Technology
Exploring "Why" questions about Technology
491 articles
Why (or how) do certain mobile apps and programs make phones heat up and drain battery so quickly? And how does fixing a certain string of code fix that?
Most of the time, most parts of your phone aren't being used, or aren't being used fully. - The GPS chip is switched off when you're not using location services - The cellular data chip goes into a lo
Why can programmers write code easily but have difficulty reading it?
It's very easy to write code that is unreadable. Some programmers test every 15-30 lines or whatever of code, so they work on their own momentary memory of what is supposed to happen. On top of that s
Why does a dead alkaline battery bounce?
The insides of a fresh cell is soft and fluid. This means that when it hits something solid, the fluid inside moves, absorbing the energy. The insides of a used battery dry out, so it doesn't move, do
why does my Apple IPhone require that I have at least 4.5 GB of storage available in order to update?
The files you download in the update must be decompressed before being permanently installed. A 500 MB download could easily decompress into a couple of gigabytes or more.
Why do some people seem to retain “useless information” without effort, yet recalling someone’s phone number can be so difficult while exerting effort to memorize it?
We don't really live in the environment we evolved for. The things we find easy to memorize are the things we find 'cool'. Something like a phone number doesn't trip our primate senses into thinking i
Why do people steal iphones if the FBI had such a difficult time unlocking the phone of the San Bernardino shooter?
The mugger doesn't care about obtaining the data, and doesn't need to use tools that conform with US constitutional protections for the accused. The FBI needs both. The mugger wants a phone that can b
Why are computer and calculator number pads in the opposite order of phone keypads?
The original calculator had a 1x9 column of number buttons for each digit, with 1 at the bottom and 9 at the top. To make an 8 digit calculator you had 8 "5" keys in a row. When calculator people figu
Why don’t downloaded games, burnt to DVDs work on the Xbox 360 etc?
Xbox games have a special key and protection mechanism burnt onto the discs that only the xbox disc drive can unlock. A random burnt dvd will not pass this test. **ELI5**: Xbox does a handshake with t
Why are chess careers still viable when computers can beat us all at it now?
Why do people run track when cars can beat them? The point of professional chess never had anything to do with the game having a practical value - it's about watching the best players in the world pla
Why is every internet related problem i encounter solved by unplugging the router then plugging it back in?
It's doing the same thing as rebooting your computer. It clears out everything in memory and loads it "fresh" from storage. If you want to automate it to a degree, plug it into an outlet that's contro