More computing power than Apollo 11 fits in a USB-C charger
Technology
A modern 30W USB-C power brick contains a microcontroller that vastly outperforms the Apollo Guidance Computer, which got humans to the Moon on ~64 KB of memory.
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Lossless compression can restore every bit
Technology
Lossless formats shrink data while allowing the original file to be reconstructed exactly.
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Cookies were named after magic cookies
Technology
Web cookies borrowed their name from an older computing term for a packet of data passed around.
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CDs store data in microscopic pits
Technology
Compact discs encode information in tiny pits and lands read by a laser.
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Spacecraft often use older hardened chips
Technology
Radiation-resistant chips can matter more in space than the newest consumer processor speed.
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Undersea cables carry most global internet traffic
Technology
Most intercontinental internet data travels through fiber optic cables laid across the ocean floor.
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Email predates the World Wide Web
Technology
Networked email was used long before web browsers and web pages became mainstream.
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Touchscreens can sense your finger's capacitance
Technology
Many phones detect touch by measuring changes in an electric field caused by your finger.
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Bluetooth is named after a Viking king
Technology
Bluetooth honors Harald Bluetooth, a king associated with uniting parts of Denmark and Norway.
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Laser printers use static electricity
Technology
Laser printers use charged drums and toner powder before heat fuses the image onto paper.
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Solid-state drives have no spinning platters
Technology
SSDs store data in flash memory, avoiding the moving parts found in hard drives.
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DNS turns names into network addresses
Technology
The Domain Name System translates readable domain names into addresses computers can route.
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Python was named after Monty Python
Technology
The Python programming language was named for the comedy group, not the snake.
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Java was first called Oak
Technology
The Java programming language was originally named Oak before trademark issues forced a change.
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The Bluetooth logo combines runes
Technology
The Bluetooth symbol merges runes for Harald Bluetooth's initials.
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GIF animation is older than many websites
Technology
The GIF format supports simple animation and became a durable language of internet reaction culture.
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Mars rovers receive software updates
Technology
Robots on Mars can get new instructions and software from Earth long after landing.
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The first YouTube video was Me at the zoo
Technology
YouTube's first uploaded video is a short clip filmed at the San Diego Zoo.
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Unicode gives symbols shared code points
Technology
Unicode helps computers represent writing systems, symbols, and emoji consistently across platforms.
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JPEG compression throws detail away
Technology
JPEG files save space by discarding image information that the algorithm expects people to notice less.
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E-ink moves tiny pigment particles
Technology
Electronic paper displays use charged particles that rearrange to make text visible without constant power.
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UTF-8 preserves plain ASCII text
Technology
UTF-8 was designed so ordinary ASCII files remain valid while allowing far more characters.
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The first computer mouse was wooden
Technology
Douglas Engelbart's early computer mouse prototype used a wooden shell and metal wheels.
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Wi-Fi owes its existence to a Hollywood actress
Technology
Hedy Lamarr co-invented a frequency-hopping spread-spectrum system in 1942 to guide torpedoes — the same idea underpins Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS today.
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