the main hard drive to the letter C because the letters A and B were historically strictly reserved for floppy disk drives back in the early days of personal computing.
Windows computers traditionally assign the main hard drive to the letter C because the letters A and B were historically strictly reserved for floppy disk…
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Early computers adopted the binary system of ones and zeros primarily because it was the easiest and most reliable way to represent data using electrical circuits that only had two states: on or off.
Early computers adopted the binary system of ones and zeros primarily because it was the easiest and most reliable way to represent data using electrical…
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Autocorrect software was originally developed by Microsoft engineer Dean Hachamovitch in the 1990s as a helpful glossary feature to instantly fix common spelling mistakes in Word.
Autocorrect software was originally developed by Microsoft engineer Dean Hachamovitch in the 1990s as a helpful glossary feature to instantly fix common…
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Apple actually created a digital camera way back in 1994 called the QuickTake, and it was an absolute disaster that looked like a weird pair of futuristic binoculars.
Apple actually created a digital camera way back in 1994 called the QuickTake, and it was an absolute disaster that looked like a weird pair of futuristic…
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First piece of artificial intelligence artwork to ever sell at a major auction was a blurry portrait called Edmond de Belamy, and it went for nearly half a million dollars in 2018.
First piece of artificial intelligence artwork to ever sell at a major auction was a blurry portrait called Edmond de Belamy, and it went for nearly half a…
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Amazon Alexa was inspired by the conversational computer systems featured in the original Star Trek television series, aiming to create an omnipresent ambient intelligence for the home.
Amazon Alexa was inspired by the conversational computer systems featured in the original Star Trek television series, aiming to create an omnipresent ambient…
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First commercial webcam ever integrated directly into a laptop was the Apple iSight in 2006, ending the dark era of balancing clunky third-party cameras on top of your monitor.
First commercial webcam ever integrated directly into a laptop was the Apple iSight in 2006, ending the dark era of balancing clunky third-party cameras on…
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Before international standards locked it down, a "byte" of computer data was not strictly eight bits, and could legally range anywhere from a single bit up to forty-eight bits depending on the hardware manufacturer.
Before international standards locked it down, a "byte" of computer data was not strictly eight bits, and could legally range anywhere from a single bit up to…
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Artificial intelligence language models achieve their seemingly miraculous conversational abilities by scraping billions of words from public websites, heavily relying on massive…
Artificial intelligence language models achieve their seemingly miraculous conversational abilities by scraping billions of words from public websites,…
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Bob Thomas created the first computer virus in 1971, a purely experimental self-replicating program called Creeper that simply displayed the message 'I'm the creeper, catch me if…
Bob Thomas created the first computer virus in 1971, a purely experimental self-replicating program called Creeper that simply displayed the message 'I'm the…
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During the early to mid-twentieth century, the word computer did not refer to a machine at all, but was actually an official job title given to human beings, primarily women, who…
During the early to mid-twentieth century, the word computer did not refer to a machine at all, but was actually an official job title given to human beings,…
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Video game cartridges in the 1980s did not actually benefit from being violently blown into when they failed to load, despite millions of kids treating human breath like a…
Video game cartridges in the 1980s did not actually benefit from being violently blown into when they failed to load, despite millions of kids treating human…
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Internet Explorer famously dominated the early web browsing market, but its ultimate, lasting legacy in the tech world is simply serving as the default tool you use once to…
Internet Explorer famously dominated the early web browsing market, but its ultimate, lasting legacy in the tech world is simply serving as the default tool…
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Sony's introduction of the Walkman in 1979 sparked a massive social panic among commentators who firmly believed that portable music would completely destroy human interaction…
Sony's introduction of the Walkman in 1979 sparked a massive social panic among commentators who firmly believed that portable music would completely destroy…
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Bitcoin mining operations currently consume more electrical energy on an annual basis than entire industrialized nations, including Argentina and the Netherlands; millions of…
Bitcoin mining operations currently consume more electrical energy on an annual basis than entire industrialized nations, including Argentina and the…
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Reading every privacy policy and terms of service agreement you encounter in a single year would take the average person approximately 76 full eight-hour work days to complete;…
Reading every privacy policy and terms of service agreement you encounter in a single year would take the average person approximately 76 full eight-hour work…
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Saving a digital document has been universally represented by a floppy disk icon for decades, creating a hilarious generational divide where millions of younger users have no…
Saving a digital document has been universally represented by a floppy disk icon for decades, creating a hilarious generational divide where millions of…
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Your smartphone screen is a horrifying biological wasteland, harboring roughly ten times more bacteria than an average public toilet seat; because we drag these warm, glass…
Your smartphone screen is a horrifying biological wasteland, harboring roughly ten times more bacteria than an average public toilet seat; because we drag…
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Jef Raskin originally named the massive Macintosh project at Apple after his absolute favorite variety of apple, the McIntosh, specifically because he considered it a delicious and reliable piece of fruit.
Jef Raskin originally named the massive Macintosh project at Apple after his absolute favorite variety of apple, the McIntosh, specifically because he…
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Military officials who unveiled the massive ENIAC computer in 1946 completely omitted the brilliant team of six women who actually programmed it from early press photos.
Military officials who unveiled the massive ENIAC computer in 1946 completely omitted the brilliant team of six women who actually programmed it from early…
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Bill Gates and Paul Allen started their first business venture together in 1972 with a company called Traf-O-Data, which read data from roadway traffic counters and created automated reports.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen started their first business venture together in 1972 with a company called Traf-O-Data, which read data from roadway traffic…
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Apple's first computer went on sale in 1976 for the unusually specific and somewhat satanic price of exactly six hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents.
Apple's first computer went on sale in 1976 for the unusually specific and somewhat satanic price of exactly six hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six…
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