Facts of January

Haseeb Ahmad

How does Your credit cards work?
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When you hand over your card to the cashier to pay for your purchases he takes it and swipes it in the merchant's point of sale (POS) system.

This system is connected to the merchant's bank via a communication link. This POS system helps in verifying your data by using an electronic verification system.

The details verified include the validity of your card and the availability of sufficient balance on your card to pay for the purchases. This data is available on the magnetic strip, present at the back of the card.
Once your details are transmitted to the merchant's bank, they are sent to your bank which then authorises the payment if all the details are in order. This authorisation is then sent to the merchant's bank, which then blocks the amount from your credit limit so as to reimburse it to the merchant later on.

The authorisation generates an approval code and is transmitted to the merchant. This code has to be keyed in by the cashier, after which two copies of charge slip is generated. This charge slip is your agreement to pay your issuing bank the amount of purchase. You then sign one copy of the charge slip and take the other one with you, along with your purchase.

Just like you, there are many others who use credit cards for their purchases. They also generate their own charge slips. All these charge slips are stored in batches and submitted by the merchant to his bank, at the end of the working day (in most cases).

When the merchant deposits these batches in his bank, they are sent by the merchant's bank for clearing and settlement through the credit card association. This association charges your purchase amount to your bank and pays the amount to the merchant's bank. The merchant's bank then reimburses this amount to the merchant.

Your bank now charges your purchase amount to your credit card account. On the specific date, your bank will generate an account statement, listing all the credit and debit transactions in your account. If the debits are higher than credits, you have to pay the difference to your bank.

You will also be given a due date, which is the last date by which you have to repay your bank. The failure to pay off this amount by due date will mean paying late fees as well as interest charges to the bank. These fees and charges can be very high, so be very careful.

· January 14 at 9:26am

Haseeb Ahmad

If you look at the sun Right Now, you are technically looking back in time. It takes around eight minutes for light from the sun to reach Earth.

Therefore, the image of the sun in the sky outside your window at this moment is actually what the sun looked like about eight minutes ago.

· January 12 at 8:15am

Haseeb Ahmad

Cockroaches can live for almost 30 days after their head has been cut off.

While it is more average for a cockroach to only live headless for 9 days or so, they can live for extremely long amounts of time. Cockroaches breathe through spiracles, which deliver air to each cell of the body through a set of tubes called tracheae. The brain does not control the breathing through the spiracles. So they don't need a head to breathe!

Also, the cockroach does not have blood pressure the way a mammal does, so cutting off the head does not lead to uncontrolled bleeding. What about food? They need much less food - single meal is enough to last them a whole month!

· January 11 at 9:31am

Haseeb Ahmad

What is a Wi-Fi ??
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A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here's what happens:

1. A computer's wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna.
2. A wireless router receives the signal and decodes it. The router sends the information to the Internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection.
The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer's wireless adapter.

The radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s and 0s.

· January 10 at 10:29am

Haseeb Ahmad

The length of your Foot is the same as the length of Forearm (the bit between your elbow and the wrist). You can Measure them and check :)

· January 9 at 8:42am

Haseeb Ahmad

There are actually 365.242199 days in a year. That’s why once in 4 years, we have a leap year – an extra day that makes up for the extra time in February.

But do You know why is this added up in February and not in any other 11 months ??

· January 8 at 9:49am

Haseeb Ahmad

One part of Your brain is controlled by you - you ask your body and muscles to move and your senses to work. This part of your brain allows you to think, learn, feel, move, talk, see, hear - in fact do everything that makes you, YOU.

The other part of your brain works automatically to keep you alive by constantly making your heartbeat, your lungs breathe and by keeping your digestive system working. These are called involuntary actions - you do them automatically, without thinking.

· January 7 at 9:18am