From engineering oddities to everyday science — ten things I learned this week that are worth thirty seconds of your time.
Every week I fall down a few rabbit holes. Here are ten things that genuinely surprised me — no filler, just the good bits.
- The first CNC machine ran on punched paper tape, not computers — the same tech that once powered early computers and even mechanical pianos.
- A 3D printer and a CNC mill are cousins: both follow toolpaths, but one adds material while the other removes it.
- The "Auto" in AutoCAD doesn't stand for automatic — it comes from Autodesk, and the LISP language behind AutoLISP dates all the way back to 1958.
- Most security breaches still start with a single reused password — not a clever hack.
- The first 3D printers were invented in the 1980s — decades before they became affordable for home workshops.
I'll keep adding to this list as I go. Got a fact that surprised you? Email me — I'd love to feature it.