30 Random Bits of Trivia About Digital Media, A.I., and A Bunch of Gadgety Gizmos That Your Grandma Would Consider Witchcraft

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30 Random Bits of Trivia About Digital Media, A.I., and A Bunch of Gadgety Gizmos That Your Grandma Would Consider Witchcraft

Well, we learned a little something today that made us feel pretty good about ourselves. Did you know that the word “robot” is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word, robota, which meant “forced labor” or “servitude.” 

You hear that, robots? The Jetsons had it right! No longer will we live in fear of what you and your other bot-type pals can do. Unless, of course, giving a robot artificial intelligence completely changes the playing field. 

Hmm, maybe we should’ve read more of these before getting all cocky.

The Fifth Element

The Mangalore costumes in The Fifth Element had a little TV screen inside the head. The masks were so bulky, actors couldn't see out of them, so they had to have a camera on the costume and a TV screen. The screen was linked to the effects crew, too, who gave the actors commands like Walk, walk forward, shuffle, shuffle, for God's sake, STOP! CRACKED.COM

Bossware

Real-Life Dystopian Tropes BOSSWARE Since COVID-19, there has been a rise of companies offering software that tracks workers' every move, keystroke, and location. This bossware is often installed without the worker's knowledge, and can be used to collect data for lawsuits or other nefarious purposes. CRACKED

Young Sherlock Holmes

CGI CHARACTER 1985 CRACKED.COM In 1985, Young Sherlock Holmes was the first full-length movie to feature a completely computer-generated character, which was achieved through the use of computer graphics by animator John Lasseter.

Facial Recognition Technology

Real-Life Dystopian Tropes FACIAL RECOGNITION IN SMART CITIES The iPhone XS's facial recognition software is seen as a stepping stone to more complex AI that will be implemented across the infrastructure of smart cities. There is concern that there is potential for abuse by police forces and targeted advertising by retailers. CRACKED

Casper the Friendly Ghost

CGI LEAD CHARACTER 1995 CRACKED.COM Casper the Friendly Ghost from 1995's Casper was the first movie to feature a CGI lead character. It was a box-office hit, grossing $287.9 million against a $55 million budget and was created with the help of 150 people at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic (ILM).

Pixelization

PIXELIZATION 1973 CRACKED.COM Michael Crichton's Westworld pioneered modern special effects in 1973 with its use of a digital effect called pixelization, which is now commonly used in films and TV shows. This low-budget science-fiction film marked the beginning of the digital revolution in cinema, and its influence can still be seen today.

Not-So-Modern Tech

A ton of modern tech has Zuflufskand been around way longer than you think: Turbine 340 The Fax The Digital Machine Was Calculator Was Invented Invented in Before the Civil 1640 War Contact They Had Seismographs Lenses Around the Time Existed in the of the New 19th Century Testament The Videodisc Is Older Than the Great Depression READ MORE HERE!

The First Fully CGI Sequence in a Movie

FULLY CGI SEQUENCE IN A MOVIE 1982 CRACKED COM In 1982, George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic created the first completely computer-generated cinematic image sequence in a feature film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This sequence, which lasted sixty seconds, was created using fractal geometry and was a major milestone in the development of computer graphics.

The First Cell Phone

The first E cell phone in are Mondensarat Grane 13 340 100 Martin Cooper created the Motorola DynaTAC in 1973. The first call a he made was to a wrong number. CRACKED.COM

Photorealistic CGI

ATTEMPT AT A PHOTOREALISTIC CGI MOVIE 2001 CRACKED.COM Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was released in the United States in 2001 and was the first attempt to make a photorealistic rendered 3D feature film. It was praised for its realism, but was a box office bomb due to its high production costs.

The Apple I

The Apple I 167 in Grane 13 340 DAAOm VCO APPLE: COMPUTER Apple's first product was actually just a circuit board. Users had to add their own keyboards, monitors, and custom cases. CRACKED.COM

Facebook Chatbots

FACEBOOK DEVELOPED AN AI THAT INVENTED ITS OWN SHORTHAND Two chatbots started learning from one another and speaking in a shorthand they created. They experiement was shut down shortly after. CRACKED.COM

The iPad Prototype

Bashful, the iPad prototype This was Steve Job's first attempt to put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you. CRACKED.COM

The Original Xbox

The original in Xbox in Mondensarat Grane 13 340 0600m XBOX This aluminum behemoth accompanied Bill Gates on his GDC 2000 keynote when he announced Microsoft's foray into console gaming. CRACKED.COM

The First Laptop

The first proper laptop Mondensator Grane 13 340 DEBORNE There were earlier devices that could technically fit on your lap, but the Osborne 1 (1981) was the first truly mobile computer. CRACKED.COM

The King of CGI

CRACKED.COM Toby Kebbell is the actor who brings many of Hollywood's CGI creatures to life. Warcraft Fantastic Four Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Kong: Skull Island

ChatGPT

CRACKED CHATGPT LEARNS FROM THE WORLD WITHOUT PERMISSION, AND NOW THE WORLD'S FIGHTING BACK. A class action lawsuit was taken against OpenAI, the people behind ChatGPT, for using stuff from the entire web to teach their Al language models without asking the people who made the content (i.e. just about everyone).

Instagram Pics

Russians pose in front of a toxic lake for their Instagram pictures. GRACKED.COM Called the ''Siberian Mal- dives, the lake is a beauti- ful turquoise color which is reminiscent of Caribbean waters. The lake's color is due to hazardous toxic waste runoff from a local power plant.

YouTube Pranks Gone Wrong

CRACKED YOUTUBER SURVIVES PRANK GONE WRONG, STILL PLANS TO KEEP MAKING VIDEOS. In April 2021, Jay Swingler, a YouTuber, got shot in the leg while he was filming a prank at a mall food court in Virginia. Fortunately, he's all better now! Unfortunately, he said he's still going to keep making videos.

KATU 

Hotwiring Kias and Hyundais

People are hotwiring Kia and Hyundai cars using USB cables. CRACKED.COM Spurred on by videos on TikTok (of course), teens are breaking into the cars, taking apart the ig- nition, and starting the engine with a phone charger.

News4Jax

Online Relationships

Almost half of relationships (in America) begin online. CRACKED.COM 40 percent of people say that their relationship began online in one form or another, whether that be dating apps like Tinder, or social media like Facebook.

Source: Pew

iPhones

30 Random Bits of Trivia About Digital Media, A.I., and A Bunch of Gadgety Gizmos That Your Grandma Would Consider Witchcraft

John Roberts’ YouTube Videos

John Roberts' YouTube videos imitating his mother got him the role of Linda Belcher on Bob's Burgers. Roberts made a series of videos that went viral

Pepsi Sweden’s Facebook Page

CRACKED Pepsi's Swedish Facebook page posted a series of ads featuring a voodoo doll of Portugal's Cristiano MAXO Ronaldo, Sweden's rival for the Worl

Touchscreen Phones

The first iphone AORNELD Apple has been experimenting with touchscreen phones since 1983.

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