Category Science

What big companies started in a garage?

Google, Apple, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Amazon are names that are synonymous with the word tech giant. But could you ever imagine that these billion-dollar American companies started their journey from a garage?

HP was the first company among the giants to have commenced its journey from a rented garage in Palo Alto, California. In 1938, Bill Hewlett and David Packard began part-time work at a rented garage with their mentor Frederick Terman, a professor at Stanford University. In 1939, they formalised their partnership, and the rest is history.

Google, co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, started its journey from the garage of Susan Wojcicki in Menlo Park, California in September 1998. Susan Wojcicki is currently the Chief Executive Officer of YouTube.

Apple too started out in the garage of co-founder Steve Jobs’ parents in Los Altos, California. Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne worked on the first Apple Computer in the garage in 1976.

Microsoft meanwhile saw its ideas come to life in a garage at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen wrote a version of the BASIC programming while working out of the garage. During their garage stint, the two stayed at a most nearby.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rented out a house with a garage in Bellevue, Washington and developed the company’s online bookstore website there in 1995.

 

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How much freshwater do we have?

There’s a good reason our planet is called “the water planet- nearly two-thirds of it is covered in water. To quantify it further, that’s more than 300 million cubic miles of water. That’s quite adequate for humans, isn’t it? Well, not really. Because, 97% of it is in the oceans – salty, undrinkable and not usable for cooking or raising crops. Oh, so we have just 3%? Well, not even that much. Because about 2.5% of that is trapped in glaciers, ice caps, the atmosphere, and soil or is inaccessible because it lies very deep under the Earth’s surface. So that leaves us – over seven billion humans (and wildlife!) – with less than 0.5%. Do you know how little that is? A report says that if all the water in the world can be equated to 100 litres, then all the freshwater we have access to is about half-a-teaspoon! Our drinking and cooking water sources are groundwater, freshwater lakes, rivers, etc Though water can be seen as a renewable resource, the demand for freshwater has been slowly outdoing how much is replenished naturally, especially through the likes of rain. This is indicative not just of imbalance and a changing planet but also of potential global health and political crisis. That wars could be fought over water may not be a problem of a distant future. Which is why there has been consistent and loud calls for water conservation and recycling universally. The impact of water shortage has been showing, and when the problem becomes even more acute it will affect not just humans but also the plants and animals in it and most importantly, our planet itself as a whole.

 

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Can we save Earth?

The history of our planet has been divided into tiny sections of time, and this is called geologic time. Depending on many factors within a specific period, these sections are called eons, eras, periods, epochs, and age. What we now live in is officially called the Holocene (meaning “entirely recent”), an epoch that began more than 11,000 years ago after the last major Ice Age. However, for decades now, many scientists have been calling for a specific name to be given to the epoch that begins mid-20th Century. A name that will sum up how intensely and singularly we humans have altered our planet – Anthropocene (anthropo meaning “human” and cene, “new”). Mid-century was chosen because that’s when the first atomic bomb exploaded leaving behind radioactive debris in sediments and glacial ice, “becoming part of the geologic record”. While we do not know if Anthropocene will be officially accepted and adopted, what we can be sure of is that our actions are directly responsible for how the Earth is today. In fact, we’re in the midst of the sixth mass extinction – the first one for which humans are to blame! But many are still hopeful that we can work collectively to save the planet despite the window of opportunity closing really fast.

 

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What is the impact of supercontinents on climate?

Our planet did not always have seven continents.  surprised? Our universe began with the Big Bang about 14 billion years ago, and Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. During its history. Earth has witnessed the coming together and the breaking up of its land masses several times, A single large land mass is called a supercontinent. There have been many supercontinents so far. The youngest supercontinent is Pangaea, formed more than 300 million years ago. This is said to have been formed when two land masses Euramerica and Gondwana – collided. Pangaea began to break up nearly 175 million years ago, and gradually fomed the world as we know it today – Gondwana became Africa, South America, Antarctica, India and Australia, and North America split from Europe. This tremendous geographical alteration also means great impact on the environment climate and biodiversity. For instance, the collision of land masses results in the creation of large mountain chains, which directly impact the dimate in the region. Also, when only one large land mass exists, the most interior regions are far removed from oceans and experience dry weather. However, when the land mass breaks up, many regions earlier in the central part get surrounded by water, altering weather patterns over a period of time. Studies also show that broken-up continents “create more ecological niches and promote favorable dimate and environmental conditions that are conducive to biodiversity” A study said that “marine species tend to become more numerous when the continents divide”, and come down in great numbers when continents come together – a small example of a supercontinent’s direct impact on biodiversity.

 

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Who came up with the idea of a Dyson Sphere?

Freeman Dyson may be gone, but his famous alien-hunting idea will likely persist far into the future.

Dyson, a quantum physicist who died at age 96 on Feb. 28, recalled in a 2003 interview just how he first advanced his concept of a “Dyson sphere,” which could betray the existence of an advanced alien civilization. 

A Dyson sphere is a theoretical mega-engineering project that encircles a star with platforms orbiting in tight formation. It is the ultimate solution for living space and energy production, providing its creators ample surface area for habitation and the ability to capture every bit of solar radiation emanating from their central star

Because of their infrared radiation, Dyson spheres are considered a type of technosignature — a sign of activity that distant astronomers could use to infer the existence of intelligent beings in the universe, according to a NASA report. A handful of Earth-based researchers have scanned infrared maps of the night sky in hopes of spotting Dyson spheres, but so far, nobody has seen anything out of the ordinary.

In 2015, astronomer Tabetha Boyajian, then at Yale University, reported on the mysterious dimming of light from a star called KIC 8462852, whose irregular flickering looked like nothing researchers had ever seen before. Other scholars suggested the weird light dips could result from a partially built Dyson sphere, and the idea caused a media sensation. Campaigns to look for other signs of technological activity from the entity, which came to be known as Tabby’s star in honor of Boyajian, have turned up empty, and most researchers now think the object’s light patterns have some kind of nonalien explanation.

 

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What is podcast?

A podcast is a digital audio or video file that a user can download or stream and listen to. It is like an on demand internet radio where you can listen to anything you want whenever you want Usually, a podcast is an episodic series, but an individual file can also be called a podcast. The word podcast was suggested by British journalist and technologist Ben Hammersley in 2004.

Podcasts can be accessed through several mediums such as Ipods, desktop computers and smartphones. The first podcast commonly believed to have been published online is the Matt Schichter Interviews in October 2003.

One can find podcasts on a variety of topics from education to travel and life experiences. While most podcasts can be accessed for free. some are also available on a subscription basis.

How can you listen to a podcast?

Podcasts can be listened to on a desktop computer, smartphone or a digital media player such as an iPod. On a smartphone there are several apps that offer free podcasts such as Google Podcasts Spotify and Podcasts Just download any of the apps and get started. On the desktop, you can visit podcast sites directly or go to a website which also hosts podcasts, such as the BBC and The Guardian.

Podcasts for you

Here are a few websites offering podcasts that you can listen to in your free time:

BBC Podcasts

The BBC offers free podcasts on several topics. It also has a special station called School Radio which has podcasts that introduce you to the world of drama language and dance among others.

Science Friday

As the name suggests the website has podcasts on topics related to science and technology. The site has discussions by eminent personalities on topics such as alien life. climate change. and neuroscience. Apart from listening to podcasts, you can read up on several topics and also take part in STEM activities created by educators from around the world.

Wow in the World

Premiered in 2017. this podcast is by the National Public Radio. Aimed at kids, it explores several topics that will leave you thinking. It can be listened to online, or via one of the many podcast smartphone apps. It can also be downloaded for later use.

Can you upload a podcast?

Yes. Several podcast websites allow you to record your own podcast and upload it. There are also sites such as iTunes that let you host publish and maintain your own podcast series.

So, make the best use of your free time and listen to resourceful podcasts on a range of topics. And, if you fancy, you can upload your own and share your stories with the world.

 

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