AUGUST 2004 MAXIMUMPC 43
F
orget alligators in the sewers. The technical world is jam-packed
with powerful and highly believable myths that have been best-
ing wide-eyed techies since computers first roamed the earth. Some
myths refuse to die no matter how nonsensical they’ve become. Some
have only begun their journey of misinformation and bewilderment.
Skeptical? Inside these pages we’ll explore tales of overclocking a
Fat Table, and the joys of sending anonymous e-mail while download-
ing free songs that the RIAA cannot trace. Sound fishy yet?
In other words, if you haven’t toned your technical-myth muscles,
consider this quick workout your ticket to avoiding a few embarrassing
moments down the line. And if we missed one, by all means send it to
us for a follow-up at [email protected].
Do you know the difference between fact
and fiction? Maximum PC investigates 11
common computing myths
CRTS EMIT HARMFUL
RADIATION
Back when a color TV weighed as much as
a motorcycle, homemakers warned their
children to sit far from the set, lest they be
exposed to excessive radiation. Was there
something to their matronly warnings, and
more chillingly, what can be said of the fact
that today millions of us sit mere inches
away from our computer monitors for
hours and hours of every waking day?
Here’s what we know for sure. Radiation
is present in our environment in many
forms, and all radiation is based on fre-
quency and wavelengths. Frequency is the
measurement of oscillations per second,
while wavelength is the measurement of
wave peak to wave peak, or rather, one is
the measurement of how fast and the other
is a measurement of how far between.
In a CRT monitor, a heated cathode tube
shoots a stream of electrons at a screen
coated with phosphorous material. The
phosphor glows in relation to the electrons
hitting it and produces the light of pixels
seen on the front of the monitor screen.
Deep inside the monitor X-rays are pro-
duced, but these are shielded by the picture
tube and by the fact that electron energy is
fairly limited in wavelength strength.
Basically, the amount of radiation inside
a monitor is a tiny fraction of the radiation
we receive throughout the day from other
products and even our own bodies—the
food we eat produces radioactive traces
that stay in the body for days. The combus-
tion of natural gas and other fossil fuels,
and the radiation absorbed from masonry
and other building materials is actually so
much higher in magnitude than monitors
that even using a CRT for eight hours daily
puts you at much less risk relative to other
factors.
So while you may hear talk about the
dangers of having electronic devices such
as cell phones or monitor screens in close
proximity to your head, we have yet to
see a study that definitively proves these
devices are harmful. Now that ham sand-
wich you’re eating is another story...DEBUNKED! Ë
CRTS EMIT HARMFUL
RADIATION
Back when a color TV weighed as much as
a motorcycle, homemakers warned their
BY ALICE HILL