Brain

Server room

You know how smartphones sometimes get really warm after an hour of web browsing, right? And how laptop’s fan is howling on a warm day, spouting hot air from the vents. In a powerful gaming PC heat is an issue. Computers produce heat, but can a computer heat up a room? A Reddit user did some serious maths

Actor Mark Hamill

Our beloved Star Wars actor, Luke Skywalker himself (also known as Mark Hamill) attended Nile C. Kinnick High School in Japan. The school is located in Yokosuka Naval Base nowadays, but back then it was in Yokohama (second largest city in Japan today).

Auschwitz shoes

As of 2019, there are at least 19 countries where denying that Holocaust happened is a crime: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Three trebuchets in France

In 13th and 14th century Scotland made an attempt to establish its independence from England. It began with First War of Scottish Independence, led by William Wallace. One of results of this war is Mel Gibson’s movie “Braveheart” which may be totally inaccurate historically, but it was epic. King Edward I of England invaded Scotland on March 26, 1296. Scotland was less than happy, and by 1297 was revolting. Scottish

Google Maps mobile phone

Is it true that GPS receivers in consumer grade devices automatically disables itself when it suspects it’s being used in advanced weaponry? It definitely seems so. The limits set by CoCom were established: anything faster than 1,000 knots (1,900 km/h or 1,200 mph) or higher than 59,000 feet (18,000 m) was regarded as a weapon. Most likely, an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Butterfly

How did butterfly get its name? There are multiple theories. In German language old or local names for butterflies are “Molkendieb” (“whey thief”) and “Botterlicker” (“butter licker”). It was believed that many insects, including butterflies, stole milk and butter. Other ancient hypothesis claimed that butterflies were witches temporarily shapeshifted into insects, and it’s the witches who stole the butter.

Handcuffed prisoner

The word “esposas” in Spanish language has two meanings: one is the plural from “wife” (Spanish: esposa), another is “handcuffs”. Is it a joke? No, etymology of both words is the same. “Spondere” in Latin means “to bind”. And that’s what marriage is about: binding two people together. That is also what handcuffs do. They bind two hands together. Top photo: Handcuffed prisoner (Photo credit: Rainerzufall1234 / CC BY-SA 4.0)