Did you know the world’s first mouse was made up of wood? No, you probably didn’t. In fact, there are so many weird facts about computers that you probably don’t know but you should know.
We tried to pull down some of the best jaw-dropping truths and backstories worth reading. They are hardly discussed in any computer classes or amongst any digital communities.
So, we thought of taking the initiative to present you with some of the funny, surprising, and scary computer facts.
Enjoy reading the article!
Surprising And Funny Computer Facts
1. QWERTY Was Designed To Slow Down Your Typing Speed
The QWERTY format in typewrites was created to slow down the typing speed of users as well as tackle the mechanical failings of the early models. The typebars of old typewriters were connected to keys and the letter plate beneath the paper.
As a result, when someone types fast (some sequences of letter pairing), the type bar often gets jammed. So, Christopher Latham Sholes (developer of early typewriters) redesigned the letter arrangement to limit the speed.
Meanwhile, some argue differently. In 1873, Sholes- along with his cohorts- entered into a manufacturing agreement with Remington, who also used to provide training courses on typing.
He did so with a purpose – companies hiring trained typists would feel comfortable purchasing their typewriters from Remington.
That brings us to one doubt- Was QWERTY an attempt to address mechanical fallacy or was a pure marketing strategy?
2. The First Computer Mouse Was Made Up Of Wood
Before the invention of laser technology, a trackball used to be the key feature of every mouse. The Canadian Navy invented the first trackball in 1952. It was mostly a complex hardware system attached with a bowling ball to sense motion and mimic movements accordingly.
Since it was a secret military invention, it was beyond any common man’s knowledge for almost eleven years. Then finally, Douglas Engelbart invented the first mouse featuring a square-boxed wooden base with two wheels to glide on the surface. Thank God he did!
3. MyDoom Virus Caused Financial Loss $38 Billion
MyDoom is the most devastating and expensive virus till now that caused a loss of $38 billion. It penetrates systems easily and travels faster than any other virus which makes it capable of such costly damages.
Once the virus infects a system, it creates a new breach for perpetrators to infiltrate.
First sighted in 2004, Mydoom was believed to be the brainchild of email spammers trying to earn a click through junk emails.
The virus includes a message “Andy; I’m just doing my job, nothing personal, sorry,” leading people to believe the creator was paid for it.
Interestingly, 25 percent of the attack was against the SCO Group. Some even believed that the virus was a retaliation to SCO Groups’ controversial public statement and legal actions against Linux, a theory later refuted by security researchers.
4. People Blink Less Than Normal While Using Computer
Human eyes normally blink around 10-15 times per minute. The range of blinks usually lessens while using a computer. So, should we blame the computer for our eyestrains?
Well, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) thinks differently. If blue light was the real cause of digital eye strain then glasses would have fixed it right?
According to their study, the level of our concentration plays a significant role in deciding our blink rate.
We blink less while focused onto something. Once we get acclimated, the blink rate returns to normal or even increases. Arguably, it is related to visual information processing. As long as our brain is in the middle of processing, we don’t blink!
Anyways, with that being said, don’t forget to use eye drops next time you work in front of a system for a long time. 😉
5. World’s First Computer Weighed More Than 27 Tons
The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was the first-ever electronic computer invented for solving numerical problems.
The prototype model was developed by John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly for the United States Army’s Ballistic Research laboratory. It was aimed at calculating the artillery firing tables.
Between 1943 to 1946 it helped the US army fight against the German force. Later, 100-word magnetic core memory was added in the year 1953 to enhance its memory.
By 1956, it was housing 20,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, & 1,500 relays. In an 1800 sq ft area, it was consuming 200 kilowatts of electricity. It weighed 27 tons with a face value of $490,000.
6. Sony BMG Has Illegally Installed Rootkits In 22 Million Computers
In 2005, Sony BMG found itself amidst a scandal for illegally installing rootkits on 22 million computers. Sony BMG has installed two software inside its Music CDs as a form of digital right management to prevent data copy.
The other major problem with the program was that it got installed in the system even when users refuse the EULA. Moreover, it used to track users’ private listening habits. Both programs include codes from copylefted free software, which constitutes a clear infringement of copyright.
The other program was written to collect user email addresses leading it to more security issues. Later, facing several investigating, class-action lawsuits, and public bashing, Sony BMG recalled 10 percent CDS from the market followed by a not-so-convincing apology.
7. World’s First Hard Drive Was a Size Of Two Refrigerators
IBM released the first Gigabyte hard drives named IBM 3380 in 1980 weighing around 1000 lbs at $ 81,000 then ($2,52,000 now). It had two head disk assemblies featuring 1.26 GB storage capacity each. The disks were packed inside a big cabinet similar in size when two refrigerators combined.
The IMB 3380 came with a storage capacity of up to 2.52 billion characters of information, four times of its predecessors. The data transfer was at a rate of three million characters per second.
The hard drive features a new film technology, which reduces power consumption by 70 percent and takes up only 65 percent floor space than previous models.
8. Papa John Was Once Hacked For Delivering Pizza Late
UGNzi, one of the top hacktivists organizations hacked the official website of Papa John, a popular pizza company with a DoS attack. The attack was a retaliation to the bad pizza delivery regime.
It happened on the day Papa John took more than 2 hours to deliver an order placed by one of the group members.
However, this is not the first attack of the notorious hacktivist organization. Previously, they have leaked around 1.7GB of data from WHMCS- web hosting firm, containing payment details and sensitive details of 500,000 users. The group claimed that WHMCS was providing billing information to scam sites.
9. 92% of the World’s Currencies Are In Digital Form
We have 180 types of currencies in the world as of now. However, only 8 percent of the money is available in physical form. Meaning, the rest of the money is transacted through digital means.
Before the 1970s the value of the paper currencies was similar to the value of gold. However, the rise of digital wallets and online banking has slashed the usage of physical currencies by more than 90 percent.
The dependency on physical cash is less likely to disappear soon as not all nations are at the same pace in this movement. For example, technologically advanced countries are way far ahead than poorer nations facing infrastructure shortages.
10. 90 Percent Of E-mail You Received Are Spams
It may alarm you, but more than 90 percent of the email you receive daily are spam. According to a report by Symantec, around 58 percent of spam comes from botnets. Explaining further, botnets consist of a series of hacked computers used by cybercriminals to launch cyberattacks and send spam emails to users.
Most criminals purchase botnets from the black market. However, to tackle the corporate filters, cybercriminals are currently switching from botnets to ISP networks. Their idea is to push a large number of messages onto a network before getting detected by antivirus software.
Conclusion
Did you find these facts interesting? If you have any computer nazi in your social circle, do suprise them with what you have just read. If they surprise you back with something more, don’t forget to let us know here. If interesting, we will add them to the article for sure.
