understand the technology that surrounds you everyday

understand the technology that surrounds you everyday - II

We are surrounded by so much technology everywhere that sometimes we wish we knew better. Without further ado, look at this nifty compilation created for the rest of us. This is the second among three lists that explains the real meaning behind everyday words from the world of technology. First, see the first list of technological terms.

E-mail: Universally accepted abbreviated version of electronic mail.
Emoticon: They are used to convey emotion in an ASCII world. For example, ☺ represents a ‘smiley’.
Encryption: The translation of data into a secret code. To read an encrypted file, you need a secret key or password.
Easter Egg: Hidden features placed by programmers in software applications and operating systems. Could display a secret message, play a sound or a small animation.
Firewall: One way of protecting a network against intrusion. Consists of mechanisms to block and to permit network traffic.
Flame: A downright inflammatory statement, usually in an electronic mail message.
FWIW: Chat lingo for For What It’s Worth.
FireWire: Apple’s name for a new, very fast external data standard that it had developed. It has been now vastly replaced by USB-C.
GIF (Graphic Interchange Format): An image compression algorithm that facilitates the transfer of high quality images over a network.
Gigabytes: A billion bytes; this would be large enough to hold 1,250 copies of Moby Dick.
GPS (Global Positioning System): A satellite navigation system that allows anyone using a simple handheld receiver to determine his place in time and space.
Hacker: Someone who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks. Gets most of the heat for the misdemeanors of malicious crackers.
Host: A computer that allows users to communicate with other host computers on a network. May or may not be hospitable.
Handshake: You want some data? I’ll transmit it to your machine. If it’s coming in too fast, tell me to wait so you can catch up. Modems need a handshake to get data transfer right.
Nanotechnology: The science of building electronic circuits and devices from single atoms and molecules. Will clearly define the next step in computing.
Netiquette: Proper behavior on a network, universally applicable on the Internet.

Comments

abort, retry, ignore poem

The infamous Abort, Retry, Ignore message box of Windows, with no option given to close it. Found this classic and fun poem about the "Abort, Retry, Ignore" message. I have been able to trace back the source to Annoyances.org. Here it is: Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary, System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor, Longing for the warmth of bed sheets, still I sat there doing spreadsheets. Having reached the bottom line I took a floppy from the drawer, I then invoked the SAVE command and waited for the disk to store, Only this and nothing more. Deep into the monitor peering, long I sat there wond'ring, fearing,  Doubting, while the disk kept churning, turning yet to churn some more.  But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token.  "Save!" I said, "You cursed mother! Save my data from before!"  One thing did the phosphors answer, only this and nothing more,  Just, "Abort...

this symbol is called a lemniscate, and other facts

The technical term for your foot "falling asleep" is "taresthesia". "Pins and needles" is really called "paresthesia". Great Britain has invaded about 90% of the world's countries. There's a brand of hand sanitizer called "Maybe You Touched Your Genitals". There was a hoax that the world was ending in 1806 because someone wrote "Christ is coming" on eggs, that were later stuffed into a hen. Gary Numan is actually 13 days older than Gary Oldman. There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs six times: Indivisibility. Los Angeles's full name is 'El Pueblo de Nuestra la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula'. Polyamorous people have invented a word to indicate the opposite feeling of jealousy - compersion. The Macrocilix maia moth confuses predators with wing patterns that mimic two flies eating bird poop. It even releases a pungent odor to drive home the dec...

pan-himalayan railroad

Chinese press is flooding with the news of China’s newest engineering feat – the completion of a railroad linking Lhasa (Tibet) with Eastern China. The country is celebrating this key achievement while the western press is once again applauding in awe and giving out mixed speculations. For example, this photo story contains some lines: “There are fears the railway will speed up the immigration of ethnic Chinese into Tibet, threatening its distinct cultural and religious identity.” “Tibetan groups and foreign critics say the railway’s real aim is political, as a symbol of China’s administrative and military control over a contested border region.” “...............................................” “..............................” All I can say about such statements is that leading people from China will undoubtedly laugh down these types of comments made by western media companies. This task in itself is a great combination of hard work, intellect and brotherhood, which in itself is a s...

pushmind publishing

Search This Blog