# article

date: 24 Oct 2019
level: 4
question:
  QUESTION

  1. A no-deal Brexit will harm UK.

  ANSWER

  1. F

text:
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks towards a voting station during the Brexit referendum in Britain, June 23, 2016. (Photo: EPA-EFE)

  LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday he will likely ask Parliament to approve an election as part of an effort to break a Brexit deadlock.

  It is not clear if the vote, which Johnson wants to hold on Dec. 12, will take place as opposition lawmakers must also back the move.

  They are expected to vote on the measure on Monday. 

  Johnson's announcement comes ahead of an expected decision Friday from the European Union over whether to delay Britain's exit from the bloc for three months. 

  Britain's leader has been steadfastly opposed to any extension to the nation's scheduled Oct. 31 departure date from the EU, although in a letter to the leader of the opposition Labour Party this week he said he would accept a short technical postponement, "say to 15 or 30 November," to allow lawmakers to implement an EU withdrawal bill. 

  Johnson's decision to offer to call an election follows lawmakers' rejection of his plan to rush through an EU exit bill that runs to hundreds of pages in just three days. They want more time to scrutinize the legislation and to make sure it does not leave the door open to a possible "no-deal" Brexit during future exit negotiations with the EU that will run through next year. A "no-deal" Brexit could dramatically harm Britain's economy. 

  The prime minister was forced to ask for an extension to Britain's EU departure date after Britain's Parliament passed a law to ward off the threat of a "no-deal" Brexit.

  Johnson has repeatedly pledged to finalize the first stage, a transition deal, of Britain's EU divorce battle by Oct. 31. A second stage will involve negotiating its future relationship with the EU on trade, security and other salient issues.

source:
  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/10/24/brexit-boris-johnson-eu-extension-withdrawal-deal/4084970002/


source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-cabinet-meeting-15/
date: 21 Oct 2019
level: 3
question:
  QUESTION

  1. Who did Trump ask to do the honors?

text:
  Thank you very much.  We have a Cabinet meeting.  We’ll have a few questions after grace.  And, if you would, Ben, please do the honors.

  THE PRESIDENT:  All right, thank you, Ben.  That was a great job.  Appreciate it.

  The economy is doing fantastically well.  It’s getting very close to another record.  We’ve had many records since we won office.  We’re getting very close to another record.  I don’t know if anybody saw it: The household median income for eight years of President Bush, it rose $400.  For eight years of President Obama, it rose $975.  And for two and half years of President Trump — they have it down as two and a half years — it rose $5,000, not including $2,000 for taxes.  So it rose, let’s say, $7,000.  So in two and a half years, we’re up $7,000, compared to $1,000, compared to $400.  And that’s for eight years and eight years.

  That’s a number that just came out, but that’s a number that I don’t know how there could be any dispute or any — I’ve never heard a number like that, meaning the economy is doing fantastically well.

  We need — for our farmers, our manufacturers, for, frankly, unions and non-unions, we need USMCA to be voted on.  If it’s voted on, it’ll pass.  It’s up to Nancy Pelosi to put it up.  If she puts it up, it’s going to pass.  It’s going to be very bipartisan.  It’s something that’s very much needed.  It’ll be hundreds of thousands of jobs.


date: 21 Oct 2019
level: 3
question:
  ANSWER

  1. Washington D.C.

text:
  And to all the extraordinary leaders and innovators gathered here from all across America and all around the world — men and women who are share — who share our vision for human exploration, for American and worldwide innovation, carrying us back to the vast expanse of space: It is my great honor to welcome all of you to this incredible gathering, celebrating the power of the past and the promise of the future, the Opening Ceremony of the 70th International Astronautical Congress.  Welcome to Washington, D.C.  (Applause.)

source:
  https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-vice-president-pence-2019-international-astronautical-congress-opening-ceremony/


source: Liana Mahoney
date: 27 Oct 2019
level: 2
text:
  Hitchhikers in the Bathroom

  Imagine this. You step up to the sink, wet your toothbrush, and
  begin cleaning your pearly whites. Out of the corner of your eye,
  you see something moving on the wall.  Suddenly, you realize
  you’re not alone in the bathroom. Your heart pounding, you turn
  toward the tiny intruder to get a better look.

  You’re horrified to see that it has eight legs, and a pair of
  oversized pincers on its front end. Is it some kind of miniature
  octopus, or a bizarre crab? Is it going to sting you?

  Actually, it’s a bug, and it’s no more harmful to you than a
  housefly. This tiny bathroom bug is called a
  pseudoscorpion (SOO-doh- SCOR-pee-uhn). But don’t be fooled by
  its name. It’s not really a scorpion; it’s just a relative. The
  pseudoscorpion is a kind of arachnid (uh-RAK-nid), which means it
  is closely related to spiders, scorpions, and mites. Like
  scorpions, pseudoscorpions have a segmented body and two enormous
  pincers. But pseudoscorpions lack the curved stinger that all
  true scorpions have.

  Pseudoscorpions usually live outside in mulch, under tree bark,
  and in leaf litter.  So how do they end up in the bathroom?  They
  use those pincer- like claws to hitch a ride on other bugs, such
  as flies and beetles. When these insects come in, so do the
  pseudoscorpions - attached to their legs!

  These tiny arachnids prefer moist places.  Since the bathroom
  tends to be humid after bathing and showering, it’s a likely
  place to find them. But they are easily overlooked.  Most
  pseudoscorpions are only about two to eight millimeters long.

  Pseudoscorpions don’t bite or sting humans, and they can even be
  helpful. These bugs feed on common household pests, such as
  carpet beetle larvae, ants, mites, and small flies. Welcoming
  this hitchhiker into your home may mean there are fewer household
  pests to “bug” you!

question:
  QUESTION

  1. If you wanted to find a  pseudoscorpion outdoors, where would you look?

  2. How can pseudoscorpions be helpful to humans?

  ANSWER

  None provided.


source: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/25/pentagon-microsoft-cloud-trump-058083
date: 27 Oct 2019
level: 4
question:
  QUESTION

  ANSWER

text:
  Pentagon taps Microsoft for $10B cloud contract after Trump's slams on Amazon

  The Pentagon on Friday chose Microsoft over Amazon to provide
  cloud computing services potentially worth $10 billion after
  President Donald Trump and members of Congress complained the
  competition was stacked in Amazon's favor.

  The decision on the lucrative contract — which is likely to
  remain a flash point if the loser protests the decision with the
  government or considers mounting a legal battle — comes just days
  after Defense Secretary Mark Esper recused himself from the
  decision-making process because his son works for one of the
  previous competitors.

  "The acquisition process was conducted in accordance with
  applicable laws and regulations. The process cleared reviews by
  the GAO and Court of Federal Claims," the Pentagon said in a
  statement Friday night announcing the award. "All offerors were
  treated fairly and evaluated consistently with the solicitation's
  stated evaluation criteria. Prior to the award, the department
  conferred with the DOD Inspector General, which informed the
  decision to proceed."

  Amazon said it was "surprised" by the decision, but declined to
  say if it would be filing a protest.

  "[Amazon Web Services] is the clear leader in cloud computing,
  and a detailed assessment purely on the comparative offerings
  clearly lead to a different conclusion," a spokesperson for the
  company said in a statement. "We remain deeply committed to
  continuing to innovate for the new digital battlefield where
  security, efficiency, resiliency, and scalability of resources
  can be the difference between success and failure.”

  Microsoft did not immediately have a statement to provide.

  It's unclear what impact President Donald Trump's criticism of
  Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos had on the final contract
  decision. Trump allegedly told former Defense Secretary Jim
  Mattis that he wanted to "screw" Amazon by denying them the
  contract, according to a book by former Mattis aide Guy Snodgrass
  that is set to be released next week.

  Whether Amazon protests will depend on what the company hears
  when it receives a briefing from the Pentagon on the agency's
  decision making on why it selected Microsoft, according to Andrew
  Hunter, a former Defense Department acquisition aide and current
  senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International
  Studies.

  "If it wasn’t close, then Amazon may not protest. If it was
  close, I think they are pretty likely to protest given all the
  unusual activity on this procurement," Hunter told POLITICO. "My
  guess is that this competition came down to price."

  The winner-take-all project is intended to establish a common
  computing and data storage system that will allow the military to
  achieve some of its most advanced technology objectives,
  including integrating onto the battlefield more artificial
  intelligence capabilities, which require massive amounts of
  processing power and storage that are provided by a sophisticated
  cloud. The program will also allow for secure information sharing
  across the Defense Department, so warfighting intelligence can be
  seamless shared among different platforms like drones, aircraft
  or ships.

  The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure program, better known
  as JEDI, could be extended for 10 years and be worth up to $10
  billion if all contract options are exercised.

  But it is almost certain that Microsoft's selection will not be
  the final word for a program that has been politically fraught
  and the target of a series of court challenges and other formal
  protests.

  “There is really no downside to protesting, except perhaps the
  ill will it might generate by causing additional delay,” said Tom
  Spoehr, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for
  National Defense. “Given all the effort that the companies have
  put into their bids, a protest would not be surprising.”

  The competition went through several phases before Amazon and
  Microsoft emerged as finalists over Oracle and IBM Corp., which
  were among the initial bidders.

  Oracle took the Pentagon to court in December after it was cut
  from the competition, alleging that the Defense Department
  unfairly limited competition by tailoring the JEDI requirements
  to Amazon's proposed solution.

  Oracle also claimed in its lawsuit that Deap Ubhi, a former
  Pentagon employee who worked for Amazon, unfairly influenced the
  competition. In July, however, a federal judge ruled in favor of
  the Pentagon and also concluded that Oracle's initial proposal
  did not meet the contract requirements. Oracle announced in
  August that it would appeal that ruling to the U.S. Court of
  Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but has not yet formally filed
  the appeal.

  Oracle separately filed a protest in August 2018 with the
  Government Accountability Office, which also concluded that the
  Pentagon’s procurement process was fair.

  While Oracle has been the most vocal critic of the program, IBM
  Corp. also filed a protest with the Government Accountability
  Office in October 2018 arguing that the Pentagon should select
  multiple winners instead of structuring the competition as
  winner-takes-all.

  "IBM has long raised serious concerns about the structure of the
  JEDI procurement," IBM spokesperson Adam Pratt said in July. "We
  continue to believe that the Department of Defense and our men
  and women in uniform would be best served by a multicloud
  strategy."

  President Trump, who has been engaged in a public spat with
  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, accusing the billionaire of using his
  ownership of The Washington Post to attack him, took a personal
  interest in the JEDI competition ahead of the contract being
  awarded.

  In July he asked officials to review the contracting process
  after both members of Congress and companies themselves
  complained to the president that the bidding process was not open
  and competitive.

  “I’m getting tremendous complaints about the contract with the
  Pentagon and with Amazon,” Trump said on July 18. “Some of the
  greatest companies in the world are complaining about it, having
  to do with Amazon and the Department of Defense, and I will be
  asking them to look at it very closely to see what’s going on.”


  The public spat between Trump and Bezos extends beyond this
  defense procurement. Trump has attacked the billionaire on
  Twitter for paying too little in taxes and ripping off the
  U.S. Postal Service.

  Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also urged the president to
  get involved to ensure the competition was fair and the Pentagon
  would be getting the best deal possible. For example, about a
  dozen members of the House GOP caucus, who are not members of the
  House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter in July asking the
  president to delay the program until the Pentagon had finished
  investigating the fairness of the competition.

  Those who serve on the committees that oversee the military,
  however, tend to disagree. Two Democrats — Sen. Mark
  Warner (D-Va.) and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member
  Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) — wrote a similar letter to the Pentagon
  in August asking Defense Secretary Mark Esper to protect the
  program from political pressure and keep it moving forward. Four
  Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee,
  including ranking member Mac Thornberry, also sent a letter to
  Trump in July asking the president to allow the program to
  continue without interference.

  “While it is understandable that some of the companies competing
  for the contract are disappointed at not being selected as one of
  the finalists, further unnecessary delays will only damage our
  security and increase the cost of the contract,” the GOP
  lawmakers wrote in the letter.

  In response, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced shortly after
  taking over the Pentagon’s top job that he was personally
  reviewing the program, saying that he wanted to get up to speed
  on the major procurement through a series of learning sessions
  with Defense officials. During a series of listening sessions,
  Esper realized how contentious the program truly was and removed
  himself from the decision-making process because his son worked
  for IBM. Instead, he delegated the authority to Deputy Defense
  Secretary David Norquist.

  For good measure, the Pentagon's inspector general also conducted
  its own review, which began in August. The Pentagon said it had
  consulted with the inspector general before issuing the award and
  was told it could move forward.


source: https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-surprise-winner-dollar10b-pentagon-contract/
date: 27 Oct 2019
level: 4
question:
  QUESTION

  ANSWER

text:
  Microsoft Is the Surprise Winner of a $10B Pentagon Contract

  Amazon had long been considered the favorite for JEDI, a project to use cloud computing to modernize warfare.


source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191017141052.htm
date: 27 Oct 2019
level: 3
question:
  QUESTION

  ANSWER

text:
  Ancient stars shed light on Earth's similarities to other planets
  New method used to study planets' geochemistry implies that Earth is not unique

  Date:
      October 17, 2019
  Source:
      University of California - Los Angeles
  Summary:
      Earth-like planets may be common in the universe, a new study implies. The team of astrophysicists and geochemists presents new evidence that the Earth is not unique.


  Earth-like planets may be common in the universe, a new UCLA study implies. The team of astrophysicists and geochemists presents new evidence that the Earth is not unique. The study was published in the journal Science on Oct. 18.

  "We have just raised the probability that many rocky planets are like the Earth, and there's a very large number of rocky planets in the universe," said co-author Edward Young, UCLA professor of geochemistry and cosmochemistry.

  The scientists, led by Alexandra Doyle, a UCLA graduate student of geochemistry and astrochemistry, developed a new method to analyze in detail the geochemistry of planets outside of our solar system. Doyle did so by analyzing the elements in rocks from asteroids or rocky planet fragments that orbited six white dwarf stars.

  "We're studying geochemistry in rocks from other stars, which is almost unheard of," Young said.

  "Learning the composition of planets outside our solar system is very difficult," said co-author Hilke Schlichting, UCLA associate professor of astrophysics and planetary science. "We used the only method possible -- a method we pioneered -- to determine the geochemistry of rocks outside of the solar system."

  White dwarf stars are dense, burned-out remnants of normal stars. Their strong gravitational pull causes heavy elements like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen to sink rapidly into their interiors, where the heavy elements cannot be detected by telescopes. The closest white dwarf star Doyle studied is about 200 light-years from Earth and the farthest is 665 light-years away.

  "By observing these white dwarfs and the elements present in their atmosphere, we are observing the elements that are in the body that orbited the white dwarf," Doyle said. The white dwarf's large gravitational pull shreds the asteroid or planet fragment that is orbiting it, and the material falls onto the white dwarf, she said. "Observing a white dwarf is like doing an autopsy on the contents of what it has gobbled in its solar system."

  The data Doyle analyzed were collected by telescopes, mostly from the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, that space scientists had previously collected for other scientific purposes.

  "If I were to just look at a white dwarf star, I would expect to see hydrogen and helium," Doyle said. "But in these data, I also see other materials, such as silicon, magnesium, carbon and oxygen -- material that accreted onto the white dwarfs from bodies that were orbiting them."

  When iron is oxidized, it shares its electrons with oxygen, forming a chemical bond between them, Young said. "This is called oxidation, and you can see it when metal turns into rust," he said. "Oxygen steals electrons from iron, producing iron oxide rather than iron metal. We measured the amount of iron that got oxidized in these rocks that hit the white dwarf. We studied how much the metal rusts."

  Rocks from the Earth, Mars and elsewhere in our solar system are similar in their chemical composition and contain a surprisingly high level of oxidized iron, Young said. "We measured the amount of iron that got oxidized in these rocks that hit the white dwarf," he said.

  The sun is made mostly of hydrogen, which does the opposite of oxidizing -- hydrogen adds electrons.

  The researchers said the oxidation of a rocky planet has a significant effect on its atmosphere, its core and the kind of rocks it makes on its surface. "All the chemistry that happens on the surface of the Earth can ultimately be traced back to the oxidation state of the planet," Young said. "The fact that we have oceans and all the ingredients necessary for life can be traced back to the planet being oxidized as it is. The rocks control the chemistry."

  Until now, scientists have not known in any detail whether the chemistry of rocky exoplanets is similar to or very different from that of the Earth.

  How similar are the rocks the UCLA team analyzed to rocks from the Earth and Mars?

  "Very similar," Doyle said. "They are Earth-like and Mars-like in terms of their oxidized iron. We're finding that rocks are rocks everywhere, with very similar geophysics and geochemistry."

  "It's always been a mystery why the rocks in our solar system are so oxidized," Young said. "It's not what you expect. A question was whether this would also be true around other stars. Our study says yes. That bodes really well for looking for Earth-like planets in the universe."

  White dwarf stars are a rare environment for scientists to analyze.

  The researchers studied the six most common elements in rock: iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, calcium and aluminum. They used mathematical calculations and formulas because scientists are unable to study actual rocks from white dwarfs. "We can determine the geochemistry of these rocks mathematically and compare these calculations with rocks that we do have from Earth and Mars," said Doyle, whose background is in geology and mathematics. "Understanding the rocks is crucial because they reveal the geochemistry and geophysics of the planet."

  "If extraterrestrial rocks have a similar quantity of oxidation as the Earth has, then you can conclude the planet has similar plate tectonics and similar potential for magnetic fields as the Earth, which are widely believed to be key ingredients for life," Schlichting said. "This study is a leap forward in being able to make these inferences for bodies outside our own solar system and indicates it's very likely there are truly Earth analogs."

  Young said his department has both astrophysicists and geochemists working together.

  "The result," he said, "is we are doing real geochemistry on rocks from outside our solar system. Most astrophysicists wouldn't think to do this, and most geochemists wouldn't think to ever apply this to a white dwarf."

  The research was funded by NASA.


source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191021111826.htm
date: 27 Oct 2019
level: 2
question: QUESTION
text:
  'Artificial leaf' successfully produces clean gas

  Date:
      October 21, 2019
  Source:
      University of Cambridge
  Summary:
      A widely-used gas that is currently produced from fossil fuels can instead be made by an 'artificial leaf' that uses only sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, and which could eventually be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to gasoline. 


source: TBD
date: 29 Oct 2019
level: 3
question:
  QUESTION

  1. What product is the above description for?

  ANSWER

  1. Coffee

text:
  VALVE PACKED FOR FRESHNESS

  TESCO
  /////

  ITALIAN
  FRESH GROUND COFFEE

  RAINFOREST ALLIANCE
  CERTIFIED
  Minimum 30% Certified Coffee

  This coffee has been blended and roasted to produce a rich, full
  bodied Italian style coffee, for thoese for like a stronger after
  dinner coffee.

  4
  Medium/Strong


  Our promise

  We are happy to refund or replace any Tesco product which falls below
  the high standard you expect.  Just ask any member of staff.  This
  does not affect your statutory rights.

  We are here to help:
  Freephone 0800 50 55 55.
  Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm.
  Shop on-line at www.tesco.com

  FRED VERBOOM HAS WORKED AS A COFFEE CONSULTANT FOR TESTCO SINCE 2003.
  HAVING SPENT ALL OF HIS WORKING LIFE IN THE INTERNATIONAL COFFEE
  INDUSTRY AS TASTER AND BLENDER, FRED'S EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE IS
  INVALUABLE TO ENSURING TESCO CAN OFFER THE BEST POSSIBLE COFFEES.

  <0303 3401>


  About Rainforest Alliance Certification:

  The Rainforest Alliance Certified^TM seal guarantees that famers
  follow sound agricultural practices that protect forests, rivers,
  soils and wildlife, while being good community neighbours.  Rainforest
  Alliance Certification also ensures that workers have just wages,
  dignified living conditions and access to education and health care.

  The Rainforest Alliance engages business and consumers to conserve
  biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming
  land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour.


  A blend of quality beans expertly roasted to produce a full bodied,
  stronger coffee.  Ideal as an after dinner coffee.  Suitable for
  cafetieres, filter machines, moka pots and percolators.

  Preparation guidelines
  How to make the perfect cup of coffee:


  Cafetiere:
  [Omitted]

  Filter machine:
  [Omitted]

  Moka pot:

  * Fill the bottom part of the unit with freshly drawn cold water.
  * Insert the filter basket, fill with coffee and level the surface (do
    not overfill and/or tap down the coffee).
  * Assemble unit and brew on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes.
  * Pour and enjoy! (Suitable for all types of moka pots and filter
    machines. Always follow manufacturer's guidelines.)


  Roast and ground coffee.
  ------------------------
  Storage
  * The flavour and aroma of coffee deteriorates once in contact with air.
  * This pack has a one way valve which allows the coffee to be packed immediately after roasting and grinding to maintain freshness.
  * Once opened, reseal the pack by rolling down the top of the bag and secure with the tab.
  * Store in a freezer, refrigerator or cool place.
  * Use within 2 weeks of opening.

  Additional information

  * Packaged in a protective atmosphere.

  DISPOSAL

  BAG-MIXED
  MATERIAL
  Not currently recycled

  227g e

  Produce of more than one country.
  Packed in the U.K. for Tesco Stores Ltd., Cheshunt EN8 9SL, U.K.
  Copyright Tesco 2012. SC211282.

  Before before end:

  May 2018

  7142 2
  07:24


source: TBD
date: 29 Oct 2019
level: 2
question:
  QUESTION

  1. What product is the above description for?

  ANSWER

  1. Biscuit.

text:
  BORDER

  family Biscuitiers

  SINCE 1984

  2x

  CLASSIC RECIPES

  COLDEN OAT GRUMBLES

  30g



  Ingredients: Wheat ...
  Suitable for Vegetarians
  Store in a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight.
  We are happy to declare that the palm oil contained within the ingredients we buy is certified as sustainable.


  [Bar Code]


  For best before information, see side of pack

  BEST BEFORE
  28 JUN 2019
  8221 18:56

  Please tell us if you loved these biscuits...
  or not.  Email sales@borderbiscuits.co.uk
  or write to the address below.
  Baked in Scotland by our skilled Biscuitiers
  at:
  Border Biscuits Ltd, South Faulds Road, Lanark, Lanarkshire, SCOTLAND, ML11 7SR.
  www.borderbiscuits.co.uk

  [Facebook] [Tweet]

  Nutritional Information/UK&EU    per 100g    per biscuit
  --------------------------------------------------------
  Energy
  Fat
  Of which saturates
  Carbohydrate
  of which sugars
  Protein
  Salt


source: Charles Darwin
date: 29 Oct 2019
level: 4
text:
  It must have struck most naturalists as a strange anomaly that, in the case of both animals and plants, species of the same family and even of the same genus, though agreeing closely with each other in almost their whole organisation, yet are not rarely, some of them hermaphrodites, and some of them unisexual. But if, in fact, all hermaphrodites do occasionally intercross with other individuals, the difference between hermaphrodites and unisexual species, as far as function is concerned, becomes very small. 

question:
  QUESTION

  1. What scientific field does the above passage most likely belong to?

  A. Biology
  B. Physics
  C. Chemistry
  D. Quantum mechanics

  ANSWER

  1. A


source: reprints.longform.org/playboy-interview-steve-jobs
date: 29 Oct 2019
level: 3
text:
  Playboy: Maybe we should pause and get your definition of what a computer is. How do they work?

  Jobs: Computers are actually pretty simple. We’re sitting here on a bench in this café [for this part of the Interview]. Let’s assume that you understood only the most rudimentary of directions and you asked how to find the rest room. I would have to describe it to you in very specific and precise instructions. I might say, “Scoot sideways two meters off the bench. Stand erect. Lift left foot. Bend left knee until it is horizontal. Extend left foot and shift weight 300 centimeters forward…” and on and on. If you could interpret all those instructions 100 times faster than any other person in this café, you would appear to be a magician: You could run over and grab a milk shake and bring it back and set it on the table and snap your fingers, and I’d think you made the milk shake appear, because it was so fast relative to my perception. That’s exactly what a computer does. It takes these very, very simple-minded instructions—“Go fetch a number, add it to this number, put the result there, perceive if it’s greater than this other number”—but executes them at a rate of, let’s say, 1,000,000 per second. At 1,000,000 per second, the results appear to be magic.

  That’s a simple explanation, and the point is that people really don’t have to understand how computers work. Most people have no concept of how an automatic transmission works, yet they know how to drive a car. You don’t have to study physics to understand the laws of motion to drive a car. You don’t have to understand any of this stuff to use Macintosh—but you asked. [laughs]

question:
  QUESTION

  1.   Steve Jobs used "grabbing milk shake" as an analogy for what?

  ANSWER

  1.  For explaining how computers work.


