How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work
On July 7, 2007, the new seven wonders of the world were chosen by more than 100 million voters. But whatever happened to the original [Read more]
How Twitter Works
In May of 2008, Twitter received another 15 million dollars in venture capital funding. This increase reflects the growing interest in micro blogging — messages [Read more]
History Extra podcast – August 2008
Professor Anne Curry tells us which year she would like to visit in our time machine, TV presenter Ruth Goodman updates us on her progress on the Victorian farm, Professor Glyn Williams offers his opinions on the life of Captain Cook.
How Mp3 Files Work
Certain parts of a song can be eliminated without significantly lowering the song’s quality. The MP3 does not sound exactly the same as the original [Read more]
What’s Mutual Assured Destruction?
During the Cold War, both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. stockpiled weapons, eventually holding enough power to destroy the world several times over. Yet neither [Read more]
How Cloud Computing Works
Cloud computing allows users to store data on other computers or servers. For example, web-based applications are a form of cloud computing. Check out this [Read more]
Why was tax evasion the only thing pinned on Al Capone?
Al Capone was a king among criminals, and ‘kept his hands clean,’ maintaining plausible deniability by avoiding direct connections to illegal activity. He never paid [Read more]
How the iPhone Works
The new Apple iPhone has several advantages, including a GPS and 3G capacity. However, the iPhone is far from perfect, and still has some disadvantages. [Read more]
Why did England and Spain fight over an ear?
When the Spanish Coast Guard caught English Captain Jenkins smuggling, they cut off his ear as punishment. Could this insult have sent two countries to [Read more]
How Zombie Computers Work
When a hacker makes a zombie computer, he infiltrates an unsuspecting victim’s computer and uses it to conduct illegal activities. The user may be unaware [Read more]