A collection of free, easy-to-understand articles, covering how things work, cutting-edge science, cool gadgets, and computers. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/index.html Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:00:00 GMT No matter how carefully you protect your password, someone can always gain access to online systems you use by hook or by crook. How, then, to keep your online life secure? One option is to use a neat little gadget called a security token that adds an extra level of protection. Security tokens are examples of what's called two-factor authentication (where you sign in with two distinctly different pieces of security information instead of just one) and work by generating one-time passwords (ones that expire as soon as you use them). If that sounds horribly confusing, allow me explain more clearly... http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-security-tokens-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-security-tokens-work.html Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:00:00 GMT Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas? If you want to answer questions like that, you'll need a computer model--a handy way of studying everything from military planning to climate change. Here's how they work. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-computer-models-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-computer-models-work.html Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:00:00 GMT Have you ever sat on a pair of eyeglasses and broken them? If you do this kind of thing regularly, maybe you need an "indestructible" pair made from a super-bendy shape memory alloy? Here's how they work... http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-shape-memory-works.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-shape-memory-works.html Tue, 27 July 2010 12:00:00 GMT How do computers remember things? What makes a human memory different from a computer memory? What is RAM and how is it different from ROM? What was computer memory like back in the 1950s? These are some of the questions we answer for you in our introductory article on computer memory! http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-computer-memory-works.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-computer-memory-works.html Sun, 18 July 2010 24:00:00 GMT Tired of watching flat, dull, television pictures? Worry not! 3D TV is coming your way in 2010, but it could be many years before the technology becomes truly widespread... and here's why. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-3d-tv-works.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-3d-tv-works.html Sun, 11 July 2010 21:00:00 GMT Imagine taking a photograph of someone and having to wait an hour, a day, or a week before you could see it! That's how things used to be in the days of film cameras, before digital cameras came along. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-film-cameras-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-film-cameras-work.html Fri, 2 July 2010 20:00:00 GMT If your electricity supply is giving more voltage than you need, you could be wasting money on your electricity bill--especially if you're running a factory containing electric motors or other big machines. Voltage optimisation is a simple, effective way to tackle the problem. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/voltage-optimisation.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/voltage-optimisation.html Thu, 24 June 2010 14:00:00 GMT You probably know that the world's favorite drink grows on trees, but did you know there are more coffee trees on Earth than there are human beings? How does coffee make the journey from the plant to the cup? Like this... http://www.explainthatstuff.com/coffee.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/coffee.html Fri, 18 June 2010 11:30:00 GMT Most cars waste energy in all kinds of ways, not least by pumping hot exhaust gases out of their tailpipes. One way to make a car go faster is to harness these gases so they force more clean air into the cylinders. The handy little gadget that does that is called a turbocharger... and here's how it works... http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-turbochargers-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-turbochargers-work.html Sun, 13 June 2010 11:30:00 GMT More windows... this time, we're looking at metal-coated glass that can keep you cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Here's how it works. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-low-e-heat-reflective-windows-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-low-e-heat-reflective-windows-work.html Sat, 5 June 2010 13:00:00 GMT Windows that can keep themselves clean automatically with just sunlight and rain? If that sounds too good to be true, read on! If you read our earlier article about photocatalytic air purifiers, you'll find this story very familiar! http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-self-cleaning-windows-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-self-cleaning-windows-work.html Sat, 29 May 2010 17:00:00 GMT Do you suffer from asthma or allergies? Does air pollution drive you crazy? Why can't anyone come up with a decent way of zapping stray chemicals out of the air? Well, it turns out that they have: the technology is called photocatalysis... and here's how it works... http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-photocatalytic-air-purifiers-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-photocatalytic-air-purifiers-work.html Sat, 22 May 2010 18:00:00 GMT They're not LEDs and they're not LCDs. So how do vacuum fluorescent displays (those green flickering displays on alarm clocks and stoves) actually work? http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-vacuum-fluorescent-displays-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-vacuum-fluorescent-displays-work.html Fri, 5 Feb 2010 14:00:00 GMT Wind it up and watch it go... but how exactly does a clockwork toy turn winding energy into movement? Like this... http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-clockwork-works.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-clockwork-works.html Thu, 4 Feb 2010 11:00:00 GMT Imagine being able to print a little 3D model of your favorite football player or rock star! We're not quite there yet, but 3D printers are already available that can make simple model "prototypes" for design and engineering. Here's a quick introduction! http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-3d-printers-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-3d-printers-work.html Wed, 3 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT What's the world's best invention? If you're unlucky enough to lose a limb, you'd almost certainly cast your vote for prosthetics: replacement limbs that give you back your independence. Here's a simple introduction. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/prosthetic-artificial-limbs.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/prosthetic-artificial-limbs.html Tue, 2 Feb 2010 16:50:00 GMT Environmentalism means caring more about the planet and the long-term survival of life on Earth. It means recognizing the planet's environmental problems and coming up with solutions (individually and collectively) that try to put them right. Which means what, exactly? http://www.explainthatstuff.com/introduction-to-environmentalism.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/introduction-to-environmentalism.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 15:00:00 GMT Car speedometers that float in the road in front of you... cellphones that automatically show maps of your local area... even Google searches that happen inside your glasses--these are all examples of augmented reality: using information from computers whenever and wherever we need it to enhance the way we interact with the real world. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-augmented-reality-works.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-augmented-reality-works.html Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:00:00 GMT What makes an old-fashioned clock tick-tock? It's a timekeeping mechanism called the escapement, rocked back and forth at a precise rate by a swinging pendulum. If you've ever wondered how a pendulum clock works, here's your chance to find out! http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-pendulum-clocks-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-pendulum-clocks-work.html Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 GMT Lost? If you have a compass in your pocket, you can almost always find your way home. Here's how. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-compasses-work.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-compasses-work.html Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 GMT Imagine being able to cook your dinner with nothing but sunlight. Sounds fun? It's more than that. In the developing world, solar cookers (which work by capturing sunlight and trapping its heat) have the power to change people's lives for the better. http://www.explainthatstuff.com/solar-cookers.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/solar-cookers.html Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:00:00 GMT Everything living loves natural light! Wouldn't it be great if we could use more of it in our buildings instead of the sterile, artificial electric light we usually have to put up with? A relatively new idea called hybrid solar lighting (HSL) helps us do just that using fiber optic cables and and mirror dishes on your roof. Here's how it works! http://www.explainthatstuff.com/hybrid-solar-lighting.html http://www.explainthatstuff.com/hybrid-solar-lighting.html