I've Been Thunderstruck

Your house has more computer power in it than the average laptop! According to an article by Patrick Di Justo in the May 2007 issue of Wired, the modern house has about 31,700 MIPS while the average laptop has about 6,300 MIPS. In case you’re wondering a MIPS are millions of instructions per second, which is a measure of a processors speed. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Typical Laptop : 6,300 MIPS
• Modern House : 31,670 MIPS
• Living Room : 26,750 MIPS
• Xbox : 21,000
• Cable Box : 2,000
• Hi-def DVD : 2,000
• TiVo : 1,000
• Television : 600
• Home Stereo : 150
• Home Office : 2,600 MIPS
• Broadband Router : 800
• Wireless Router : 800
• Smartphone : 500
• Inkjet Printer : 350
• Digital Camera : 150
• Garage : 1,690 MIPS
• Car : 1,300
• Roomba : 80
• Clothes Dryer : 60
• Clothes Washer : 60
• Vacuum : 60
• Heating/Air Conditioning : 60
• Home Security : 60
• LawnBott Lawn Mower : 10
• Kitchen : 420 MIPS
• Refrigerator : 60
• Dishwasher : 60
• Microwave : 60
• Stove : 60
• Toaster : 60
• Blender : 60
• Coffeemaker : 60
• Bedroom and Bathroom : 210 MIPS
• iPod : 200
• Electric Toothbrush : 10

I would have thought that my digital camera had more MIPS than a home stereo, but them I’m also surprised that an Xbox has more MIPS than a laptop. Guess you need a lot of processing power to play Halo 3!

There was an interesting little article in the December 2006 issue of Wired about Fiction vs Fact for several things you’ve heard of before. Check out these excerpts from the article by Aria Pearson:

Fiction: If you fall into quicksand you’ll be sucked under and die.

Fact: You’ll only sink up to your waist.

Fiction: Sitting too close to the TV will ruin your eyes.

Fact: It causes fatigue but no permanent damage.

Fiction: Benjamin Franklin’s kite was struck by lightning.

Fact: The kite picked up electricity from the air, causing an arc between Franklin’s hand and a key tied to his end of the string.

Fiction: A penny dropped from the top of a skyscraper can kill someone.

Fact: It could never pick up enough velocity to kill, just to bang you up a little.

Fiction: Swimming after you eat will cause cramps and lead to drowning.

Fact: These is a very slight risk of cramps, but only for vigorous swimmers.

Fiction: There’s a dark side of the moon.

Fact: The entire lunar surface receives sunlight during the moon’s monthly orbit around Earth.

Fiction: Swallowed chewing gum takes seven years to digest.

Fact: Gum is not digested. It passes through the gastrointestinal system, usually within 24 hours.

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