Technology
Discover facts about technology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Technology
A former missile officer challenged the security of an eight-zero code.
A former missile officer challenged the security of an eight-zero code. Bruce Blair said Minuteman launch-control crews used an enabling panel set to 00000000…
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Bluetooth technology was named after Harald Bluetooth, a tenth-century Scandinavian king who united diverse Danish tribes into a single kingdom, much like the technology was…
Bluetooth technology was named after Harald Bluetooth, a tenth-century Scandinavian king who united diverse Danish tribes into a single kingdom, much like the…
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Universal Serial Bus inventor Ajay Bhatt specifically chose not to make the original USB design reversible because adding the extra wiring would have doubled the cost of manufacturing and potentially killed the project.
Universal Serial Bus inventor Ajay Bhatt specifically chose not to make the original USB design reversible because adding the extra wiring would have doubled…
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A bank loan can create new money in an account.
A bank loan can create new money in an account. When a commercial bank lends, it generally creates a matching deposit rather than handing over a particular…
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The first computer mouse had a wooden shell and two wheels.
The first computer mouse had a wooden shell and two wheels. Douglas Engelbart conceived it, and Bill English built the prototype in 1964. Its two wheels…
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Global Positioning System satellites orbiting the Earth have to continuously adjust their internal clocks to account for Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
Global Positioning System satellites orbiting the Earth have to continuously adjust their internal clocks to account for Albert Einstein's theory of…
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Ray Tomlinson invented network email in 1971, making electronic mail a solid two decades older than the World Wide Web itself.
Ray Tomlinson invented network email in 1971, making electronic mail a solid two decades older than the World Wide Web itself. He chose “@” to separate a…
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NASA's Shadow network boasts an internet connection speed of 91 gigabits per second, making it roughly 13,000 times faster than the average American home connection.
NASA's Shadow network boasts an internet connection speed of 91 gigabits per second, making it roughly 13,000 times faster than the average American home…
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Symbolics.com became the first ever commercially registered internet domain name when a Massachusetts computer company claimed it on March 15, 1985.
Symbolics.com became the first ever commercially registered internet domain name when a Massachusetts computer company claimed it on March 15, 1985. Nearly…
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A pigeon beat an internet connection in a 2009 data-transfer race.
A pigeon beat an internet connection in a 2009 data-transfer race. South African company Unlimited IT sent a 4GB memory card with a pigeon called Winston. By…
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IBM introduced the first commercial computer hard drive in 1956, known as the RAMAC 305, which weighed over a ton and required a forklift just to move it around.
IBM introduced the first commercial computer hard drive in 1956, known as the RAMAC 305, which weighed over a ton and required a forklift just to move it…
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IBM engineer David Bradley created the infamous "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" keyboard shortcut in 1981 as a quick way to safely reboot a computer without powering it down completely,…
IBM engineer David Bradley created the infamous "Ctrl-Alt-Delete" keyboard shortcut in 1981 as a quick way to safely reboot a computer without powering it…
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Nokia made paper long before it made phones.
Nokia made paper long before it made phones. Its story began with Fredrik Idestam's Finnish pulp mill in 1865. The company that became familiar through mobile…
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Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin originally named their revolutionary search engine algorithm "BackRub" in 1996 because the system checked backlinks to estimate the importance of a site.
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin originally named their revolutionary search engine algorithm "BackRub" in 1996 because the system checked backlinks…
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Why superglue bonds skin so quickly
Cyanoacrylate hardens when it meets tiny amounts of water on surfaces, including your skin, as its molecules rapidly link into a rigid plastic mesh. That…
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Calcium ascorbate stops sliced apples browning
Calcium ascorbate, a mix of vitamin C and calcium, slows the oxidation that turns cut apples brown.
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Pringles aren't made like ordinary potato chips
They’re made from dough containing dehydrated potato flakes, rice flour, and wheat starch, then cut into uniform saddle shapes and fried. That shape lets them…
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Bleach attacks the chemistry that makes a stain visible
Colored stains contain structures that absorb some wavelengths of light. Oxidizing bleach changes that chemistry, so the stain no longer produces the same…
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The thyroid helps deliver its own radioactive treatment
Thyroid cells naturally take up iodine to make hormones. Doctors can use iodine-131 so that this same appetite concentrates a radioactive treatment in thyroid…
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Most vanilla flavoring isn't vanilla
Most vanilla flavoring is synthetic vanillin rather than vanilla from orchids; it can be made from petrochemicals or wood-pulp derivatives. Natural vanilla…
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Hydroponic plants grow entirely without soil
Hydroponic crops grow in nutrient-rich water instead of soil. Commercial systems can increase yields and reduce pests, though they don’t guarantee flawless or…
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Barium swallows coat intestines for clear x rays
The chalky barium drink coats the esophagus so it shows up on X-rays, helping doctors spot narrowing such as a stricture. Barium sulfate isn't absorbed into…
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A cloned pet won't remember the original
A clone shares its donor's genes, not its memories: its brain develops through its own experiences, so its personality won't be a copy either.
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The radioactive glow on luxury watch dials
Tiny glass tubes contain tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen. Its radiation excites a phosphor coating, making the dial glow without sunlight.
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