This post aims to clear up some commonly held misconceptions in the field of science and technology. The truth, as they say, shall set you free. So let’s get started with Top 10 Myths in the world of technology.
Myth 10 – WWW is Same as Internet
Many people think that www and internet are same. But they are not. Broadly speaking, when we use the word internet we talk about everything on ‘network of networks’ like using Skype on your computer, file sharing with utorrent or browsing web on your favorite browser.
Whereas world wide web, or ‘web’ for short is subset of internet. So when we talk about the web, we refer it to the ‘collection of web pages’ that can be viewed on web browser.
Myth 9 – More bars on your mobile phone mean better service
The bars indicate signal strength, not the quality of available service. If many people in the same cell are calling, texting, going online or gaming, service may be intermittent, slow or even unavailable.
You may have experienced this at an athletic event or at the mall, where there may be plenty of signals but a lot of people on their phones. And if you have teenagers in the house, you can expect to have terrible service no matter how many bars you have.
Myth 8 -Deleted Files Cannot Be Recovered
There are a few people who still who believes that ‘if they delete a file from ‘recycle bin, it’s gone for ever. But again this is not true.
Technically, when you delete a file permanently, your Operating system only delete ‘the links’ to that file and not the actual file itself. So your deleted data is still there, and if you act immediately you can recover them, using data recovery software.
Myth 7 -MBps and Mbps
Megabyte i.e with capital B is (unit for file size) and a Megabit with small b (unit for download speeds). But since both, in their short form sounds same i.e. mb/s. People often get confuse and Telecom use it as marketing gimmick. But obviously are not same, and the real relation between them is MByte = 8 MBits.
So if you have 1 Mb/s internet connection your downloading speed will be it’s 1/8th. i,e, 125 KBytes/s.
Myth 6 -Refresh Speeds Up PC
Growing up as a child in India, I have often seen people, refreshing their computers. And this made me wonder if refreshing windows very now then, would make the computer run smoother.
And in reality, it doesn’t. All it does is, load up the icons on your desktop. It doesn’t improve your computer performance or make it run smoother.
Myth 5 -Open Source Means Always Free
Most Open source software are – available for free, and you may even modify and redistribute them. However this doesn’t necessary mean all open source software are FREE.
There are few software and games that are open source but not a freeware.
Myth 4 -Magnets can Erase Hardisk
It’s a common disbelief that rubbing a magnet on your hard drive will erase the data. Well the truth is, most magnet laying around your house, will have no impact on your Hard drive.
But if you really want to, wipe out your hard drive then, you will need a very strong magnet, like a CT scan machine found in hospitals.
Myth 3 -Overcharging Destroys Battery
When it comes to battery life, people often come up with their own explanations. So if you heard the rumours like ‘ Leaving your phone, plugged in for a night, may kill the battery, then don’t believe it.
Modern smartphones, run on batteries, that are smart enough to stop charging when they’ve reached their full capacity. So overcharging won’t damage your battery, but heat can. The Best practice for lithium-ion battery, is to charged them between 40 to 80%.
Myth 2 -Cellphoen Radiation Causes Cancer
Everyone knows cell phone emits radiation. But can it cause brain cancer? Well, As of now there have been many research and scientific studies, to find out the impact of cell phone radiation on human brain. And the result are conflicting.
It’s still not clear whether cell phones can cause brain cancer or not. The only thing we know is, even though cell phone use, has increased dramatically over past 2 decades,, rates of brain cancer patients did not rise.
Myth 1 – Private/Incognito browsing mode keeps your computer activity anonymous
If you have ever tried to hide your browsing history, you may have used a privacy option on your browser. These have various names (InPrivate, Private Browsing, Incognito or Private Tab), but they all accomplish pretty much the same thing by keeping your browsing history off your computer.
While these privacy tools might keep others with access to your computer (spouse, office mates, friends, and kids) from seeing where you have surfed, they don’t prevent your Internet Service Provider or the sites you visit from tracking you.
In the end, the biggest myth in the world ‘Everything on the internet is true’. Never ever blindly believe what you see on the web. Always do your research from multiple sources. Having said
