The compact disc grew out of a 1970s race between Philips and Sony to build a digital audio disc

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The compact disc grew out of a 1970s race between Philips and Sony to build a digital audio disc

the gist

The compact disc was developed by Philips and Sony working separately in the late 1970s, then combined their designs in a joint task force from 1979. Sony contributed the CIRC error-correction system, which lets a disc play through scratches and fingerprints, while Philips contributed the EFM coding method and the physical manufacturing process, built on LaserDisc technology. The format stores digital audio read by a laser through a reflective layer. The Red Book standard was published in 1980, and the discs went on sale in 1982.

so what

The shared standard meant any disc could play in any compatible player, which let the CD dominate home music by the late 1980s. Sales in the United States overtook vinyl LPs in 1988, and cassettes were overtaken in the early 1990s.

fun fact

Sony and Philips's shared standard meant a disc from one company could play in another company's player.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗