Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
The advance-fee scam was old before email existed.
The advance-fee scam was old before email existed. The Spanish Prisoner con promised a share of a hidden fortune if the victim first supplied money to free…
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Your GPS receiver listens to a U.S.
Your GPS receiver listens to a U.S. government service. The Space Force operates the satellite constellation, while civilian users worldwide can receive its…
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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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A byte did not always mean eight bits.
A byte did not always mean eight bits. Early computer designs used different group sizes, often shaped by the characters or data the machine needed to handle.…
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A language model can learn a writing habit along with a fact.
A language model can learn a writing habit along with a fact. Training on large collections of text exposes a model to patterns in explanation, argument,…
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An early network program announced itself and moved on.
An early network program announced itself and moved on. Bob Thomas's 1971 Creeper experiment traveled between computers and displayed 'I'm the creeper, catch…
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Before computers filled offices, people were hired as computers.
Before computers filled offices, people were hired as computers. Human computers carried out calculations for astronomy, engineering, and military work. Women…
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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 retired, but some old websites still needed it.
Internet Explorer retired, but some old websites still needed it. Microsoft ended support for the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application on certain Windows…
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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 website privacy policies could amount to weeks of work.
Reading website privacy policies could amount to weeks of work. A 2008 study estimated about 244 hours per person per year under its assumptions about new…
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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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ENIAC's women programmers were in the photos—but missing from the story.
ENIAC's women programmers were in the photos—but missing from the story. Six women programmed the early electronic computer by working with its circuitry,…
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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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