Interesting facts about technology and innovation

We use technology every day, whether we realise it or not. You may even say we've become dependent on it. This modern digital world runs on the latest technology and innovation, and it all started with a simple idea years ago.

Today, we travel through history to find some of the most interesting facts about technology and innovation.

The first mouse

The very first computer mouse was called the 'X-Y Position Indicator for Display Systems'. That's quite a mouthful for such a small essential. It was invented at Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

The mouse was demoed for the first time in 1968 using the Xerox Alto computer and was termed the 'Mother of all demos'. Later, the name Mouse was coined for this valuable piece of computer equipment as the cable sticking out was said to remind Engelbart of a rodent's tail. It makes perfect sense.

The world's first webpage

It's crazy to think that Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist at CERN, invented the World Wide Web in 1989. It went live in 1991 and was hosted via a NeXT system at CERN. And the best part is that you can still visit the first website today. It has become a historical archive of everything online about the World Wide Web.

Slow your typing

The QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow down typing speed. If there's one thing we all enjoy, it's a bit of competition. I bet you didn't know that the current layout of the QWERTY keyboard is specially designed to slow down your typing speed.

It was a solution to a problem, considering that the typewriters in the 1870s experienced a couple of technical difficulties, as the metal arms holding the characters would clash or jam if pressed rapidly and repeatedly.

To prevent this, Christopher Latham Sholes made some alterations to the keyboard layout design.

Not just a pretty face

Apple has become a household name with its wide range of high-tech products. This includes everything from the Mac OS to the Macbook, iPod, and iPhone. One goal of Apple has always been to create an isolated ecosystem, which they've successfully maintained.

While these are common things you know about your favourite device creator, there is one teeny fact in the Apple archive you didn't know. Apple also had its own clothing line named 'The Apple Collection' back in 1986. Who would've guessed that Apple also had its feelers in the world of apparel?

Another Apple factoid

They say smoking can kill you, but did you know that smoking near your Apple product can make you lose the warranty?

There is no warranty void clause in the product documents; there have been many instances where the company didn't honour the product warranty due to smoke exposure. So, if you want to keep your warranty, it might be best not to smoke anywhere near your Apple device.

Google for sale

No, it's not for sale right now, but did you know that back in 1999, Larry Page wanted to sell Google to Excite? The acquisition was to be for $750,000 and 1% of Excite, but it fell through.

The story has two sides. The first was that the deal fell apart because Larry Page expected Excite to replace all its search technology with Google's tech. Then, the details are provided by Steven Levy in his book, 'In the Plex'. The book stated that George Bell was unhappy with Google's search algorithm's excellent performance.

Bell believed that Google's relevant search results may cause users to look away from other websites, including Excite's pages. This would make it harder for them to retain the current users of Excite web pages. He believed this would cause monetary damage or loss, considering that ad revenue would decrease as users get to access information quickly and leave the site just as quickly.

Google by a different name

Another not-very-known fact is that Google's first name was not Google. It was originally called 'Backrub' as it analysed backlinks, which play a significant role in online SEO, to determine a website's importance and visibility.

It was then changed to Google, which is derived from Googol. The latter is a mathematical term with number 1 followed by 100 zeros, meaning Google is a large collection of information and resources.

We're glad it changed from Backrub to Google. 'Let me Backrub it' doesn't have the same ring as 'Let me Google it'.

Amazon's magic trick

Amazon is one of the biggest websites available across the world today. You can purchase everything via Amazon. But did you know that Amazon was not the first name for what we now know as Amazon? Jeff Bezos tested out different names before finally deciding on Amazon.

The website was registered under many names before it finally became Amazon.com. This includes bookmall.com, awake.com, browse.com and aard.com. It appears the man did try them all.

One previous name, relentless.com, still links back to amazon.com today.

The first smartphone

The smartphone was introduced by IBM Simon in 1992 and made by IBM engineer Frank Canova Jr. It included a touch screen, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a fax machine. It also features basic applications such as a calculator, notes, calendar, and email.

Of course, the device also could run basic games. While some of these features are still a permanent part of new devices, it's amazing to see how far technology has come.

Technology and innovation can easily be overlooked or viewed as a given. Considering how far it has come, we should be in awe of how one idea could set off a thousand others—creating a world of convenience for all to enjoy. Cheers to the great minds that brought to life the technology we get to enjoy today.