Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [computers]

A computer is a programmable machine designed to automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations.

119 questions
4
votes
1 answer

Is the number of Windows users without security software now equivalent to the total number of Apple users?

According to Leo Laporte (on the podcast Security Now), Mac users are now targeted by malware because most of the larger base of Windows users use security software. Here is the exact quote: LEO: No. And the numbers game is that, as Windows users…
Manu
  • 1,205
  • 1
  • 10
  • 17
4
votes
1 answer

Are consumer brain-wave devices faster than keyboard/mouse?

I've seen advertisements for headsets such as the OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator, and recently there is a NeuroSky MindWave. Are these devices really capable of beating a keyboard and mouse for either high throughput or low latency? Edit: For a simple…
DeadMG
  • 231
  • 1
  • 6
4
votes
2 answers

Have Microsoft Windows tablet computer sales been significant?

When people talk about the iPad they often mention that Windows-based tablet computers never took off (never had significant sales). Is this true? Did any company ever make make money building/selling Windows-based tablet computers?
John
  • 159
  • 3
4
votes
0 answers

Do long sessions of computer use damage the user's skin?

I believe that regularly spending long periods of time facing computers monitors while using them significantly damages the skin. The Daily Mail reported in 2018: According to [Rebecca Mason, skin expert] the main impact computers can have on our…
user7393973
  • 149
  • 2
4
votes
2 answers

Was there a ML-backed algorithm that learnt to delete list instead of sorting it

Here's a quote from an article which was discussed pretty heavily a while ago: Well, it’s not unsorted: For example, there was an algorithm that was supposed to sort a list of numbers. Instead, it learned to delete the list, so that it was no…
shabunc
  • 195
  • 6
4
votes
0 answers

Is light text on dark background less harmful to the eyes than dark text on light background

Most programmers (at least most of my undergraduate classmates) use light text on dark background (LTDB) and so do I, instead of dark text on light background (DTLB). And as we know, traditional books and e-books are almost unanimously DTLB, and…
Violapterin
  • 141
  • 2
4
votes
2 answers

Was a new deep learning toolkit released once every 22 days in 2015?

Guest Post (Part II): Deep Reinforcement Learning with Neon says: The deep learning ecosystem has evolved a lot since then. Supposedly a new deep learning toolkit was released once every 22 days in 2015. Amongst the popular ones are both the…
Franck Dernoncourt
  • 7,224
  • 4
  • 33
  • 76
3
votes
1 answer

Does looking at screens damage your brain?

I found several articles that warn of the dangers of too much computer time, especially for children. Oxford Learning, Jun 2010: Too much computer time can be bad for your brain However, a recent article in the New York Times showed how, thanks…
JamesM
  • 147
  • 3
3
votes
0 answers

Does deepnet have only 7100 onion sites?

I have read this article on forbes claiming that deepnet has only 7100 onion sites and took only 3 hours to scan completely. Which to me sounds like total nonsense since if average .onion address is 16 long (example: http://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/)…
Matas Vaitkevicius
  • 1,062
  • 2
  • 10
  • 21
3
votes
1 answer

Is it possible to generate all photos ever taken by random sequencing of bits?

All JPGS, pngs etc are basically just sequences of bits. Is it possible to generate these by making a program that generates random sequences of bits? For example say that the sequence 100010111 is all the bits used to store a picture of mona lisa…
bogen
  • 351
  • 1
  • 8
2
votes
0 answers

Had ENIAC run more calculations than all mankind had done (up to 1955)?

According to this comment on Quantum Computing StackExchange, For a decade, until a 1955 lightning strike, ENIAC may have run more calculations than all mankind had done up to that point I search from some sources with a quick google search, and…
Kepotx
  • 151
  • 1
  • 4
2
votes
0 answers

Is Computer Science the fastest growing science field in the history of mankind?

Background Wikipedia lists several scientific disciplines on its science article. To name a few, they are: Logic, Maths, Statistics, Molecular, Atomic, Plasma, Quantum Physics, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Stellar astronomy, Anatomy, Biochemistry,…
Gaurang Tandon
  • 197
  • 4
2
votes
0 answers

Is humidity more relevant than high operating temperatures in hard drive reliability?

According to Environmental Conditions and Disk Reliability in Free-cooled Datacenters: Based on our experience and observations, we conclude that high relative humidity degrades reliability significantly, having a much more substantial impact…
Anyname Donotcare
  • 389
  • 2
  • 4
  • 8
2
votes
0 answers

Is looking at a computer screen all that bad for you?

As you've all heard around on the internet looking at a screen is bad and awful for you, however, is there any proof that screens and only screens are the cause of these health issues? This article by the Washington Post agrees that some may be…
Crafter0800
  • 121
  • 3
2
votes
0 answers

Can Magic Leap deliver its claims about their future augmented reality product?

Magic Leap has been very outward with their public face regarding their upcoming augmented reality product. They've been promising a great deal, and the media has hyped up their image as a result, using CGI assets provided by Magic Leap and the…
TND
  • 129
  • 2
1 2 3 4 5 6
7
8