MYTH: The World Wide Web is the same thing as the Internet

They are not the same thing. The internet of the infrastructure that allows information to be shared across networks – with the world wide web being one of those networks. The web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 and is today the primary tool billions of people use to interact on the Internet.

 

MYTH: Al Gore invented the internet

What he actually said was that ‘he took the initiative in creating the internet’. Which is actually true, as he passed a number of key bills, like the High Performance Computing and Communication Act, which opened the internet for public use. He is also credited to coining the phrase ‘information superhighway’, and although he famously used it in the 1990s, Video artist Nam June Paik used the term in 1974.

 

MYTH: More bars, more signal

Those signal bars on your mobile phone actually only indicate how close you are to the nearest tower – it does not show how strong a signal you are receiving at any given time. Phone signal can also be affected by how many people are using the network.

 

MYTH: QWERTY is best

Typing on a QWERTY keyboard now? Many think that the keyboard is the most efficient way to type, but the DVORAK keyboard is actually far superior. The DVORAK has vowels and frequently-used consonants in the middle, and is often pointed to as an example of when the best technology does not always win.

 

MYTH: More pixels the better

Often people brag about the amount of megapixels their camera has – but the quality of a picture is actually dependent by the size, not the quantity, of a megapixel. This is due to the fact that a photo is shaped by the amount of light the camera’s senor is able to take in.

 

MYTH: Apple Macs are immune to viruses

Hackers want the maximum reach for any attack, which is why Windows OS is more often targeted – meaning Macs are not immune it’s just that hackers do not want to tailor code for a smaller payload. However, the Flashback virus hit 250,000 Macs and with the rise of Apple devices hackers might start targeting them more in attacks.

 

MYTH: Password-protected WiFi is safe

If at home and you sign into your network, then a password usually is protection enough. That changes when you are out and about, as a password just lets you into the hotspot and offers no protection against eavesdropping. Hackers can also launch a near-identical network in which to steal your passwords. Best advice is to use a VPN.