In 2012, I asked a question on Server Fault: How do servers handle thousands of connections per second when a regular home internet connection would be too slow for that? I had just set up Apache on my home IP and was genuinely curious about large-scale servers. This was the response I got :
Hm, I hate to say it, but it’s not a very SMART question.
It’s like asking, “I have a car, but when I want to transport a lot of people it’s too small. How do big companies do it?” — they don’t use a car.
Similarly, web hosts DON’T USE a slow home connection. Isn’t that obvious?
They have data centers with massive backhaul — multiple 10-gigabit connections. That’s how.
Looking back, maybe it wasn’t the smartest question — but I was 18, and genuinely curious about what kind of internet infrastructure powers large-scale services.
I have always been a nerd about too many things. When something catches my interest, it consumes me, and my brain fills up with a flood of questions. Google and Internet have always helped in chasing down the answers, but it’s not always enough. That’s because, as an amateur, it’s hard to piece bits and pieces of information scattered around.
Fast forward to today, I have access to something remarkable: a chat interface that lets me ask anything, and without judgment or condescension, it will always answer. Here are a few questions I’ve asked recently:
In 1760, expeditions were sent to observe the transit of Venus to measure the Earth-Sun distance. Were they successful?
From the universe’s frame of reference, can we say we’re traveling at the speed of light, since the space is expanding at that rate?
What’s the hard speed limit a spaceship could reach before it would destroy itself?
The LHC already pushes particles to 99.99999% of light speed — why do we need an even larger collider?
Can the chemical reactions that led to life happen again today? If not, why?
Every answer has been spot on. While it’s become common to say that AI is making us lazy or dumber, I’ve found the opposite to be true. Having instant access to answers has made me more knowledgeable and curious. I’ve found myself far more immersed in scientific questions now than I was just a few years ago.
A big part of it is also the non-judgmental nature. People are often afraid of sounding stupid, so they hold back from asking the questions that actually matter to them. But with a machine, that fear just isn’t there.
ChatGPT feels like the teacher I always wished for — someone who’s endlessly patient, deeply knowledgeable, and never makes you feel small for asking anything. It answers without ego and never gets tired of follow-up questions.
And for someone with a curious mind, that’s not just convenient, it’s an incredible gift.