COMPUTERS

15 Riveting Facts About Alan Turing

More than six decades after his death, Alan Turing’s life remains a point of fascination—even for people who have no interest in his groundbreaking work in computer science.

Photo Illustration by Lucy Quintanilla. Image: iStock.

The Quest to Break America’s Most Mysterious Code—And Find $60 Million in Buried Treasure

For the past century, the quest to break the Beale Ciphers has attracted the military, computer scientists, and conspiracy theorists. All have failed.

15 Surprising Facts About WarGames

President Reagan was a fan of the film, which was released 35 years ago, and based a policy decision on the movie.

MIT Wants to Teach Robots to Do Your Chores

A new simulator is designed to break household chores down into robot-friendly steps.

How To Get Past the iPhone-Crashing 'Death Emoji'

Receiving a simple text message can freeze your Messages app. Here's how to fix it.

5 Tips for Cleaning Your Laptop, Both Inside and Out

Don't let spring cleaning pass you by.

Trash Talk: 7 Ways to Recycle Your Tech Gadgets

Don’t simply dump the old model in the trash—use one of these methods to resell or recycle.

IBM Unveils the World's Smallest Computer

So small it could fit in an ant's rear end. (No one has plans to do that. Yet.)

Apple Wants to Patent a Keyboard You’re Allowed to Spill Coffee On

Will they also be crumb-proof?

Find Out If Your Passwords Have Been Stolen With This Free Service

Pwned Password will tell you just how many times your favorite password has been spotted in data breaches.

Why Are the Keys On a QWERTY Keyboard Laid Out As They Are?

The answer involves Morse code.

Sally Died of Dysentery: A History of The Oregon Trail

Classrooms didn't have computer monitors when the game debuted in 1971, so kids had to use more of their imagination when shooting deer or succumbing to typhoid fever.

The Computer Virus That Brought Down Whac-A-Mole

In 2008, the popular arcade game started malfunctioning. The company blamed a rogue programmer. He insisted they were digging in the wrong hole.

A Rare Apple Lisa 1 Computer Is Up for Auction on eBay

There are only between 20 and 100 of these early computers left in the world, and you could own a functioning one (for $55,000).

New Largest Known Prime Number Has More Than 23 Million Digits

It's called M77232917 for short.

Arctic Temperatures are Rising So Fast, They're Confusing the Hell Out of Computers

The temperatures triggered a failsafe meant to detect equipment malfunctions.

What Could the Repeal of Net Neutrality Mean for Internet Users?

Inflated pricing, hindered access to knowledge, and slower connections are just the beginning.

An AI Program Wrote Harry Potter Fan Fiction—and the Results Are Hilarious

“Magic: it was something Harry Potter thought was very good.”

The Plugin That Keeps the Internet From Spoiling Santa Claus

Believers: Click at your own risk.

As Big as a What? How Literary Size Comparisons Change Over Time

Authors have stopped turning to the natural world for size comparisons and started referring to sports.

The Highs and Lows of the Dell Dude

After his 2003 arrest for marijuana possession, a lot of newspaper headlines had the same pun ready: "Dude, you're getting a cell."

Google's AI Can Make Its Own AI Now

The robots are procreating.

Who Betrayed Anne Frank? A New Investigation Reopens the Case

Led by an ex-FBI agent, a new team of investigators is using data analysis and modern forensic techniques to solve a 70-year-old mystery.

Want to Become a Billionaire? Study Engineering

Many of the world's richest people studied engineering in college.

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