appeared

Simon is the world’s first smartphone, which appeared 15 years before the iPhone (video)

31/12/2021 by

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The term “smartphone” first appeared in 1995, but not many people know that in fact the first “smart” phone debuted three years earlier – in 1992. A device from IBM dubbed Simon Personal Communicatorwas developed 15 years before the first iPhone.

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IBM Simon was the first gadget to combine the functionality of a cell phone and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). According to Byte Magazine, its cost was then $ 899 (in modern dollars – $ 1,435). A service contract was offered with the device.

Nevertheless, in terms of its technical characteristics, Simon was far ahead of its contemporaries. The smartphone was equipped with a monochrome LCD touchscreen measuring 4.5 “x 1.4”. A stylus was supplied with it.

Besides making calls, the owners Simon could send and receive e-mails, faxes, and pager messages. Among other things, the phone contained a set of built-in functions, including a notebook, an address book that looked like a folder, a calendar, a world clock, and the ability to schedule meetings.

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The gadget also provided the ability to use third-party applications, but for this the user had to free up the appropriate amount of internal space or purchase a special card that was inserted into the device.

Although the world’s first smartphone never managed to reach the level of sales of iPhone or Android-based devices, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, IBM still managed to sell about 50 thousand copies of the gadget.

You can learn more about how the world’s first smartphone works in the Simon Personal Communicator overview below.

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Simon is the world’s first smartphone, which appeared 15 years before the iPhone (video)

28/01/2021 by ALOK DAS

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♥ BY TOPIC: Sounds when turning on the computer and printer 20 years ago. Remember?

IBM Simon was the first gadget to combine the functionality of a cell phone and a PDA (“Personal Digital Assistant”). According to Byte Magazine, its cost was then $ 899 (in modern dollars – $ 1,435). A service contract was offered with the device.

Besides making calls, the owners Simon could send and receive emails, faxes, and pager messages. Among other things, the phone contained a set of built-in functions, including a notebook, an address book that looked like a folder, a calendar, a clock with world time and the ability to schedule meetings.

♥ BY TOPIC: First iPhone advertisement. 2007 year.

The gadget also provided the ability to use third-party applications, but for this, the user had to free up the appropriate amount of internal space or purchase a special card that was inserted into the device.

Although the world’s first smartphone never managed to reach the level of sales of iPhones or Android-based devices, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, IBM managed to sell about 50 thousand copies of the gadget.

You can learn more about how the world’s first smartphone works in the Simon Personal Communicator review below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUG7nwMmoUc

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How brand names appeared: Ikea, Lego, Pepsi, Reebok, Skype, Sony, Canon, Google, etc.

28/07/2020 by ALOK DAS

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Did you know that “Lego” is a combination of the Danish words “leg godt”, which translates to “play great”? Some world-class names have become so familiar that it does not occur to look for a hidden meaning in them, but fans of etymology are not asleep. And they bring out interesting stories about the appearance of certain names.

How brand names appeared: Ikea, Lego, Pepsi, Reebok, Skype, Sony, Canon, Google – 15 stories about the origin of the names of famous companies

Ikea

The founder of the company, Ingvar Kampard, has put maximum authenticity into its name. He took his initials, I.K., and added the first letters of the words “Elmtaryd” and “Agunnaryd” to them – the farm and village where he grew up.

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Oracle

When Larry Ellison and Bob Oates were still working for the CIA, they were tasked with creating a unique database. Literally, an information storage system that could “answer any question.” Exactly like the mythical Oracle, without taking into account the fact that he liked to play it safe and often formulated his thought so that the questioner did not have any complaints about the answer.

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Pepsi

Caleb Bradham was a dreamer, so when he took part in the rebranding of a little-known drink, he decided to combine science and superstition. He took the word “dyspepsia”, which means indigestion, and removed the prefix “dys”. This gave rise to the myth that the new Pepsi is healthy and good for your appetite.

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WD-40

The inventor has consistently failed 39 attempts trying to achieve the desired effect in the laboratory. And only the 40th was crowned with success, which became a kind of landmark moment. Therefore, the new composition, without further ado, was called Water Displacement – 40th Attempt (water repellent – 40 attempts).

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Reebok

In Afrikaans and Danish slang, there is the word “rnebok”, which refers to a species of antelope. It also serves to denote the concept of “harmony, grace”. But its euphony for native English speakers is so-so, so the term was somewhat refined and turned into “reebok”.

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Skype

The initial concept of the messenger was formulated by the expression “sky peer-to-peer”, that is, an environment, a space for one-on-one communication, directly. Colleagues called those who worked on the project “skyper’ami”, according to the first letters of the technology name. In a natural way, “r” fell off, as we would say, dodged in the language, and we got the well-known Skype.

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Sony

The Latin word “sonus” means “music, sound”. In the 1950s. in Japan, the slang expression “sonny boy” has taken root – this is how smart, presentable young people were called, opposing them to the usual “majors”. The founders of the newly-minted company started the business with audio systems and simply followed the fashion, slightly correcting the popular word.

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Virgin

At the beginning of his career, Richard Branson’s innovative approach caused both bewilderment and irritation among colleagues. Someone once in their hearts threw that “we’re complete virgins at business” (we are totally inexperienced, the very innocence in this matter) and the boss liked this statement. A non-standard way to declare yourself without too much guile.

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Yahoo!

According to one of the versions, this is an abbreviation of the catch phrase “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle” – “Another Hierarchical Uncouth Diviner”. Well-aimed self-criticism of the new project, which was positioned as a “Guide to the Internet”. Yahoo! In general, healthy humor is inherent and many call themselves “yehu” in honor of the characters in “The Adventures of Gulliver” – a race of stupid, primitive humanoid creatures.

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Spotify

Many hours of brainstorming of the founders of the brand did not lead to anything, and Daniel Eck began to have problems with concentration and self-awareness. As he later sarcastically, he needed “spot” (point, place) “identify” (definition, identification). It turned out to be “spotify”, but Martin Laurentson hints that it was a spontaneous choice, a chaotic set of letters, to which a clear interpretation was added in hindsight.

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Starbucks

It was originally the name of the sea wolf from the novel “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville, which served as a model for the brave navigator for the founders of the brand. A kind of romantic image of a traveler and a trader in overseas curiosities, first of all, super popular coffee.

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Amazon

Jeff Bezos relied on two things – the letter “A”, as the beginning of the alphabet, and symbols that would indicate the great potential, the intentions of his brainchild. He began flipping through an explanatory dictionary and came across the Amazon, one of the largest and most important rivers in the world. Not a bad association, Bezos thought.

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Canon

In 1935, the enlightened Western world was poorly familiar with Buddhism and the name of the deity “Kwanon” would not tell anyone anything. Therefore, the company’s management decided to rebrand and simplify the original name to Canon.

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Google

If there are 100 zeros in the number, then according to mathematical rules it should be called “googol”. The future search giant claimed to work with such incredible data sets, so the term turned out to be very useful. It was only slightly simplified, on the assumption that Google would soon be spoken in dozens of different languages.

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How the Guinness Book of Records appeared and why the name of its founder is not Guinness at all

12/06/2020 by ALOK DAS

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The measure of success for many people is getting into the Guinness Book of Records. You can become the most-most and get a mention in one of the most popular books in the world. Sometimes because of this, absolutely ridiculous records appear. And to exaggerate their chances, there is also a temptation. But how did this book come about, and who came up with the idea to bring all the records together? Oddly enough, it was not Guinness who came up with this at all, as one might logically assume. In this article we will tell you exactly who and how the Guinness Book of Records has gained its current appearance and popularity.

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Who invented the Guinness Book of Records?

In fact, this book has several titles: “World Book of Records”, “Guinness Book of World Records”, “Guinness Book of Records”, “Guinness. World records. ” This guide is annual and includes record achievements not only of people, but also of animals, nature, culture and the media. The author of the idea was Hugh Beaver. At that time, he was the executive director of the Guinness brewing company. In November 1951, annoyed by the failure of the hunt, Beaver stated that the golden plover that had escaped him was actually the fastest game in Europe. An argument broke out, which was impossible to resolve. In the evening, Beaver thought that visitors to pubs regularly bet on various issues, and also often no one can confirm the correctness of one of the parties.

Kim Goodman is an American woman who can stick her eyes out of the eye sockets by 12 millimeters. She holds the world record for the distant protrusion of the eyeball.

From a funny observation, a business idea was born. Beaver thought it would be nice to put together records in one book that could authoritatively resolve such disputes. Three years later, Beaver made a new bet, this time about the advantage in speed of the partridge over the golden plover. Then it finally became clear that principled hunters are nowhere without an assistant book. Beaver’s subordinate, Christopher Chatway, got down to business. He invited his friends at the university, the McWyrter brothers, to fill in the book. It was presented on September 12, 1954 to the Guinness Board of Directors and received approval and funding.

Blosom is the tallest cow in the world. The height at the withers is 1 m 94 cm.

Publishers have sent many letters to scientists, collectors, researchers and statisticians. On August 27, 1955, the first Book of Records saw the light of day. The word “Guinness” appeared next to the name in honor of the company – the main sponsor of the issue. It consisted of 198 pages, almost 50 thousand copies were printed. The rapid success of the Guinness Book of Records was a surprise for its authors. It was decided to publish a book every year, in the fall. Over time, both national publications and specialized ones appeared, dedicated to a specific topic. Not without a lot of much less successful clone followers.

Oliver Strumpfel – managed to transfer 25 meters of beer to 40 meters.

Initially, the book was a strict reference book, a collection of completely scientific facts, confirmed by experts. But today, human achievements in various fields have become much more relevant for readers. The book could not help but respond to the spirit of the times. Now you can find in it data on the farthest football goal, on the maximum distance passed back to front, on the record of pushing an orange with a nose, the length of an egg toss, the duration of a video game session, the eaten hot dogs and the speed of drinking beer. The book also contains information on age-related achievements: “the youngest” or “the oldest”. Of course, more and more absurd records appear.

Lee Longlong – the farthest he climbed the stairs on his head.

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How to get into the Guinness Book of Records?

The number of people wishing to get a mention in the famous book forced its publishers to responsibly approach record fixing. In many cases, a special commission deals with this, it not only records the achievement, but also monitors compliance with all the rules and criteria for its establishment.

Joel Miggler is the largest number of tunnels on the face (11).

To get into the Guinness Book of Records with a new record or in an attempt to beat an existing one, you must submit a free application on the official website of Guinnessworldrecords.com. There you can also check if your record matches the existing one. The application will be considered up to 12 weeks, but the process can be accelerated for a surcharge of $ 800. If publishers are interested in setting a record, an agreement will be concluded with the applicant. The company itself sets the criteria under which the record will be counted. Of course, the main factor is the presence of the commission representative at the time the achievement is established. In the case of fixing a record, the applicant receives a certificate of this, and a new record appears in the new issue of the Guinness Book of Records.

Takeru Kobayashi – ate the most hot dogs in 3 minutes.

There are a lot of people who want to get to the pages of an authoritative publication – every year thousands of records are set, while hundreds of thousands of people participate in the pursuit of fame. The record for the number of records belongs to Ashrita Furman – he holds more than two hundred of them, including: the number of squats per hour on the Eiffel Tower, the race a mile with a bottle of milk on his head, the creation of the longest pencil.

The Guinness Book of Records has long outgrown the scope of the paper edition. This is a cultural phenomenon about which series are shot, video games are released, museums dedicate to it. The book is criticized, doubted, considered unethical … But this only fuels interest in the largest and most interesting collection of records in the world.

Francisco Domingo Joaquim – the owner of the largest mouth in the world (16.99 cm).

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Ezhovy gauntlets: the meaning of phraseology and how it appeared

24/05/2020 by ALOK DAS

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Some people even require that they be kept in tight rein. Of course, we are talking about the figurative meaning of the phrase – hedgehogs are not used in the manufacture of garments.

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What does it mean and how did the phrase “keep it tight” originate?

When we say “keep tight,” we mean complete and unquestioning obedience, strict obedience. But where did this expression come from and is it really connected with the gloomy name of Nikolai Yezhov?

The myth about the connection of expression with the Stalinist regime gave rise to a poster by the artist Efimov, on which the People’s Commissar in prickly mittens holds the many-headed hydra of various enemies of the people. It is Yezhov who is considered one of the organizers of the repressions of 1937, because he then headed the NKVD. And these terrible years themselves were even nicknamed “nightmare.” So the reference to the drug addict and his grip is understandable and obvious. Actually the story of the phrase is much richer.

The expression “hold in the sandbox” can be found much earlier in the works of Chekhov and Pushkin. And the German general in “The Captain’s Daughter” was even surprised at this phrase, considering it some kind of Russian proverb. Even in the dictionaries of the XVIII century, you can find the proverb “Hedgehogs and take on a soft body.” What kind of mittens are these? Are they spiky like a hedgehog?

In this context, “hedgehog” does not mean “from a hedgehog” or “similar to a hedgehog”, but “for a hedgehog”. When mice were planted in the cellars of peasant houses, not only cats, but also hedgehogs, help in the fight against them. They themselves will not climb into an unfamiliar place, so they had to craft special hedgehog gloves made of thick leather without fur or lining. They were also called shingles. In such mittens, it was possible to take a prickly creature and carry it to new lands, to hunt. Yes, and in the work hard shanks were suitable, protecting hands from damage.

In Dahl’s meeting, there was a place for the saying “Hedgehog learn to master,” a phrase that is similar in meaning to the modern phrase “keep it tight.” Literally, this means that you can hold someone tight without fear of bites, attacks or injections, forcing you to take the necessary actions. So the hedgehog mittens are not at all that prickly, much less related to the flayer.

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How the word “Hello” appeared, and what they say, taking a phone call in other countries

14/05/2020 by ALOK DAS

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Today, the phone has become an integral part of our everyday life. Until recently, it seemed like a miracle, capable of reproducing a person’s voice at a considerable distance. Today, the phone is a mobile multifunctional multimedia “harvester”. Of course, he did not lose his main function, even if the connection became digital, having received video support.

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It is easy to guess what the majority says, taking a phone call: “Hello!” (ale). This word became so familiar that it received new meanings, sometimes slang. Where did it come from, and what does it originally mean? Frankly, few people know this.

In the distant days, when telephony was only being introduced into the life of a person, each of its users had to follow quite clear prescribed rules. Initially, the phone was far from a mass tool – only the richest and most influential people could afford it. That is why then every improvement in the technology of voice transmission at a distance became an event that brought telephony closer to the masses.

And although Alexander Bell is considered the inventor of the phone, the development of this technology, its improvement and popularization was carried out by the famous American inventor Thomas Edison. It was he who designated the very popular word with which telephone conversations now begin in half the countries of the planet.

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Where did the word “Hello” come from?

In 1877, Edison corresponded with the president of one of the telegraph companies. It was about introducing clear rules when using a new device to receive and transmit voice messages. Edison himself suggested starting the conversation with the word “hullo.” But the inventor of the phone, Alexander Bell, had a different point of view. He considered it appropriate to use the word ahoy as the beginning of a conversation. That is the English word that greets each other with the teams of ships that met at sea (they shouted him into a shout at another ship in order to start a conversation). As a result, the Edison version has taken root, and we use it today. Our “hello” is a Russified “hullo”. It is interesting that the word did not even come to Russia directly from America, but in transit through Europe. There, the overseas “hullo” was subjected to dialect processing, giving rise to both “Hello” and “Ale”.

But the idea of Edison found understanding not in all countries. For example, in Spain, a conversation begins with “diga” (say), in Japan “mosi-mosi” (say-say), and in China – “wei” (hey), in Korea – “yoboseeyo” (short for “yogi seee ”(“ Look here ”)), the Arabs prefer“ marhab ”(hello), in Israel -“ shalom ”(peace).

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