Computer facts and facts about computers, from the Random Facts shelf.
6 facts on this shelf
As late as 1993, high-tech paraphernalia like computers, printers and video games had a negligible effect on power usage. Today, it's estimated to account for more than 13 percent of a typical household energy budget. By 2020, it could be as much as 25 percent
It is claimed that 13 ancient crystal skulls have been found with mysterious properties.
The Mitchell-Hedges family loaned the skull to Hewlett-Packard Laboratories for extensive study in 1970. Art restorer Frank Dorland oversaw the testing at the Santa Clara, California, computer equipment manufacturer, a leading facility for crystal research. The HP examinations yielded some startling results.
Researchers found that the skull had been carved against the natural axis of the crystal. Modern crystal sculptors always take into account the axis, or orientation of the crystal's molecular symmetry, because if they carve "against the grain," the piece is bound to shatter -- even with the use of lasers and other high-tech cutting methods.
To compound the strangeness, HP could find no microscopic scratches on the crystal which would indicate it had been carved with metal instruments. Dorland's best hypothesis for the skull's construction is that it was roughly hewn out with diamonds, and then the detail work was meticulously done with a gentle solution of silicon sand and water. The exhausting job -- assuming it could possibly be done in this way -- would have required man-hours adding up to 300 years to complete.
Note: 5/08, crystal skulls find themselves in the lates Indiana Jones movie!
70 percent of virus writers work under contract for organized crime syndicates.
"We have entered the Integration Age " - Steve Jobs CEO Apple...
The integration age has been mentioned for nearly a decade as a product name or marketing slogan. Now in 2007 it's hard not to see that a new era has arrived.
The integration age is the evolution of the information age. The integration age is made possible by the evolution of information management (search engines, bill pay, etc.) and information sharing (wikipedia.org, meetup.com, myspace.com) .
In fact a whole new generation of businesses that emerged (or came of age in Apple's case).
Google, Apple, eBay, Amazon, PayPal, myspace.com, youtube.com, craigslist.org, technorati.com, del.icio.us are just some of the big winners.
They share a common bond, right? They helped facilitate the creation and navigation of information and in the process dramatically affecting what is now possible.
The integration age is marked by globalization and specialization. It means highly integrated and efficient systems on the macro level thanks to specialization on the micro level. It is an age where Walmart rules because of their ability to effectively manage moving pieces. Did you know that Dell does not build computers and Nike does not make shoes?
The information age meant more information than any person or corporation could possibly handle, and businesses that specialized in the information age thrive in the integration age.
It is the IPhone that will likely be the symbol of the dawn of the integration age. An elegant merger of technologies, who would've thought it would take so long to merge the cell phone with the music player effectively.
Evidence that the integration age is well under way is seen in more and more places every day.
You can use www.salesforce.com to find clients, subcontractors off the Internet to implement services, and an accountant to keep track of it.
VA hospitals can access patient records from any location
www.zillow.com integrates Google maps and publicly available housing information giving anybody a reasonable estimate of the house prices on your block
Today's vehicles offer GPS, video screens, satellite, radio, oh, and talking maps
Social networks like www.myspace.com, www.blogger.com, and www.youtube.com, and open-source software all leverage information-age technologies to create a new type of social system that has had a profound impact on culture and the media.
You can now run Windows on your Macintosh
hackers now can control massive networks of zombie machines (1.5 million computers in one case) that act in co-operation (called botnets). These botnets might peddle spam and attack networks.
Welcome to the integration age.
There are currently three types of batteries commonly used to run people's laptops:
1) Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries were the standard technology for years, but are now out of date.
2) Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are a cadmium-free replacement for Nickel Cadmium.
3) Lithium Ion (Li-ion) is the battery you want for your laptop and is the current standard for portable power.
The "Love Hurts" virus hit in spring 2000 and infected affected millions of computers and caused more damage than any other computer virus to date. Users were infected via e-mail, through Internet chat systems, and through other shared file systems. The worm sent copies of itself via Microsoft Outlook's address book entries. The mail included an executable file attachment with the e-mail subject line, "ILOVEYOU." The worm had the ability to overwrite several types of files, including .gif and .jpg files. It modified the Internet Explorer start page and changed Registry keys. It also moved other files and hid MP3 files on affected systems. Visit Symantec's Security Response for instructions on how to remove LoveLetter.