It all started with a digital election glitch in a locale in Brussels in 2003. The officials realised that an unpopular local candidate secured more than the vote she should. The number 4096 struck a chord with the IT personnel but passed it off as teething problems of digital voting. That is the number of votes that the computers accidentally added to her tally.
A further assessment suggested that 4096 is 2 to the power of 12 (2¹²). As input into the computers is in multiples of 2 (2⁰, 2¹, 2²....2¹¹,2¹²...), somehow the part (bit) which controlled (2¹²) got lit. Hence, this flip caused the addition of 4096 to the tally.
Now, the challenge was to ascertain where the surge to this flip came about. Investigators were soon made aware of similar unexplainable occurrences in the airline and automobile industries. There were instances where autopilot settings had to see re-set as it had gone berserk. There was even a plane that suddenly plunged into the ocean. Aircraft, as they were up in the sky, are exposed to cosmic rays. That was thought to have caused computer malfunctions, and necessary preventive measures were put in place.
When Toyota car owners were braking for their lives as computerisation started setting in into their cars at the turn of the century. Faulty electronics perpetuated by single bit flip caused by cosmic rays was suggested as a possible cause for the sudden unintended acceleration of vehicles. Toyota settled out of court and improved its computer system. They started more inputs to control a particular function.
Scientists extrapolated that these rogue 'rays' which arise from the Sun or possibly outside the Solar system (supernovas) were the aetiology for these glitches. These energy-carrying galactic cosmic rays have the capacity to work miracles. With more and more minute components in our digital devices, more puzzling events may soon become the norm.
Now, just a thought. Since everyone believes the beginning of life heralds the handiwork of the entity of 'God' as some know it or 'Big Bang' as others refer to it and everything that happens as the effect of this, Biggs-Boson particle and all, are these cosmic rays akin to the miracle of 'God'? Are the rays like angels, djinns, daemons or fairies that are sent as messengers to Earth to save or create mayhem? Are these fragments of energy from the beginning of time arriving at sporadic intervals pure 'divine interventions' as they are the closest to what we call as 'The Maker'?
A further assessment suggested that 4096 is 2 to the power of 12 (2¹²). As input into the computers is in multiples of 2 (2⁰, 2¹, 2²....2¹¹,2¹²...), somehow the part (bit) which controlled (2¹²) got lit. Hence, this flip caused the addition of 4096 to the tally.
Now, the challenge was to ascertain where the surge to this flip came about. Investigators were soon made aware of similar unexplainable occurrences in the airline and automobile industries. There were instances where autopilot settings had to see re-set as it had gone berserk. There was even a plane that suddenly plunged into the ocean. Aircraft, as they were up in the sky, are exposed to cosmic rays. That was thought to have caused computer malfunctions, and necessary preventive measures were put in place.
When Toyota car owners were braking for their lives as computerisation started setting in into their cars at the turn of the century. Faulty electronics perpetuated by single bit flip caused by cosmic rays was suggested as a possible cause for the sudden unintended acceleration of vehicles. Toyota settled out of court and improved its computer system. They started more inputs to control a particular function.
Scientists extrapolated that these rogue 'rays' which arise from the Sun or possibly outside the Solar system (supernovas) were the aetiology for these glitches. These energy-carrying galactic cosmic rays have the capacity to work miracles. With more and more minute components in our digital devices, more puzzling events may soon become the norm.
Now, just a thought. Since everyone believes the beginning of life heralds the handiwork of the entity of 'God' as some know it or 'Big Bang' as others refer to it and everything that happens as the effect of this, Biggs-Boson particle and all, are these cosmic rays akin to the miracle of 'God'? Are the rays like angels, djinns, daemons or fairies that are sent as messengers to Earth to save or create mayhem? Are these fragments of energy from the beginning of time arriving at sporadic intervals pure 'divine interventions' as they are the closest to what we call as 'The Maker'?
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