Question of the Week #38

Question

Now we're into post #38 of the "Top Question" of Super User in the Super User blog. Please post and vote for your favorite question for this week.

Please post any questions that you feel is of worth and the reason why. Try not to promote your own questions or answers for publicity's sake. We are looking for questions that are of similar par to those selected in the Super User Contest. If you like a posted question then vote it up. Each week we'll to try to post about a question and its contents.

When submitting a QotW, please indicate if you would be interested in writing about it for the blog. This is a factor which we take into consideration when selecting what to blog about - we need a post we can actually say something interesting about; it shouldn't be something we've written about too much before, and it helps to have somebody interested in writing the article.

Answer 1

My current favourite is this one. It's new, but it's a good question with some great answers that teach you a bit about how processors, or rather programmers, handle operations that don't fit inside a registers width.

How can a computer calculate exponential maths without overflow error?

I find the "fit inside a register" to be an important part because many people assume that the processor cannot deal with a number that is wider than its register, but there are ways around that kind of limitation that humans use every day with their own brains forgetting that computers can use the same tricks.

Forgot to mention, I'd be interested to write about this myself but it may take me a while due to other commitments.

Answer 2

I like this one, because it's a good learning opportunity for people and applies to a broad audience. I'd also be interested in learning more about how this law applies to website owners outside of the EU.

Why are websites suddenly asking me about cookies?

(The answer relates to a new law in the EU regarding privacy and tracking)