Let’s be frank, there are still a lot of people who are not tech-savvy. The late-night panicking calls from grandma and grandpa because their router is displaying a blinking red light instead of a steady blue light should be ample evidence to demonstrate that not many people understand technology. So while you may be able to talk grandma off the table and convince her that the router isn’t about to blow, you may still believe a few never-dying tech myths that many of us have fallen victim to today.
Let’s fact-check Top 10 Never Dying Tech Myths
1. Putting the batteries in the freezer will make them last longer.
Well, I remember those days. After hours of playing pokemon on my Gameboy and going through my last set of AA batteries, my intense gaming session comes to an abrupt halt as my game gets underway. Feeling defeated, I throw my batteries in the freezer in a desperate attempt to continue hunting the legendary pokemon. Unsurprisingly, this never worked. Fun fact: putting your batteries in the freezer shortens their lives.
This is because when you put the batteries in the freezer, the temperature drops in the battery (go figure), and when you take them out of the freezer, the temperature rises quickly. Some sources claim that this may cause a battery to burst while others say that the rapid change in temperature causes condensation that contributes to corrosion. In short, don’t put the batteries in the freezer.
2. Charging your phone damages your battery overnight.
How many times have you heard that you’ll damage your battery if you put your phone on the charger overnight? Thankfully, a lot of people are starting to catch on and I’m hearing a lot less of this myth. However, you ‘re sadly mistaken for those of you who still believe this to be true.
We’ve reached an age with technology (mainly our smartphones) that allows us to do incredible things. For some reason, folks call it a smartphone. Smartphones will slow down the charging rate as it gets closer to 100%, and once there it won’t get flooded with too much energy, as most people seem to believe.
3. Sitting too close to the TV harms your eyesight
Ok, this one isn’t that bad because sitting in front of the television isn’t the best idea, but not for the reason you think. Oh, some nostalgia. I can remember pressing my face up on the screen while enjoying my favourite childhood cartoons. It made me feel like I was getting closer to the characters, for some reason. Like I pushed up on the fourth wall until I entered their colourful universe.
Whenever I did this, my mom would scold me and prompt me to “get away from it” as quickly as possible. The myth that television is harmful stems from the fact that x-rays were emitted from the screen. These days, the TVs we’ve released little or no wave, so you’re not supposed to be hurt unless you spend a life of waking up face to face and even then it’s probably going to do very little harm. Hopefully, when you were a child, you didn’t do the poltergeist and press your palms flat against the TV like Carol Anne, because the TVs back in the 50s and 60s packed a lot more x-ray power.
4. No Virus Can harm your Macbook
This is a myth for which I have fallen. I was excited to learn from my brand new MacBook that I didn’t have to deal with the deadly blue screen or the annoying viruses Windows computers are inflicting. I didn’t know very much (or that I didn’t care), that always people would ruin something good.
Yeah, MacBook’s programming indeed has fewer viruses out, but they can still get viruses. It took great thought to design the MacBook, and when you download unknown software, try and steal your information. Hence, think twice before visiting shady websites and clicking on their links. There is only so much that half-eaten apples can do, and it is not one of them to block viruses.
5. Incognito Mode conceals what you view on the web
Late at night, the woman is dormant. By whispering her name, you try to wake her, but she’s fast sleeping. Feel relieved, for some privacy, you take your phone into the bathroom and start browsing the web. You open Google Chrome and open an incognito window to keep what you’re seeing private. Now you click the Google search bar with full privacy and type “last-minute birthday gifts,” because it is the only reason that I can think about the use of incognito mode to hide the fact of forgetting your wife an anniversary gift.
There is one problem, however, because the websites you visit, continue to store your information and hackers can still access it. Although your browsing history is hidden, your wife can still find out what you’ve done by contacting the internet provider.
6. You need an exorbitant HDMI cable
Okay, I ‘m sure many factscrunch readers will love to learn about this myth, as it can save you a few extra dollars. The cost-effectiveness of HDMI cable on the shelf seems to be better than those at a lower price, but the truth is that everyone does the same thing.
Most of the HDMI cables are equal, but the only reason you can find is the length you can pay for the HDMI cable. The longer it is, the more costly it will be. Don’t waste your money on such cables otherwise. This is also true for many cables, including audio cables and recording devices!
7. Using your phone while charging is dangerous
Word of the mouth is a powerful tool, but some laughable statements can be thrown around in the hands of people lacking proper analytical ability. Whether this myth is based on some truth or only a kind of urban legend that people love to reiterate to their friends, it has to be clear that this is not true.
Take a second to look up a few videos of phones exploding in people’s pockets after you read the rest of this article. It does happen. But charging and using your phone at the same time does not put you at risk of having your phone blow up in your hand like a grenade that has been cooked for too long. Long story short, go ahead and plug in your phone and scroll through youtube until you want, it will not cause you any harm.
8. Hairdryer won’t cure coronavirus
Now, I’m pretty sure people have already caught this myth, but some people out there may still believe the hype. Hey, no judgment from me. The hairdryer up the nose myth comes from one of the most challenging times we’ve had to endure as people, so, understandably, people were looking for a way to stop the malignant coronavirus from progressing.
Seemingly, heat kills the virus, so some brave people took it upon themselves to put a hairdryer against their nose and turned it on in hopes of being able to cook the virus out. People have tried to stop the virus with many self-prescribed home remedies. In the end, these don’t work and during pandemics, you should always look for vitamins and medicine. Well, that and whatever the doctor suggests.
9. You have to shut down your PC every-night
Although I know this is a myth I’m still making sure I shut down my computer every night. People believe that shutting down your computer every night will help it run better the next time you ‘re using it and help increase its overall longevity. Computers, like many devices, have an integrated power system that prevents too much power from being overused, so you won’t have to bother about leaving it on all night.
10. You must not use a Third Party Charger
I can picture it, a bunch of secret shoppers hired by Sprint to walk around near the off-brand chargers and whisper to the customers that they shouldn’t buy them because they could “damage your battery.” How else would a rumoured myth like this spread? There has to be a way for some manufacturer to keep its existing customers from buying products from third parties, right? Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself, but you must admit that at least this sounds plausible.
Anyway, it’s not going to damage your battery so you can save an extra dollar or two and buy those third-party chargers for your devices. So, the next time you buy your phone from a Wal-Mart charger, and someone tells you. “Hey, that can damage your phone battery,” presume that they ‘re working for Sprint or some other big-name phone company.
Hi, I’m Jodie! I’m a spain-Moroccan writer with a passion for imagination, adventures, magic and stories with heart.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any questions, suggestions, comments or feedback.
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