The rotary phone was invented by an undertaker. The operator in his hometown was married to his competition, so the rotary dial was a way to bypass the human operator.
technology
A programmer developed an operating system…
A programmer developed an operating system called TempleOS since 2003. Hospitalized for mental health problems, he believes that TempleOS is literally the Third Temple as biblically prophesied. Per God’s “instructions,” the OS uses a 640×480, 16 color display, and uses the language HolyC.
The New Zealand town of Brightwater had…
The New Zealand town of Brightwater had 5 electric street lights in 1911 powered by a hydroelectric generator which was auto-controlled by a flock of chickens. At night, the chickens would go inside their coop and their weight would close an electric circuit, turning on the street lights.
Wireless phone chargers use resonant inductive …
Wireless phone chargers use resonant inductive coupling which Tesla tried to use to provide free wireless electricity and may be used to create roads that can charge electric cars.
Many tech companies stayed away from the use of male computerized …
Many tech companies stayed away from the use of male computerized voices because of HAL-9000 (from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’).
The first “iPhone” was actually released in 1998…
The first “iPhone” was actually released in 1998 by a company called Infogear, a good nine years before Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s iPhone. Infogear was subsequently acquired by Cisco which then got into a trademark battle with Apple in 2007 over the name. The two companies eventually settled.
An astronomical clock was found in an ancient shipwreck…
An astronomical clock was found in an ancient shipwreck. The clock has no earlier examples and its sophistication would not be duplicated for over 1000 years.
The computer mouse, video conferencing, teleconferencing….
The computer mouse, video conferencing, teleconferencing, hypertext, word processing, hypermedia, object addressing and dynamic file linking, bootstrapping, and a collaborative real-time editor were all demonstrated for the first time in what is the called the “mother of all demos” back in 1968.
In 1932, a Seattle phone repair guy received an unusual complaint…
In 1932, a Seattle phone repair guy received an unusual complaint from a customer. A woman claimed that her phone never rang, however her dog howled on a backyard to let her know to pick up the phone on time. Turned out that, the dog didn’t have a psychic power. Instead, the dog was chained to the ground wire and there was a short circuit. Apparently, the dog was shocked every time his owner’s number was called.
During a visit to Boeing, Soviet scientists secretly applied adhesive…
During a visit to Boeing, Soviet scientists secretly applied adhesive to the bottom of their shoes in order to covertly collect metal samples from the floor.