Pointless
Questions with Aaron Mucciolo
Were
back. How bout a hand for the band?
Before we start, I must correct an error (please, no gasps of shock
I am but human
) Last week I attributed the ladybugs
question to Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Robert Grimm. I also
misspelled his name. The question was, in fact, submitted by Visiting
Associate Professor of Economics Charles L Grim. My apologies to
both Prof. Grim and Prof. Grimm.
Why
were participants at the D.C. protests advised not to carry, among
other things, tampons?
No, youre not experiencing déjà vu. It turns
out that this question does indeed have a second answer. Said junior
Kate Berrigan, a veteran of a few protests, The main reason
why tampons are not recommended for the kind of mass mobilizations
that we have been seeing recently is tear gas. Tampons act as a
wick, pulling toxins outside inside. Tear gas and pepper spray have
also been linked to cancer most people would agree that burning
pain and cancer are two things you dont want in your vagina
or cervix.
Thanks for the info Kate. If anyone else out there has more information
on a question, please feel free to write in.
When
were coin-operated vending machines invented?
In the first century CE, the Greek scientist Hero created a dispenser
that required a five-drachma piece to operate. What did it dispense,
you ask? Holy water. Go figure. When you deposited the coin, a stopper
was lifted and an exact amount of water was dispensedkinda
like how you always get the same number of gumballs for your quarter.
Whats
the point of having different file extensions for the same kind
of file (for example why are some image files name.gif
and others name.jpg)? Cat Richert, irritated
Arts editor
Fear not technophobes I believe I have found a way to answer
this question without making you reach for a dictionary. I will
make one basic assumption, however if you dont know
what a computer file is, theres a chance all this could get
confusing.
File extensions tell you (and your computer) what file type you
are dealing with. Different programs run different file types (you
cant play an MP3 with Microsoft Word, can you?) so you need
to identify the file type to know whether you have the proper software
program to use the file.
Perhaps an analogy is in order: When you go downstairs on Xmas morning,
there are a whole bunch of wrapped boxes that look pretty much the
same. What do you do? You look at the tag on the box to make sure
Dad doesnt get a Barbie or, more generally, the wrong person
doesnt get a gift they wont known how to use.
Your computer, and the programs on it, needs to know the file type
so it knows how to deal with the data in the file. At a fundamental
level, all the data in all files is a string of ones and zeros called
binary code. When the file was made, the data was organized and
compressed or encodedfor the moment, lets say tangled
in a particular way. Every time a program makes a file of
a particular file type, it will tangle the data in the same way
using a mathematical formula or algorithm. So all .doc
files are all compressed using the same algorithm, all .avi
files by their own algorithm, etc. To properly unravel the string
so the data can be used, the program needs to know what algorithm
tangled up the data.
This
raises the question: If all the data is just ones and zeros, why
cant you write a program that knows all the algorithms? Well
you can, but it would be huge think about how long a program
like Adobe Photoshop (which can handle many different image file
types) takes to open and how much memory it takes up as opposed
to PictureViewer (which can only handle the most common image file
types).
More importantly, some types of data are less complicated to begin
with. Take a look at a computer keyboard there are only 256
characters (capital and lower-case letters, numbers, punctuation
)
that an algorithm would have to encode for in order to reproduce
any text document. A sound file on the other hand has many, many
aspects from pitch, to duration of the note, to volume
all of which an algorithm would need to encode to make sure your
WinAmp or other sound playing program could understand it. And a
video game is even more complex, requiring an even bigger, more
complex algorithm. So a complete set of algorithms would be an inefficient
use of space if all you wanted to do were read and write text files.
By having each program recognize a small group of file types, your
computer doesnt get cluttered up with unnecessary algorithms.
Thanks to Mark Kornblum and Lincoln Ritter in the CS lab for taking
time out from their marathon game of Quake to help with
this answer.
Why
were participants at the D.C. protests advised not to carry, among
other things, tampons?
Okay now youre experiencing déjà vu. I havent
gotten much sleep recently. Moving on...
Why
is WD-40 called WD-40?
Back in 1953 a chemist named Norm Larsen was attempting to develop
a substance which would fight corrosiona task accomplished
by displacing water. The WD stands for Water Displacer
(not Water Displacement as some sources say
a subtle but crucial
difference, I know). The formula was perfected on the companys
fortieth attempt.
Thats
it folks. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
Got a question? Think I missed something? Feel I said algorithm
way too much in this column? Email aaron.mucciolo@oberlin.edu or
write to Pointless Questions c/o The Oberlin Review, Wilder Box
90.
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