› added 4 years ago

58

TIL Write-only memory is a joke among computer and software engineers. Initially there was no use for a memory circuit from which data could not be retrieved. The first use of the term is generally attributed to Signetics in 1972 and is featured in the Apple IIe Reference Manual.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

V7gk TIL of “shifting baseline syndrome”, where large declines in ecosystems or species are masked as each subsequent generation redefines what they consider a ‘normal’ environment.
KODew TIL of Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian adventurer and scientist, who became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands to prove the Ancients could've accomplished this too.
yQZoe TIL In 1797, Fath Ali, the Shah of Persia, received a complete set of Britannica's 3rd edition, which he read completely. After this, he extended his royal title to include "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopedia Britannica."
XELR TIL that in 1961, only 10% of physicians thought it was correct to tell a patient about a fatal cancer diagnosis
j9KM TIL that an Ohio woman who abandoned kittens was sentenced to sleep in the woods, with no food or entertainment.