Six common myths about technology – Observer

Since the first inventions to the latest technological creations – technology is often shrouded in myth . Keep the computer battery when plugged in addictive? Do Macs catch viruses? And the megapixels, the more the merrier? These are some of the most common issues related to technology, and which do not always get the right answer.

The British newspaper Telegraph made a list of the “biggest myths technological “and the Observer selected few. Get to know them:

Macs do not catch viruses

Any computer can get a virus and Macs are no exception. Some malicious programs ( malware ) can affect the operating system for Macs were the same for both Windows. However, this rarely happens. This is due to the fact that the viruses have to be specially designed for Apple computers for them to be affected. Most attacks have targeted companies that use Windows, which is still the most common operating system in the corporate world, as the Telegraph .

Once the Recycle Bin is emptied, the files disappear

The information stored on the computer can not disappear completely. Although deleted (after emptying recycling) files remain written on the hard drive, which means that they can then be recovered by specific programs. To completely delete the data you need to rewrite with 0 and 1 (binary code) the free sections of the disk where the files remain “erased” – they are there, but are not indexed, ie they are not recognized. Modern operating systems already include this feature.

The radiation of computers can make men sterile

Contrary to what is often defended, any male infertility problems associated with the use of computers in the lap are not in the emitted radiation, but in the heat it generates. This ensures the scrotum because the optimum temperature for the production of spermatozoa, about one degree less than body temperature, ie 36 ° C. A running computer can become hot to heat the pelvic area well above body temperature.

More bars, better network

In fact, this is not the case. The bars indicate the strength of the network signal illustrate the phone’s proximity to the nearest transmission tower, not its quality. The signal can be affected by other factors such as the amount of people who are using the same network (or antenna), weather conditions, electromagnetic interference, among others.

battery must be recharged when it is empty

The modern lithium batteries can be recharged at any time, even if not fully discharged. Unlike the old rechargeable batteries of computers and smartphones current (and elsewhere) do not run the risk of becoming “addicted” if they are always connected to the mains.

The number of megapixels determines the picture quality

The quality of a camera is also determined by the size of megapixels, not just quantity. This is because the picture is shaped by the amount of light that the sensor of a camera can capture and not (only) by the number of megapixels. This means that different cameras, with different numbers of megapixels can capture very similar pictures.