Skip to main content

Number Systems and YouTube Video IDs - In 100 words or less

With upwards of 500 hours of video uploaded every minute, there is the question of exhaustion - Will YouTube ever run out of Video IDs? 


A unique sequence of 11 random characters identifies a video. This compact and readable format has a deadly weapon, however. It harnesses the power of higher-order number systems.


YouTube uses the base 64 number system(0-9, a-z, A-Z, - and _). So, Youtube can store 64^11 videos, enough for every human to upload a video every minute for 18,000 years. 


While we technically can exhaust IDs, the solution is simple - just add another character!


Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Polyphasic Sleep - In 100 words or less

Most of us sleep in a  single six to nine-hour stretch - monophasic sleep .    Polyphasic Sleep seems to be a viable alternative to some athletes and productivity freaks, which mostly consists of one long sleep of a few hours and several shorter sleep periods . Babies and pets commonly practice this form of sleep.   While polyphasic sleep might work for certain specific situations or groups of people by making sleep deeper and hence more productive, it is generally not advisable for students or employees. This is because its improper practice can lead to sleep deprivation, irritability, and general fatigue .
Post a Comment
Read more

Nostalgia - In 100 words or less

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion that is invoked by anything that resembles our past experiences . Sensory stimuli are popular triggers, and at times, nostalgia is elicited on purpose to feel better about current events.  The hippocampus, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and ventral striatum -  Reward Centers of the brain  - are activated during nostalgic activity.  So, when listening to say, an old song, you might feel happy even if that song wasn't to your liking then - you reminisce about past times.  Nostalgia is so comforting and so easily provoked, that it can even become an addiction.
2 comments
Read more

Thucydides’ Trap - In 100 words or less

Thucydides' Trap is the phenomenon of the increased likelihood of war between an established power and a rising power. The established power, to maintain their exclusivity , will attempt to thwart the rising power trying to destroy just that. The main reason countries enter this state is the prevailing emotions of fear, hubris, and honour in their people.  Some Chinese believe that their resurgence is incomplete unless they become a world power, and Americans ' exceptionalism could make them fall into this trap.  Thucydides' Trap teaches us not to let these emotions drag us into conflict, and that we must peacefully co-exist .
2 comments
Read more