Why are 1, 2, 3, etc written in the way we write them?

We started counting 1, 2, 3, etc very early in our childhood. But do you know the significance of those symbols, i.e. why one is written as 1, two 2, and so on?

The symbolic representation of Roman numerals is pretty straightforward, e.g. symbol for one is I (one finger), two is II (two fingers) and three is III (three fingers). And when you raise all your five fingers with all but the thumb pressed together (just like when you take an oath), you'll see that the thumb and the rest of your five fingers are making a "V": that's how you get V for five. If you put one finger to the left of "V", it's negative one (left = sinister = bad ~ negative), and similarly when you put it on the right you have a positive one (right = good ~ positive): that's how you get IV for four (= 5-1) and VI for six (= 5+1). In the same way you get VII for seven and VIII for eight. You get X (ten) when you use all ten fingers of your hands in the opposing "V" position. Now you must have guessed how you get IX for 9, XI for eleven and so on. Don't ask me why they started using other letters later on (e.g. L for fifty, C for hundred, D for five hundred and M for thousand), because I don't know! (I guess C has something to do with century).

But we are not talking about Roman numerals. How did we get the symbols for the Arabic numerals (e.g. 1, 2, 3, .......)?

Dr. Malka has an idea that it is all about angles. When you write down 1 you draw one angle, for 2 two angles and so on. No wonder why 0 is zero! He gave a diagram to support it and I think it's pretty intriguing (although I didn't like 5, 7 and 9, and moreover he didn't give any reference).

Have you seen/ read this somewhere else?


Link: Dr. Malka's website

How to Intercept a Text Message in a Cell Phone

Wanna eavesdrop a mobile phone conversation or intercept a text message? That is so "super" illegal. And I am not here to teach you how to do it (believe me, I have never tried it).

It happened recently in Wal Mart where a technician was caught red handed! And based on that incidence Christopher Beam of Slate described how one can achieve such a feat.

There are a few ways to do this. One method, phone cloning, lets you intercept incoming messages and send outgoing ones as if your phone were the original. If both phones are near the same broadcast tower, you can also listen in on calls. To clone a phone, you have to make a copy of its SIM card, which stores the phone's identifying information. This requires a SIM reader that can read the card's unique cryptographic key and transfer it to another phone. (Warning: This is super illegal, but there are still sites that show you how.) The problem with cloning is that it only lets you intercept messages sent to one phone number. Plus, you need physical access to the target phone to make it work.

It's also possible to intercept unencrypted or poorly encrypted messages directly as they're broadcast over cellular channels. (If the network uses sophisticated encryption, you might be out of luck.) To steal messages with your phone, you would need to upload illegal "firmware" onto your phone. This essentially turns your phone into a radio and allows it to pick up all the texts broadcast on a given channel—instead of limiting you to the ones addressed to you. You'd also need to know the network for the target phone—Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, etc.—and you'd have to make sure that both your phone and the target are within range of the same base station. This method isn't too expensive since you don't need much more than a computer, a phone, and some firmware that any serious techie could find online for free.

There are websites to find the illegal firmware, and the point I'm trying to make here is that any person with some technical knowledge will just need a computer, an internet connection and a phone to eavesdrop your mobile phone conversation or intercept your text messages.

Sources: Slate, FCC

Hidden cell phone functions: 'bogus'

I received this message several times regarding the hidden cell phone functions, for example, using it to unlock your car when you are locked out, disabling a stolen cell phone, using the phone when there is no network, etc. All of these sound too good to be true! Here' s what Snoops.com has to say:

1. Situation: You have a phone with the keypad locked or you are in a remote place where there is no cell-phone network available

Claim: Dialing 112 connects you to the emergency service.
Fact: In Europe it connects you to local emergency services even when the keypad is locked. However, the 112 number does not have (as is sometimes claimed) special properties that enable callers to use it in areas where all cellular signals are blocked (or otherwise unavailable).


2. Situation: You are locked out of your car and you have an extra remote keyless entry (RKE) at home.

Claim: Get somebody at home on phone, ask him/ her to press the unlock button of the RKE that is at home, hold your phone at a distance of about a foot from the car door, and boom: your door is open!

Fact: Relaying remote entry system signals via telephone might work if the signals were sound-based, but they're not. An RKE system transmits an encrypted data stream to a receiver inside the automobile via an RF (radio frequency) signal, a signal that can't be effectively relayed via cell phone. (In any event, RKE systems and cell phones typically operate on completely different frequencies; the former in the 300 MHz range and the latter in the 800 MHz range.)

"More than a few people have inadvertently fooled themselves into believing the cell phone method of unlocking car doors actually works because they tried it and achieved the desired results — not realizing their cars were still within range of their keyless remote devices, and the signals that unlocked the doors were transmitted the usual way [i.e., through the air], not via cellular phone connections"

3. Situation: Your cell phone is low on battery.

Claim: Type in *3370# and your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery.

Fact: It originates from a misunderstanding of an option available on some brands of cell phone (such as Nokia) for Half Rate Codec, which provides about 30% more talk time on a battery charge at the expense of lower sound quality. However, this option is enabled by pressing the sequence *#4720# — the sequence *3370# actually enables Enhanced Full Rate Codec, which provides better sound quality at the expense of shorter battery life.


4. Situation: Your mobile phone has been stolen.

Claim: Get the 15 digit code (unique to your p hone) by dialing * # 0 6 # A (before you lost your phone, of course). Give that code to the service provider when you lose the phone, and they will block the phone even if the thief changes the SIM card.

Fact: That function only works with some types of cell phones, and the efficacy of reporting the ID number to a cellular service provider to head off unauthorized use of a lost or stolen phone is limited.


5. Situation: You want to get directory information by dialing 411 for free (the service provider charges about $1.00 to $1.75 for it)

Claim: Dial (800) FREE 411 or (800) 373-3411

Fact: Some business outfits such as (800) FREE-411 do provide free directory assistance services to cell phone customers. However, users should note that the service is "free" in the sense that FREE-411 provides directory information to callers at no charge, but cellular service providers may still assess charges related to placing such calls


Source: Urban Legends

PS: I just got this from blogger bulletproof production. The key combinations (different ones) that he mentioned seem to work.