21 Tech Myths Out There (Thanks, Movies)

Before the internet, people learned science from Hollywood.
21 Tech Myths Out There (Thanks, Movies)

There is a time bomb at a popular cafe. Everyone drinking their mochas will be blown into cinnamon dust if the bomb goes off. You are there, armed with only your movie knowledge and a pair of wire cutters. You look at the time bomb, eager to be a hero and save the cafe. But the real question is: which wire do you cut? The blue wire or the red wire? Sweat pours down your brow as you approach the bomb. Which wire do you choose?

Then the bomb squad shows up, pushes everyone away in a safe distance, calls you an “idiot,” and shoots at the bomb with a shotgun. It doesn't go off. Everyone is back to their coffee. Including you, person who learned everything about technology from movies.

We can hardly blame you since so many dramatic technology-based tropes were made for movies that wouldn't apply to real life. Here's a list full of tech myths you learned from pop culture.

CRASHED CHOPPER RIPPING UP THE STREET? REAL HELICOPTER BLADES ARE FRAGILE They're filled with foam and a light substance called honeycomb, because the
COOL, FLASHY NEON SPACE LASERS? THOSE BEAMS SHOULD BE INVISIBLE Never mind whether those exact weapons exist in real life (they don't). Lasers need a
A SILENCED CGUN SOUNDS LIKE QUET SPITTING? SORRY, ASSASSINS: THOSE SILENCERS DON'T EXIST. Silencers suppress gunshots. They don't mute them. A silence
A HIDDEN VEST THAT SAVES YOUR LIFE? NOPE NOT FROM GUNFIRE LIKE THAT No vest protects against machine gun fire. Concealable aror can only protect again
ZERO GRAVITY MEANS WE MOVE IN SIOWMO? No. YOu're CONFUSING SPAcE WITH SWIMMING POOLS. Gravity doesn't affect your horizontal movement. And if there's
WOULD A DINO DROP ITS FOOD TO CHASE YOU? NO. NOT IF IT's LIKE ANY PREDATOR WE'VE seN Animals, past or present, exhibit what's known as a Holling's Typ
Look, A BOMB! BETTER CUT THE RIGHT WIRE? NAH THE REAL SOLUTION IS EVEN COOLER. The bomb squad often won't clip wires. Instead, they use a tool that wo
Do GIANT MONSTERS SECRETLY LIVE IN CAVES? CAVES ARE THE SINGLE LEAST LIKELY PLACE. Caves have no light, meaning no plants and no normal food chain. Th
DOes A SUBMARINE CAPTAIN HAVE HIS OWN LUXURY CABIN? No! No ONE ON A SUB DOES. A sub's incredibly cramped, and that extends to every part of it. Even i
AN ORBITTING SHIP LOSES THRUST. WIiLl IT PLUMMET To EARTH IN SECONDS? No. Unless YOU MEAN A MILLION SECONDS The Enterprise in Star Trek Into Darkness,
You KNOW IT's NUCLEAR. IT's NEON GREEN! 12 I 10 3 8 4 7 5 6 UH, NO. RADIOACTIVITY DOESN'T GLOW. Maybe the idea comes from the old trend of using radiu
Movie TRUTH SERUMS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE BASED ON REAL LIFE. SADLY, THERE'S NO SUCH THING. Various drugs make people more talkative and less inhibited (al
IN SPACE MOVIES, THE SUN IS YELLOW OR ORANGE BUT IN SPACE, THE SUn ACTUALLY LOOKS WHITE The Sun looks yellow to us because the atmosphere scatters the
Plane OUT OF FUEL? IT'S ABOUT To CRASH! 4 FUE PRE RED 2 X LIGHT ON LOW FUEL RESERV EXCePT NO, NOT FOR A WHILE Planes are pretty good at gliding, even
UNDERSEA STATIONS ARE DARK AND MOODY, RIGHT? NOPE. WHY WOULD THEY BE? Real stations are lit like a 7/11, because that's a much more pleasant environme
SPAcE EXPLOSIONS! FIREBALLS! A GIANT BOOM! WAIT. How CAN THAT HAPPEN WITHOUT AIR? In reality, a space explosion looks more like the object got up one
STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR? BettER OPEN THE HATCH! EXcEPT, NO. IT'S LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE The hatch is to let rescuers in so they can escort people out. A
A TOASTER IN THE TUB IS DEADLY, RIGHT? PROBABLY NOT, NO. Pipes leading from tubs are now more often PVC than copper, so there's no easy path attractin
TRY SNEAKING THROUGH A BUILDING'S AIR DUCTS? You're GONNA HAVE A BAD TIME. These ducts are filled with far more obstructions, like piping, than movies
A FUEL TANK IS A BOMB SECONDS FROM BLOWING! ExcePT, WOULD YOU BELIEVE GASOLINE ISN'T Cu THAT EXPLOSIVE? In fact, if you drop a lit match into a barel
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