Computer Phenomena~

Ever heard of those computer myths? For example.

Placing a hard drive vertically in a pc is bad luck (I had a Packard Bell when I was 8 and I always ended up hitting it with something hard, Packard Bell always places a hard drive vertically for some reason)

Ghost in the machine - something random happens (computer freezes or so) people think it's caused by random strings of data accidently coming together thus creating an unpredictable outcome (some people even believe a computer is self conscious this way).

Computer sensativity to vibrations - a friend of mine walked out of her room and back in, when she walked back in her computer rebooted, probably caused by some kind of vibration or pulse.

That's all I know, I hope there are a few more funny computer myths out there.

I haven't heard of any myths personally, but with computers there is always a logical and realistic reason for why something happens so for me the Myths would purely be for fun, which is what I see this thread for.

Omg wait I do know one, the CD Drive eating CD's. I used to think that could really happen, like it'd get stuck inside, cause a lot of my CD's would go missing, hehe.

This probably belongs in OT, but I'll leave it up to someone else's discretion.

Yeah, I've heard those. I love it when a user tells me the PC "just did something." It's never there fault. Some people know that a machine never does anything you don't tell it under normal circumstances. Most people don't, alone the lines of the deux ex machina reasoning.

User: "Now (insert random computer feature) doesn't work!"

Me: (Usually to myself) "Well, what did you do to it?"

They normally never know. lol.

A few year ago, I used to teach computers to early students in a vocational unit to train them to become librarians. It was tough, because 1) most didn't know how to use computers; 2) most only cared for computers to do the specific job (i.e. library applications). Believe me, some really believed in strange stories, but mostly as explanations of what they didn't understand. What a revelation it was for them when I opened the computer and showed them all the components.

Ghost's in the machine aren't really a myth, its just random sections of code that come together, like you said. My grandad worked on computers back since they we're able to store 10kb of data on a 20" disk. He explained that it just happens, its not something that can be forced and cant really be stopped, its just unexpected phenomenon.

Glad you put that in, because I could rattle off a whole forum full of failures our machinary at work has randomly

What about the 1999 crunch to fix the Year 2000 fiasco? I remember lots of people saying that there personal computers will not work when the clock hits 2000.

On a side note at the same time there were also people running to hide in the hills and hording food because the end of days was coming as well

lolol, true Painbringer. I remember that fiasco. I also remember nothing happening.

Mods mentality FTW.

There was a legit concern regarding that since the year was only stored as a 2 digit value in older computers. The thing people was never told thoug was that it had more to do with mainframs than PC's

Yes, but there was no reason for people to be:

Hey, Hillbilly's will run for the hills if you mention anything developed after the civil war.

No, but the way the media put it, people who new nothing about computers thought the end was coming.
for example According to the media airplanes was expected to crash because of the glitch

You are correct businesses were the real issue for the problem banking stock market. Scrambling and investing huge money to fix such a silly problem.

I was remarking on the home user that really did not do anything that was time orientated.

Exactly. One of the reasons I hate the media.

This is more likely static electricity. Does it happen to be a metallic-cased PC in a carpeted room on a low-humidity day?

New Myth: My Grandmother believed that people on the internet could always see her through her webcam, even when the computer was off.


Also, [Grammar Nazi] "phenomena" is the plural of "phenomenon," not "phenomenons." [/Grammar Nazi]

I mount my drives vertically! They can be mounted any which way you please, it's just not wise to move them while they're on... that's all!

It's a machine. I know some of you see it as a baby or life partner in this sub-forum but I can guarantee you it's all metals and screws inside. Also pretty flashy lights on the MB.

Something that vibrates in a girl's bedroom? Mm, I wonder what it could be?

Spot the perv!

It's Alexandra for telling such dirty, dirty stories...

http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Myths

Talks about Prefetch myths, RAM "optimizers" and a few other myths.