Or, why government offices have multiple ancient computers, each running a different version of Internet Explorer. — For all its technological prowess, one can’t help but admit that Google comes up with very uncreative names. One finds images through Google Images, reads books through Google Books, and edits documents in Google Docs. YouTube was so named by its three co-founders before it was bought over by Google…

Newton was an alchemist. Mary Poppins may have been a witch. What are scientists today? — Ever wondered where Mary Poppins came from? Or where she went? Or why none of her other employers freaked out and reported her to the police? Well, here’s one possible answer that would address all of those questions: Hogwarts. Hang on for a second. Stay with me. It sounds preposterous…

Dear Reader, In our internal team chat, we sometimes share tweets from @year_progress — a progress bar that tells us how much of the year is over. During bad times, we tell each other, “Look how much of the year we’ve pulled through already!” …

From backyards to backstreets, evolution marches on. — A towering grey mountain reaches up to the dazzling blue sky, almost as of balanced on its toes. Its sides are sheer, and drop away sharply to the ground, hundreds of feet below. Embedded in its sides are countless little nooks and crannies, large enough to make a nest or…

Hello, Snipette readers, We’re very, very excited to announce that we have taken the next step on our journey: Snipette now has its own website! That’s right — you can now also read our articles by visiting www.snipettemag.com. Of course, Medium was our first home, so we’ll continue publishing there…

The world, and your phone, is dependent on chemicals. What happens when they run out? — When you hear the word “elements”, you probably think of the Periodic Table. A large uneven grid, listing all the elements known to humans, organised by chemical traits, and shaped more like a couch than a table if you ask me. …

Are AI trained with computers and data? Yes — but first, you need a human. — Look closely at the image on the screen. Scrutinise each pixel. Trace out the houses, the buildings, the lamp-posts. Select and mark the edge of the road. Don’t forget to note the moving traffic. Do it carefully, do it well. Every pixel has its place. Sounds like the mind of…

How to measure the immeasurable — and why it can sometimes go wrong. — Different people have different swearing habits. Some people spew out expletives at the drop of a hat, while others feel uncomfortable hearing one, let alone speaking it. Me, I’m somewhere in the middle. I rarely swear — but thats because I’m saving the words for when I really need them. …

How your next word is predicted — and how you can make it more accurate. — Have you ever cursed the autocorrect on your phone? Tried typing someone's name, maybe, and had it changed to a random, entirely unrelated word about eleven times in a row before it registered as the actual thing? (Granted, brown people probably have this problem more than white people, given that…