Code Curiosities

Podcaster

Ever wonder why your phone battery dies faster in winter, or how Netflix knows exactly what you want to watch? Code Curiosities dives into the fascinating stories behind the tech we use every day, revealing the surprising science and clever engineering that makes our digital world tick.

  1. 20H AGO

    The Accidental Emoji That Broke the Internet

    In 2016, a single emoji crashed iPhones worldwide and caused Apple to rush out an emergency iOS update. We dig into how a seemingly innocent combination of Unicode characters became a digital weapon, and why the messiness of human language keeps breaking our supposedly smart devices. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    9 min

  2. 1D AGO

    The Comma That Cost NASA $80 Million

    A single misplaced punctuation mark in spacecraft code caused one of the most expensive typos in history, sending a rocket careening off course just minutes after launch. We dig into how this tiny syntax error reveals the surprisingly fragile relationship between human language and machine logic—and why your autocorrect fails have nothing on this cosmic catastrophe. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    16 min

  3. MAY 12

    The Delete Key That Launched a Thousand Lawsuits

    In 1990, a programmer at a small tech company accidentally created the world's first computer virus that spread via email by hitting the wrong key during lunch break. This single typo didn't just crash computers worldwide—it rewrote privacy laws, created the cybersecurity industry, and still influences how your email spam filter works today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    21 min

  4. MAY 11

    The Accidental Empire of Error 404

    Why does the internet tell you "404 Not Found" when a webpage goes missing? The answer involves a server room at CERN, Tim Berners-Lee's quirky numbering system, and how a throwaway error code became the most famous number sequence on the web. We'll explore how this digital inside joke shaped how billions of people think about broken links—and why it almost never happened at all. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    18 min

  5. MAY 10

    The Password That Broke the Internet (Twice)

    In 1988, a Cornell grad student meant to write a harmless program to map the internet. Instead, he created the first major internet worm that brought down 10% of all connected computers. We'll explore how Robert Tappan Morris accidentally became the internet's first cyber-criminal, why his dad tried to stop him, and how this digital disaster helped create the cybersecurity industry we know today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    19 min

  6. MAY 9

    The Comma That Cost NASA $18.1 Million

    In 1962, a single misplaced hyphen in a FORTRAN program sent the Mariner 1 spacecraft careening off course, forcing NASA to blow it up just minutes after launch. We dive into how this legendary 'most expensive hyphen in history' became a cautionary tale about why code review matters—and why the real story is even weirder than the myth. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    19 min

  7. MAY 8

    The Typo That Broke the Internet (Before We Knew We Had One)

    In 1988, a Cornell grad student meant to test network security but accidentally unleashed the first major internet worm, infecting 10% of all connected computers and grinding the early web to a halt. We'll explore how Robert Morris's coding mistake became the wake-up call that shaped modern cybersecurity and why his punishment was surprisingly light for nearly breaking the internet. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    16 min

  8. MAY 7

    The Bug That Launched a Thousand Ships

    In 1962, a missing hyphen in NASA's code caused a $18.5 million rocket to explode just minutes after launch. But this wasn't just an expensive typo—it kicked off a revolution in how we think about software reliability that touches everything from your smartphone to your car's brakes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    20 min
See All (29)

About

Ever wonder why your phone battery dies faster in winter, or how Netflix knows exactly what you want to watch? Code Curiosities dives into the fascinating stories behind the tech we use every day, revealing the surprising science and clever engineering that makes our digital world tick.

Information

  • Creator
    Podcaster
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Code Curiosities