MBE

en-noun

MBE (countable and uncountable, plural MBEs)

molecular-beam epitaxy
w:molecular-beam epitaxy

(technology) Initialism of molecular-beam epitaxy.


SI

SI (countable and uncountable, plural SIs)

(technology) Initialism of systems integration.


festoon

(technology) A specific style of electric light bulb consisting of a cylindrical enclosure with two points of contact on either end providing power to the filament or diode.


cheese

cheese (countable and uncountable, plural cheeses or (archaic) cheesen)

cheeses (plural)
cheesen (archaic plural)

fill

dummy pattern to increase pattern density

Tok Pisin: sis

Borrowings

→ Abenaki: chiz

→ Cantonese: 芝士 (zi¹ si⁶⁻²)

→ Chichewa: tchizi

→ Coeur d'Alene: chis

→ Dhivehi: ޗީޒު (cīzu)

→ Fijian: jisi

→ Gilbertese: titi

→ Hakka: 起士 (chhí-sṳ̀)

→ Hindi: चीज़ (cīz)

→ Igbo: chiz

→ Japanese: チーズ (chīzu)

→ Korean: 치즈 (chijeu)

→ Malayalam: ചീസ് (cīsŭ)

desc

→ Mandarin: 起士 (qǐshì), 起司, 芝士 (zhīshì), 吉士 (jíshì)

→ Maori: tīhi

→ Marathi: चीझ (cījh)

→ Marshallese: jiij

→ Mohegan-Pequot: cihs; cheehs (obsolete)

→ Nepali: चिज (cij), चीज (cīj)

→ Punjabi: ਚੀਜ਼ (cīz)

→ Samoan: sisi

→ Tokelauan: hihi

→ Sinhalese: චීස් (cīs)

→ Swahili: chizi

→ Thai: ชีส (chíis)

→ Tongan: siisi

→ Tswana: tshise

→ Western Ojibwa: ᒌᐦᐢ (cîhs, jiis) (Saulteaux dialects)

→ Wu: 起司

→ Xhosa: itshizi

→ Zulu: ushizi

Etymology tree
Latin cāseusbor.
Proto-Germanic *kāsijaz
Proto-West Germanic *kāsī
Old English ċīese
Middle English chese
English cheese
From Middle English chese, from Old English ċīese, specifically the Anglian form ċēse, from Proto-West Germanic *kāsī, borrowed from Latin cāseus. Doublet of queso.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Síes (“cheese”), West Frisian tsiis (“cheese”), Dutch kaas (“cheese”), German Low German Kees (“cheese”), German Käse (“cheese”).

etymon

2006, US Patent 7458053, International Business Machines Corporation
It is known in the art to insert features that are electrically inactive (“fill structures”) into a layout to increase layout pattern density or and to remove features from the layout (“cheese structures”) to decrease layout pattern density.

(technology) Holed pattern of circuitry to decrease pattern density.


cheese

en-verb

cheese (third-person singular simple present cheeses, present participle cheesing, simple past and past participle cheesed)

cheeses (present singular third-person)
cheesing (participle present)
cheesed (participle past)
cheesed (past)

(technology) To make holes in a pattern of circuitry to decrease pattern density.


collar

→ Hausa: kwala

→ Burmese: ကော်လာ (kaula)

→ Swahili: kola

From Middle English coler, borrowed from Old French coler (Modern French collier), from Late Latin collāre, from Latin collāris, from collum (“neck”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 (hals, “neck”), Old English heals (“neck”). Compare Spanish cuello (“neck”). More at halse. Doublet of collet.

(technology) Any encircling device or structure.

(rail transport) A physical lockout device to prevent operation of a mechanical signal lever.

Any encircling device or structure.
A ring or cincture.

Any encircling device or structure.
A collar beam.

Rossiter W[orthington] Raymond
w:Rossiter W. Raymond

(mining) A curb, or a horizontal timbering, around the mouth of a shaft.

A nylon collar kept the bolt from damaging the surface underneath.

In this case, slide the collar of the flapper over the overflow tube until it seats against the bottom of the flush valve.

Popular Mechanics Complete Home How-to (page 356)


stroke

The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic *straik, from Proto-Germanic *straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to strike”).
Sense 3.6.2.2 (“the oblique, slash, or virgule (‘/’)”) is a contraction of oblique stroke, a variant of oblique which was originally used in telegraphy.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* German Streich (“stroke”)
* Middle Low German strēk (“stroke, trick, prank”)
* Scots strak, strake, straik (“blow, stroke”)

isku

one of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished

ход

single movement or thrust of a part (such as a piston) of a machine that moves back and forth; length of this movement

For the pistons of a four-stroke engine, the exhaust stroke follows the power stroke.

(technology) A single movement or thrust of a reciprocating device (such as a piston or connecting rod); the length of this movement.

(by extension) A thrust of the penis during sexual intercourse.


stealth

From Middle English stelthe, from Old English stǣlþ, from Proto-Germanic *stēliþō, equivalent to steal + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Compare Old English stalu (“theft, stealth”), Old High German stāla (“theft”), German Diebstahl (“theft”).

(military, aviation, vehicles, technology) Having properties that diminish radar signatures.


hardware

→ Amharic: ሃርድዌር (hardəwer)

From Middle English hardware; equivalent to hard + -ware; attested since the mid-15th century.


CC

en-noun

CC (countable and uncountable, plural CCs)

compact cassette
compact cassette#English

(sound engineering, technology) Initialism of compact cassette.


bleeding edge

bleeding edges (plural)
bleeding-edge (alternative)

Blend of bleed + leading edge, and metaphorically alluding to the cutting edge (“forefront or position of greatest advancement in some field”) as a double-edged sword.

on the bleeding edge of drone technology

They would be the creators of strategy, generators of action and the bleeding edge of the church, ever pushing toward the front lines of conflict.

1968, Scott Francis Brenner, Ways of Worship for New Forms of Mission, page 79:

A few leading edge (some say "bleeding" edge) users have stepped into the arena and their experiences have helped sharpen our perception of what the electronic office can be.

The motion-captured ape characters are the bleeding edge of digital effects, rarely short of impressive.

2017 July 7, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, “The Ambitious War For The Planet Of The Apes Ends Up Surrendering to Formula”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2017-11-27:

(technology, idiomatic) Something too new and untested to be reliable or to have any assurance of safety; the figurative place where such things exist.

bardzo nowoczesna rzecz

something too new and untested to be reliable


evangelist

From Old French evangeliste, equivalent to evangel + -ist, from ecclesiastical Latin evangelista, from ecclesiastical Ancient Greek εὐαγγελιστής (euangelistḗs, “bringer of good news”), from εὐαγγελίζεσθαι (euangelízesthai, “to evangelize”), from εὐάγγελος (euángelos, “bringing good news”), from εὖ (eû, “well”) + ἀγγέλλειν (angéllein, “to announce”).

uder

εὐαγγελιστής

developer evangelist

[…] and has worked in multiple roles, including as the C# Product Manager and as a Developer Evangelist in the Mid-Atlantic district.

2007, James Avery, Jim Holmes, Windows Developer Power Tools, page xxii:

(technology) A person hired to promote a particular technology.


noise

en-noun

noise (countable and uncountable, plural noises)

From Middle English noyse, noise, from Old French noise (“a dispute, wrangle, strife, noise”), of uncertain origin. According to some, from Latin nausia, nausea (“disgust, nausea”); according to others, from Latin noxia (“hurt, harm, damage, injury”); but neither explanation is satisfactory in regard to either form or sense.

der

signal-to-noise ratio

On the technical side, the scanning and OCR of texts, in combination with the graphic design of high school text books, introduced a certain level of noise into the corpus which in turn led to a higher tagging error rate than usual and may affect count precision.

2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Position vectors, homologous chromosomes and gamma rays: Promoting disciplinary literacy through Secondary Phrase Lists”, in English for Specific Purposes, →DOI, page 11:

(technology) Any part of a signal or data that reduces the clarity, precision, or quality of the desired output.


honeycomb

en-noun

honeycomb (countable and uncountable, plural honeycombs)

Alhambra
Oxford English Dictionary
United States Army

The noun is derived from Middle English hony comb, from Old English huniġcamb, from huniġ (“honey”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kn̥h₂ónks (“honey”)) + camb (“comb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“peg; tooth; row of teeth”)). The English word is analysable as honey + comb. The Oxford English Dictionary posits that the arrangement of several plates of wax “hanging parallel to each other from the roof of the hive suggests a comb with its teeth”. The verb is derived from the noun.

kennosto

something resembling honeycomb in having numerous cells or small holes

hunaja

something resembling honeycomb in sweetness; something desirable or pleasant

(countable, by extension) Something resembling honeycomb (sense 1) in having numerous cells or small holes.

The texture of the surface of a solar cell, intended to increase its surface area and capture more sunlight.

(archaic) A defect in a material (especially metal) where small holes are present; specifically (construction), a defect in concrete consisting of numerous voids resulting from the failure of mortar to effectively fill the spaces among coarse aggregate particles.

шупла

defect in a material where small holes are present; specifically, a defect in concrete consisting of numerous voids

(chiefly aviation) Material manufactured with small hollow cells, sometimes sandwiched between two flat sheets, which is used to make light, stiff structural components.

kennosto

material manufactured with small hollow cells


compress

en-verb

compress (third-person singular simple present compresses, present participle compressing, simple past and past participle compressed)

compresses (present singular third-person)
compressing (participle present)
compressed (participle past)
compressed (past)

From Middle English compressen, from Old French compresser, from Late Latin compressare (“to press hard/together”), from Latin compressus, the past participle of comprimō (“to compress”), itself from com- (“together”) + premō (“press”).

der

(technology, transitive) To make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.

компримирам

to encode digital information into less bits


drop

From Late Middle English droppe, Middle English drope (“small quantity of liquid; small or least amount of something; pendant jewel; dripping of a liquid; a shower; nasal flow, catarrh; speck, spot; blemish; disease causing spots on the skin”) [and other forms], from Old English dropa (“a drop”), from Proto-West Germanic *dropō (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Germanic *drupô (“drop (of liquid)”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewb- (“to crumble, grind”).

nb...

dropan, droupe, (Northern England) droipe

afval

small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own round shape through surface tension

piisk

very small quantity of liquid, or of anything

piisk

that which hangs or resembles a liquid globule

langemine

decline in degree, quality, quantity, or rate

afgrond

distance through which something drops, or falls below a certain level

A mechanism for lowering something, such as a machine for lowering heavy weights on to a ship's deck, or a device for temporarily lowering a gas jet, etc.

A thing which drops or hangs down.
(technology)
Ellipsis of drop hammer or drop press.

A thing which drops or hangs down.
Ellipsis of drop hammer or drop press.


section

From Middle English seccioun, from Old French section, from Latin sectiō (“cutting, cutting off, excision, amputation of diseased parts of the body, etc.”), from sectus, past participle of secāre (“to cut”). More at saw.

разрэ́з

surgery: incision or the act of making an incision

(technology) Angle section, L-section, angle iron, steel angle, slotted angle.


inter-

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁en-
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én
Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér
Proto-Italic *ənter
Latin inter
Latin inter-bor.
English inter-
Borrowed from Latin inter- (“between, amid”), a form of prepositional inter (“between”).

bor+

internetted

interblag

(technology) Internet: relating to the internet or computer networking.


bounce

en-verb

bounce (third-person singular simple present bounces, present participle bouncing, simple past and past participle bounced)

bounces (present singular third-person)
bouncing (participle present)
bounced (participle past)
bounced (past)

From Middle English bounsen, bunsen (“to beat, thump”), cognate with Scots bunce, bonce (“to bounce”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps imitative, related to bump, or related to Middle English bonchen (“to pound, beat”) and Dutch bonken (“to bump”).
Compare Saterland Frisian bumzje (“to pound, bang, bounce”), West Frisian bûnzje (“to throb, bounce, pulsate”), Dutch bonzen (“to thump, knock, throb, bounce”), German Low German bunsen, bumsen (“to beat, bounce”), German bumsen (“to thud, bang, pound”).

unc

uncertain

onomatopoeic

imitative

cog

bouncing stems

(music, technology) To render multiple tracks to computer storage so that they can be played back and re-recorded with the addition of further material.


automagical

en-adj

automagical (comparative more automagical, superlative most automagical)

more automagical (comparative)
most automagical (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-automagical.wav

/ˈɑtoʊˈmæd͡ʒɪkəl/

Throughout this text we will emphasize the employment of a systems approach to the practice of analysis and design. In it we attempt to present this portion of the software lifecycle as a discipline rather than an "automagical" (automated magic) process.

1987, Lawrence J. Peters, Advanced Structured Analysis and Design, Prentice-Hall, →ISBN, page 2:

"How're we paying you, actually?" I asked.
 "Certain automagical manipulations."

1993, Colin Harrison, Bodies Electric: A Novel, Crown Publishers, →ISBN, page 186:

It is hoped that, over time, new e-mail list management tools will become available for users which can "automagically" determine who and how to do these…

1994, Daniel P. Dern, The Internet Guide for New Users, McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, page 490:

In the more florid cases, where the diagnosis is unmistakeable, several anatomical studies (especially with automagical computerized devices, such as positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) have shown clear though subtle differences in the brains of schizophrenic patients…

1995, István Raskó, C. Stephen Downes, Genes in Medicine: Molecular Biology and Human Genetic Disorders, Springer, →ISBN, page 277:

These result [sic] indicate that the more complex the system, and the less the human feels aware of how the system is operating (i.e. to what degree it seems ‘automagical’) the less effective the operator becomes in correctly identifying problematic situations and taking the necessary corrective action.

2006, Stefan Axelsson, David Sands, Understanding Intrusion Detection Through Visualization, Springer, →ISBN, page 6:

(computing, technology, informal) Automatic, but with an apparent element of magic. Commonly referring to complex technical processes hidden from the view of users or operators, resulting in technology that "just works".

automagisch

automatic, but with an apparent element of magic


cinch

Uncertain; perhaps from Cinch Connectors, a Chicago-based company producing connectors.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-cinch.wav

(chiefly Europe, technology) An RCA connector.


demise

en-noun

demise (countable and uncountable, plural demises)

From Middle English demyse, dimise, dimisse, dymyse, from Middle French démise, the feminine singular past participle of démettre (“to put down, relinquish”); from Latin dēmissa, feminine singular of perfect passive participle of dēmittō. The "death" and "end" senses derive by way of euphemism from the legal sense, as a person's death was a common way that the legal demise could be accomplished.
The verb is from Middle English dimisen, from the noun.

Relocating components to places where they receive more heating effect earlier in the reentry and even triggering a partial break-up of the satellite structure during reentry to aid demise.

(technology) The atmospheric disintegration of a satellite or satellite component upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.


ODT

(healthcare, technology) Initialism of optical diffraction tomography.


fault

From Middle English faute, faulte, from Anglo-Norman faute, Old French faute, from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“shortcoming”), feminine of *fallitus, in place of Latin falsus, perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Displaced native Middle English schuld, schuild (“fault”) (from Old English scyld (“fault”)), Middle English lac (“fault, lack”) (from Middle Dutch lak (“lack, fault”)), Middle English last (“fault, vice”) (from Old Norse lǫstr (“fault, vice, crime”)). Compare French faute (“fault, foul”), Portuguese falta (“lack, shortage”) and Spanish falta (“lack, absence”). More at fail, false.

cog

A point at which something is divided, interrupted, or disconnected.

(technology) An abnormal connection within an electric circuit.


silent

en-adj

silent (comparative silenter or more silent, superlative silentest or most silent)

silenter (comparative)
more silent (comparative)
silentest (superlative)
most silent (superlative)
scilent (alternative)

From Latin silēns (“silent”), present participle of sileō (“be silent”), from Proto-Indo-European *seyl- (“still, windless, quiet, slow”). Related to Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (anasilan, “to cease, grow still, be silent”), Old English sālnes (“silence”).

der

My phone was on silent.

(technology) With the sound turned off; usually on silent or in silent mode.

заглушен

in silent mode, on silent, with the sound turned off

The Magnavox Odyssey was a silent console.


cleave

From Middle English cleven, from the Old English strong verb clēofan (“to split, to separate”), from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban, from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, to slice”).
Doublet of clive. Cognate with Dutch klieven, dialectal German klieben, Swedish klyva, Norwegian Nynorsk kløyva; also Ancient Greek γλύφω (glúphō, “carve”).

(technology) Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.


baffle

en-verb

baffle (third-person singular simple present baffles, present participle baffling, simple past and past participle baffled)

baffles (present singular third-person)
baffling (participle present)
baffled (participle past)
baffled (past)
baffle (infinitive)
baffle (first-person present singular)
baffled (first-person past singular)
baffle (present second-person singular)
bafflest (archaic present second-person singular)
baffled (past second-person singular)
baffledst (archaic past second-person singular)
baffles (present singular third-person)
baffleth (archaic present singular third-person)
baffled (past singular third-person)
baffle (plural present)
baffled (past plural)
baffle (present subjunctive)
baffled (past subjunctive)
baffle (imperative present)
baffling (participle present)
baffled (participle past)
baffol (alternative)
bafful (alternative)

The origin of the verb is uncertain; it is possibly:
* from French bafouer, baffoüer (“to abuse, revile; to confuse, baffle; to deceive; to flout; to scorn”), imitative of someone making a disdainful sound by expelling air quickly through pouted lips (compare Occitan baf (interjection expressing disdain)); or
* from French befer, beffer, beffler (“(obsolete) to deceive; to mock, ridicule”) (compare Old French befe, beffe, buffe (“deception; mockery”); beferie (“deceit; quibbling”)), possibly from bafouer: see above.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Cognates
* Italian beffare (“(verb) to deride, mock”), beffa (“(noun) banter; mockery”)
* Occitan bafar (“(verb) to deride, mock”), bafa (“(noun) banter; mockery”)
* Old Spanish bafa (modern Spanish befa (“(noun) banter; mockery”))
* Spanish befar (“(verb) to deride, mock”)

cog

Fleet ships encountering on the high seas / Who speak, and unto eternity diverge— / These hailed each other, poised on the loud surge / Of one of Mrs. Grundy's Tuesday teas, / Nor trimmed one sail to baffle the driving breeze.

1924 August, John Crowe Ransom, “Good Ships”, in Chills and Fever: Poems, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC, stanza 1, page 54:

(technology) To dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control (a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound).


baffle

en-noun

baffle (countable and uncountable, plural baffles)

→ French: baffle

→ Spanish: bafle

sound baffle

Tanker trucks use baffles to keep the liquids inside from sloshing around.

A device used to dampen, muffle, restrain, or otherwise control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid such as light or sound; specifically, a surface positioned inside an open area to inhibit direct motion from one place to another without preventing motion altogether.

en:device to restrain or control fluid flow

отразителна преграда

device used to control the movement of a fluid, or waves travelling through a fluid

перегоро́дка

разделительная

(US, dialectal, coal mining) A lever for operating the throttle valve of a winding engine.


femtoengineering

(technology, physics) Engineering subatomic particles by manipulating quarks.


HTR

HTR (countable and uncountable, plural HTRs)

The double-heterogeneity characterising pebble-bed high temperature reactors (HTRs) makes Monte Carlo based calculation tools the most suitable for detailed core analysis.

2009, Bomboni et al.: Comparison among MCNP-based depletion codes applied to burnup calculation of pebble-bed HTR lattices, page 918:

The penetration by light water reactors would be large even if other thermal reactors like the HTR were present, according to our preliminary evaluations, because the LWR is the best plutonium producer.

1972, Vincenti et al.: Spacedependent reactor dynamics, page 131:

Of the nuclear reactors the HTR now produces heat at the highest temperature.

1970, De Beni and Matchetti: Hydrogen, key to the energy market, page 49:

high temperature reactor
high temperature reactor#English

(technology) Initialism of high temperature reactor.


IAM

(technology) Initialism of immobilized artificial membrane.


HUD

An explosion just made us an exit! I'll mark it on your HUD, Chief, go!

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Cortana (Jen Taylor), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Cortana:

(technology, video games) Acronym of head-up display.


DL

DL (countable and uncountable, plural DLs)

DLs (plural)
D.L. (alternative)
D. L. (alternative)
dl (alternative)
d/l (alternative)
D/L (alternative)

distribution list
distribution list#English

(technology) Initialism of distribution list.


annulus

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ānnulus, a misspelling of Latin ānulus (“ring, especially one worn on a finger”), from ānus (“ring”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂no- (“ring”)) + -ulus (diminutive suffix).
The plural form annuli is a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ānnulī.

lbor

Pressure balance is obtained by the air pressure in the cylinder operating on a supplementary piston in the buffer piston head, transmitting pressure to a small quantity of oil which is ported to an annulus between the buffer piston seals and the cylinder wall, so that the seal is always under opposing pressures; oil on one side and air on the other.

1950 September, “Notes and News: Pneumatic Buffer Stop, E.R.”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 642:

(technology) In a well such as an oil well or water well: the space between a pipe or tube and any pipe, tube, casing, or sides of a hole surrounding it.

環空 /环空

in a well: the space between a pipe or tube and any pipe, tube, casing, or sides of a hole surrounding it


HMI

(technology) Initialism of human-machine interface.


thimble

The noun is derived from Middle English thymbyll, thimel (“thimble”) [and other forms], from Old English þȳmel (“thimble, thumbstall; fingerstall”), then either:
* from Old English þūma (“thumb”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)) + -el (suffix forming agent nouns and the names of instruments); or
* from Proto-Germanic *þūmilaz (“thumb-covering, thumb-sheath”), from *þūmô (“thumb”) (ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root mentioned above) + *-ilaz (suffix forming agent nouns).
The English word is analysable as thumb + -le (suffix forming agent nouns), and is cognate with Dutch duimeling (“thumbstall”), German Däumling (“thumbstall”), German Low German Dümelke (“thumbstall”), Saterland Frisian Düümelke (“thumbstall”), Scots thummle, thumble (“thimble”).
The verb is derived from the noun.

nb...

themel, themelle, themyl, themylle, thomble, thomelle, thymbyl, thymbyll, thymelle, thymle, thymyl, thymylle, timmele, þymel

cog

(also attributively) An object which resembles a thimble (sense 1) in shape or size.

(technology) A socket in machinery shaped like a thimble.

муфа

(technology) A ring- or tube-shaped component such as a ferrule.


alpha version

(computing, technology) An early version of a program or application, typically unstable, but useful to show what the product will do. Sometimes this stage is referred to as a preview version. Sometimes no more features are added after this release, but bug fixes continue. This release comes after a pre-alpha version and before a beta version. As opposed to a beta version an alpha version is usually not feature complete.


topology

en-noun

topology (countable and uncountable, plural topologies)

From Late Latin topologia, from Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos, “place, locality”) + -(o)logy (“study of, a branch of knowledge”).

topologie

study of geometric properties that are not changed by stretching etc.

(technology) The properties of a particular technological embodiment that are not affected by differences in the physical layout or form of its application.


SOV

(technology) Initialism of shot-on-video.


irradiate

en-verb

irradiate (third-person singular simple present irradiates, present participle irradiating, simple past and past participle irradiated)

irradiates (present singular third-person)
irradiating (participle present)
irradiated (participle past)
irradiated (past)
irradiate (infinitive)
irradiate (first-person present singular)
irradiated (first-person past singular)
irradiate (present second-person singular)
irradiatest (archaic present second-person singular)
irradiated (past second-person singular)
irradiatedst (archaic past second-person singular)
irradiates (present singular third-person)
irradiateth (archaic present singular third-person)
irradiated (past singular third-person)
irradiate (plural present)
irradiated (past plural)
irradiate (present subjunctive)
irradiated (past subjunctive)
irradiate (imperative present)
irradiating (participle present)
irradiated (participle past)

/ɪˈɹeɪdɪeɪt/

From Middle English irradiate (“illuminated, shining”) (more at etymology 1), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

облъчвам

to apply radiation other than visible light to (someone or something); to treat (food) with ionizing radiation to destroy pathogens; to treat (a patient, or a cancerous growth or tumour) with radiation

An inherent protection in labeling of the shipping containers will be the prevention of irradiating the commodity again, insuring that the produce has been treated within the safety limits established by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration].

1985 November 18, J. Richard Graves, jr., witness, “Statement of J. Richard Graves, jr., Chairman, Government Relations Committee, United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association”, in Federal Food Irradiation Development and Control Act of 1985: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Research, and Foreign Agriculture of the Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session on H.R. 696 […] (Serial No. 99-14), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, published 1986, →OCLC, page 100:

(technology) To apply radiation other than visible light to (someone or something).

To treat (food) with ionizing radiation to destroy pathogens.

(medicine) To treat (a patient, or a cancerous growth or tumour) with radiation.


cathead

catheads (plural)
cat-head (alternative)

The noun is derived from cat + head.
Sense 1.1 (“heavy piece of timber projecting from a ship on which an anchor is raised or lowered, and secured”) is from the fact that such a timber traditionally had a cat or lion’s head carved on its end. Sense 4 (“ellipsis of cathead biscuit”) is apparently from the fact that the biscuit is similar in size to a cat’s head.
The verb is derived from the noun.

(technology, chiefly mining) A (small) capstan (“vertical cylindrical machine that revolves on a spindle, used to apply force to cables, ropes, etc.”) or windlass (“type of winch”) forming part of hoisting machinery.


whetted

The inside of a valve has whetted parts constructed of corrosion-resistant material.

(technology) (of a surface) exposed to a working fluid


CRS

en-noun

CRS (countable and uncountable, plural CRSs)

(technology) Initialism of cold-rolled steel, steel that has been processed while remaining relatively cold, often coated in oil to prevent corrosion.


circulatory system

circulatory system (plural circulatory systems)

(technology) The parts of a machine responsible for the circulation of some fluid.


access control

access control (usually uncountable, plural access controls)

(computing, technology) Permitting or denying the use of a particular resource.


solid-state device

solid-state device (plural solid-state devices)

(computing, technology) Any device which employs the electric, magnetic or optical properties of a solid, especially of semiconductors.


immunotronics

(sciences, technology) The design of electronic systems inspired by the natural immune system. Related areas include embryonics (embryological electronics), and evolvable hardware. Also known as "immunological electronics."


AIT

(sciences, technology) Initialism of Austrian Institute of Technology (Austria's largest Research and Technology Organization (RTO)).


total loss

Some rocket engines have a total loss hydraulic system for engine gimbal, using fuel bled from the main turbopumps as the working fluid.

(technology) A system in which the working fluid is used once and then dumped, burned up, etc. rather than being recirculated. By extension, an electrical system that runs on battery power without the means to recharge during operation.


CW

CW (countable and uncountable, plural CWs)

(technology) Initialism of continuous wave.


viewscreen

Kazorr, the weapons officer, sat with his slobbery mouth gaping open at the main view-screen.

2016, A.K. Brown, Jumpstart (Champagne Universe Series: Book 1), page 19:

(technology) A display screen for a device such as a computer, a camera, or a video recorder.


mechanokinetic

(technology) Of or pertaining to mechanokinetics


mechanokinetics

(technology) The ability to cause movement (of artificial limbs etc) by means of the mind


nanofluidics

(technology) The design and fabrication of nanostructures containing the controlled movement of fluids.


nanomechanics

(physics, technology) The study of the mechanical properties of nanostructures and nanomaterials


walled garden

A long time ago, back before Al Gore invented the Internet, there were three big kids on the online block, each of which ran its own proprietary online service. America Online, Prodigy and CompuServe each had a "walled garden" of sorts for their customers.

2000 September 4, “AOL's 'Walled Garden'”, in Wall Street Journal:

AOL tried to provide a walled garden for all their subscribers in the early 1990s.

2007, Wes Simpson, Howard Greenfield, IPTV and Internet video, →ISBN, page 39:

When you deal with iPhones and iPads (and the iCloud, iMacs, iTVs, iPods, and all those other iThingies), you're living in a walled garden. Apple controls it from the beginning to end.

2016, Woody Leonhard, Windows 10 All-In-One For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 885:

The walled garden made AOL money, some of it real, but also hastened the site's loss of allure to the Internet, whose open design was the opposite of AOL's, and which was by now growing a greater variety of things to see and do.

2017, Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, Atlantic Books, →ISBN:

The content sludge is also present in Big Tech’s plans to reimagine search as an interactive, chatbot-powered walled garden.

2023 May 17, Charlie Warzel, “Here’s How AI Will Come for Your Job”, in The Atlantic:

(figurative, media, technology) A closed platform for content or services controlled by a single carrier or service provider, typically requiring subscription to access.


sealed beam

The new Sealed Beam Headlights are designed to maintain substantially their initial efficiency throughout their life.

1940, Ralph A. Richardson, Optics and Wheels, General Motors Corporation, p. 25

(technology) A type of electric lamp for producing a beam of light in which the filament is sealed inside a unit consisting of the reflector and lens so as to ensure the alignment of the beam and to protect the reflector from becoming dirty or tarnished.


microcell

(technology) A small, local cell in a mobile phone network


course authoring tool

course authoring tool (plural course authoring tools)

Course authoring tools are special-purpose tools for creating e-learning courses

2003, Katherine Horton, E-learning tools and technologies, page 280:

(education, computing, technology) Software designed for creating e-learning courses.


brailler

Use pads under braillers to reduce noise and under reading-writing stands to counteract sliding.

2005, Jean E. Olmstead, Itinerant teaching, page 190:

(technology) A typewriter used to emboss paper with braille cells to be read by the visually impaired instead of using a manual stylus.


Gang of Four

the Gang of Four (canonical)
gang of four (alternative)

Calque from Chinese 四人幫／四人帮 (sìrénbāng).

zh-l

四人幫／四人帮 (sìrénbāng)

(by extension) Any influential (political) group having four members.

(technology) Synonym of Big Four (“four largest corporations of Big Tech”).


dither

en-verb

dither (third-person singular simple present dithers, present participle dithering, simple past and past participle dithered)

dithers (present singular third-person)
dithering (participle present)
dithered (participle past)
dithered (past)

Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”).
Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.

Look at how pixelly this wall texture is. You almost don't even notice the dithering when driving by quick. Up close though, it's real chunky.

2023, Preston "Pretzel", 4:34 from the start, in Familiar and Unfamiliar Areas in Lego Island:

(electronics, technology, signal processing) To apply an algorithm to digital data to minimize the effects of quantization:

(computer graphics) To use dot patterns in an image or graphic to simulate colors or shades not in the system palette.

koostaa

(computing, graphics) to simulate a color digitally

To intentionally add noise to a signal to remove artifacts caused by digitization.


dither

en-noun

dither (countable and uncountable, plural dithers)

(electronics, technology, signal processing) Any algorithm applied to digital data to minimize the effects of quantization:

A form of noise intentionally added to remove artifacts caused by digitization.

(computer graphics) The use of dot patterns in an image or graphic to approximate colors not available in the system palette.

sirottelu

computer graphics: use of dot patterns to approximate colors


nonsmart

Fixed beams are quite easy to form and may be viewed as an extension of older nonsmart antenna systems (where directional selectivity was achieved by the design of propagation patterns from single antenna elements).

2003, George M. Calhoun, Third Generation Wireless Systems: Post-Shannon signal architectures, page 360:

Only a few nonsmart models, primarily newer Razr models and a few Nokia phones, can run Yahoo Go. And once again, no Verizon phones need apply.

2007 May 24, David Pogue, “How to Make Your Cellphone Act Like a BlackBerry”, in New York Times:


BAT

BAT (countable and uncountable, plural BATs)

(China, technology) One or more of the Chinese technology companies Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.


WDM

wavelength-division multiplexing
w:wavelength-division multiplexing

(technology) Initialism of wavelength-division multiplexing.


normally black

From normally (“no voltage”) + black (“opaque”).

com

(technology) for LCD to be opaque and thus black when voltage is not applied to a pixel electrode and transparent and thus white when voltage is applied.


normally white

From normally (“no voltage”) + white (“transparent”).

(technology) for LCD to be transparent and thus white when voltage is not applied to a pixel electrode and opaque and thus black when voltage is applied.


contrast ratio

contrast meaning the difference of white and black + ratio.

(technology) ratio of the luminance of white to that of black of a display. A higher value means a higher contrast of white and black.


λ/4 film

(technology) Film having a retardation of a quarter of a specified wavelength, used with a polarizer film to lower the reflectance of a display significantly.

lame λ/4

film with a retardation of quarter wavelength


qwerty syndrome

Named after the QWERTY keyboard layout, a popular standard despite not necessarily being the most optimal.

Nowhere is the QWERTY syndrome stronger than in computers […]

2000, Jason Kroll, “Readers' Choice Awards”, in Linux Journal:

(idiomatic, computing, technology) The condition of favoring entrenched and inferior technologies or practices over superior ones.


facemail

It's been said that some high-tech experts think so little of actual conversation that they call it “facemail,” in their minds an inefficient and inferior form of communication.

2001, Andrew Finlayson, Questions that work:

So we had a facemail meeting and took him out to the woodshed, so to speak.

2002, Zack Urlocker, Valley of the Geeks:

That cyberlanguage has become firmly established in language communities can be observed in the practice of turning common, everyday expressions into technical metaphor: [...] talking personally is to use facemail, [...]

2006, Donna Gibbs, Kerri-Lee Krause, Cyberlines 2.0: languages and cultures of the Internet:

(computing, technology) Face-to-face communication, as opposed to other non-personal forms of communication.


thimbled

(nautical, technology) Of a cable or rope, or a piece of machinery or other device: having a thimble (“ring-, thimble-, or tube-shaped component”).


untrust

en-noun

untrust (usually uncountable, plural untrusts)

From Middle English untrust, untrost, untrist, likely from un- + trust. Cognate with Icelandic útraust (“untrust”). Compare also Swedish otro (“lack of faith, disbelief”).

noncog

You have only two zones (admins and untrust), so there are two intra-zone policy contexts (admins to admins and untrust to untrust ) and two inter-zone policy contexts ( admins to untrust and untrust to admins ) .

2011, Walter J. Goralski, Cathy Gadecki, Michael Bushong, JUNOS OS For Dummies, page 219:

The untrust zone is designed typically for the Internet or other undesirable places.

2011, Thomas W Shinder, The Best Damn Firewall Book Period, page 974:

In this example, we enable AppTrack in the trust and untrust zone, along with a syslog server to send the logs to our STRM at 192.168.1.20.

2013, Brad Woodberg, Rob Cameron, Juniper SRX Series, page 872:

(technology) The zone representing everything that originates outside of the firewall.


untrust

en-verb

untrust (third-person singular simple present untrusts, present participle untrusting, simple past and past participle untrusted)

untrusts (present singular third-person)
untrusting (participle present)
untrusted (participle past)
untrusted (past)

From Middle English untrust, untriste, probably from Old Norse útraustr (“untrustworthy”). Cognate with Icelandic útraustur.

To untrust one document, you have to untrust them all.·

2010, Bill Jelen, Rev Up to Excel 2010: Upgraders Guide to Excel 2010, page 27:

[…] to untrust (if delete is not possible) a certificate from macOS using Keychain Access.

2019, Herong Yang, PKI Tutorials - Herong's Tutorial Examples, page 152:

Indeed, when a node catches a malicious one, it will try to untrust it, and so the others who did not identify the malicious nodes as wicked will be more and more suspicious.

2022, Emilien Bourdy, Marwane Ayaida, Hace\ne Fouchal, “Misbehavior Verification on Cooperative Intelligent Transpor System”, in Frank Phillipson, Gerald Eichler, Christian Erfurth, editor, Innovations for Community Services, page 193:

(technology) To mark or flag (something) as untrustworthy.


UHV

(technology) Initialism of ultra-high vacuum.


IPMA

w:de:International Project Management Association

(technology, project management) Initialism of International Project Management Association.


resender

(technology) That which sends something again.


recleaner

(technology) That which cleans something again.


Big Four

the Big Four (canonical plural)
Big 4 (alternative)

Any group of four major or largest corporations in a given industry, especially when such a small group has oligopoly or near-oligopoly.

(finance, business, technology) The four largest corporations of Big Tech during the 2000s–2020s, usually defined as Alphabet (f.k.a. Google), Meta (f.k.a. Facebook), Amazon, and Apple.


digital native

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-digital native.wav

Coined by education consultant Marc Prensky in 2001.

coin

This may potentially have a negative impact on the ultimate utility of this feedback method with present-day students who perceive themselves as ‘digital natives’.

2017, Di Zou, James Lambert, “Feedback methods for student voice in the digital age”, in British Journal of Educational Technology, volume 48, number 5, page 1085:

(technology, sociology) A person who has grown up in an environment replete with digital interactions and ways of communicating, thought to increase difficulty with traditional nondigital teaching methods, work practices, etc.


c/w

(technology) Abbreviation of complete with, used to indicate that an extra or additional part is included.


bleeding-edge

en-adj

bleeding-edge (comparative more bleeding-edge, superlative most bleeding-edge)

more bleeding-edge (comparative)
most bleeding-edge (superlative)

As you'd expect from a bleeding-edge tablet, it has plenty of other high-end features as well.

(technology, idiomatic) Of or pertaining to something, such as technology, which is too new and untested to be reliable or to have any assurance of safety; (in a weakened sense) that represents the latest developments in something.

bardzo nowoczesny

pertaining to something too new and untested to be reliable


robopocalypse

It's not about that, Dante. It's about surviving. Pre-emptive measures to make sure we don't even get close to a robopocalypse.

2014, Anissa Belkadi, Miniature Mausoleums, page 279:

(science fiction, technology) An apocalypse (ending of the world) caused chiefly by robots.


SBC

single-board computer
w:single-board computer

(computing, technology) Initialism of single-board computer.


post-singularity

technological singularity
technological singularity#English

(technology) After the technological singularity.


Singularity

technological singularity
technological singularity

(technology) The technological singularity.


IBID

(uncountable, technology) Abbreviation of ion beam-induced deposition.


EBID

(technology) Abbreviation of electron beam-induced deposition.


unzoom

en-verb

unzoom (third-person singular simple present unzooms, present participle unzooming, simple past and past participle unzoomed)

unzooms (present singular third-person)
unzooming (participle present)
unzoomed (participle past)
unzoomed (past)


daily driver

(technology, informal) The computing device or operating system that one uses on a frequent basis, especially as distinguished from those used temporarily or for specific tasks.


smart contract

Coined by American computer scientist Nick Szabo in 1996.

coin

These are only a few examples of ways you can secure your smart contracts. The best thing to do to create a secure smart contract is to find an external auditor.

2019, Kevin Solorio, Randall Kanna, David H. Hoover, Hands-On Smart Contract Development with Solidity and Ethereum, O'Reilly Media, →ISBN, page 240:

Technically speaking a smart contract is a self-enforcing agreement between parties, mutually unknown and otherwise anonymous counterparts, which is capable of executing the rules automatically in satisfying certain conditions.

2020, Miadreza Shafie-khah, Blockchain-Based Smart Grids, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 112:

(technology, cryptocurrencies) A software protocol that is capable of automatically enforcing terms agreed upon in a contract.


juice jacking

Coined by cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs in 2011.

In the Blackhat community, one type of charging attacks is called juice jacking attacks, which can access to a significant amount of personal data without the user's permission and can install hidden malicious software on the device, as long as the device is unlocked.

2016, Zheng Yan, Refik Molva, Wojciech Mazurczyk, Raimo Kantola, Network and System Security, page 201:

Through juice jacking, hackers have found an innovative way to compromise smart technology and potentially steal data or infect devices.

2021 June 24, Dr Thaddeus Eze, ECCWS 2021 20th European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, Academic Conferences Inter Ltd, →ISBN, page 453:

(computing, technology) The act of stealing information from mobile devices by placing a data-stealing device that appears to be a charging station in a place where passers-by are likely to plug their devices into it.


SSDL

2009, Hetland et al.: Calibration of reference KAP-meters at SSDL and cross calibration of clinical KAP-meters, title:

The IAEA/WHO network of SSDLs was set up in order to establish links between SSDL members and the international measurement system.

2002, Meghzifene et al.: Calibration factor or calibration coefficient?, abstract:

1996, Aaltonen et al.: The role of SSDL-Helsinki for dosimetry and quality audit in radiotherapy, title:

secondary standard dosimetry laboratory#English

(technology) Initialism of secondary standard dosimetry laboratory.


SSDL

The messages specify the origin and target nodes, and the service invocation in a SYLPH services definition language (SSDL) format.

2010, Corchado et al.: Using heterogeneous wireless sensor networks in a telemonitoring system for healthcare, page 1:

The best known of these is Grow's (1991, 1994) Staged Self-Directed Learning (SSDL) model.

2001, Merriam: Andragogy and self‐directed learning: Pillars of adult learning theory, page 1:

Grow's article Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed (Adult Education Quarterly, Spring 1991), in which he presents his Staged Self-Directed Learning (SSDL) Model...

1992, Tennant: The staged self-directed learning model, page 1:

SYLPH services definition language#English

(technology) Initialism of SYLPH services definition language.


(technology) Initialism of metadata for machines.


deepfake

Blend of deep learning + fake. Coined in 2017 by Redditor u/deepfakes (account created on September 26, 2017), who had created a technique which could convincingly swap someone's face in a video using deep learning. The r/deepfakes subreddit was created on November 2, 2017. The word was first used as a noun and verb around December 2017.

Did you see that leaked sex tape with the actress? It turned out to be a deepfake, but it looked so realistic!

The thing is that normal people might try to use to harass other people, specially women, but I don't think this technology will be so advanced that you won't be able to recognize it's a fake video, so the majority of people who try to say a deep fake is real will be looked as an idiot, a pervert and probably reported.

2017 December 17, u/randint2220, “Is this all even legal?”, in Reddit, r/deepfakes, archived from the original on 2023-01-13:

These deepfakes went in a completely unexpected direction

2018 January 1, u/viperex, “Wall”, in Reddit, r/gifs, archived from the original on 2023-04-18:

I've completed a desktop app /w GUI to create deepfakes. Here is a what it looks like. For anyone unfamiliar with this subreddit, deepfakes are neural network-generated faceswap videos created with a machine learning algorithm designed by /u/deepfakes.

2018 January 8, u/deepfakeapp, “FakeApp: A Desktop Tool for Creating Deepfakes”, in Reddit, archived from the original on 2018-01-25:

For example, images of the actress Scarlett Johansson have been used to create a number of deepfake pornographic videos, one of which had been viewed over 1.5 million times on a popular SEIM site by the end of 2018 (Harwell, 2018).

2019, Richard Joseph Behun, Eric Owens, Youth and Internet Pornography: The impact and influence on adolescent development, Routledge, →ISBN:

By banning deepfakes before the technology becomes widespread, Facebook is trying to calm lawmakers, academics and political campaigns who remain frustrated by how the company handles political posts and videos about politics and politicians.

2020 January 7, David McCabe, Davey Alba, “Facebook Says It Will Ban ‘Deepfakes’”, in New York Times:

artificial intelligence
artificial intelligence

(technology) A convincingly realistic but fake image, video, or audio created with the use of artificial intelligence, especially one that imposes the face of one person onto the body of someone else.

diepvervalsing

photograph or video created using artificial intelligence


FAANG

en-noun

FAANG (countable and uncountable, plural FAANGs)

(technology) One or more of the technology companies Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google.


taskable

a taskable intelligent agent; a taskable sensor

(technology) To which tasks can be assigned.


EEE

(technology, law) Initialism of electrical and electronic equipment.


charging case

(technology) A removable protective outside layer for an electronic device that contains a battery for the purpose of charging the device contained inside it.

latauskotelo

removable layer outside an electronic device for charging the device inside it


HMD

HMD (countable and uncountable, plural HMDs)

head-mounted display
w:head-mounted display

(countable, technology) Initialism of head-mounted display.


arbitrary unit

(sciences, technology) A relative unit of measurement to show the ratio of amount of substance, intensity, or other quantities, to a predetermined reference measurement.


doomscroll

en-verb

doomscroll (third-person singular simple present doomscrolls, present participle doomscrolling, simple past and past participle doomscrolled)

doomscrolls (present singular third-person)
doomscrolling (participle present)
doomscrolled (participle past)
doomscrolled (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-doomscroll.wav

From doom + scroll, probably a back-formation from doomscrolling.

You doomscroll about all kinds of things including pandemics, racial injustice, natural disasters, wars, and political unrest.

2020, Robert West, chapter 1, in Stop Doomscrolling: How to Break the Cycle to Relieve Stress, Decrease Anxiety, and Regain Your Life, Annus Mirabilis Publishing:

“Why are you doomscrolling?” I ask. ¶ “I’m not doomscrolling.” Swipe, swipe...

2021, Jesse Gordon, “We’re All in This Together”, in El Cassetto, Cream-Colored Coffee Cup:

Keep a book in your bag to avoid the temptation to doomscroll.

2022 January 1, “100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying”, in The Guardian:

(transitive, intransitive, social media, technology, neologism) To engage in the act of doomscrolling.


FAAMG

en-noun

FAAMG (countable and uncountable, plural FAAMGs)

(technology) One or more of the technology companies Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google.


solid-state drive

solid-state drive (plural solid-state drives)

(computing, technology) A solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the hierarchy of computer storage.


digital immigrant

digital immigrant (plural digital immigrants)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-digital immigrant.wav

(technology, sociology) A person who was born or raised before the widespread use of digital technology.


digital electronics

(electronics, technology) A field of electronics involving the study of digital signals and the engineering of devices that use or produce them.


DPV

dependent pressure vessel
dependent pressure vessel#English

(technology) Initialism of dependent pressure vessel.


MAMAA

"Bye-bye FAANG, hello MAMAA," the "Mad Money" host said on Thursday's show. "What really matters here, as I always say about MAMAA, is that the secret of their valuation is that they're all in the habit of reinvention. That's why I love them so much."

2021 October 29, Kevin Stankiewicz, quoting Jim Cramer, “'Bye-bye FAANG, hello MAMAA' — Cramer reveals a new acronym after Facebook's name change”, in CNBC, archived from the original on 2022-11-03:

While two big components of the MAMAA acronym, Apple and Amazon, both saw declines in their stock price on Thursday and Friday, Cramer said investors should focus on the bigger picture.

[2021 October 29, Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, “Not FAANG but MAMAA: Jim Cramer reveals new acronym for the 5 largest tech giants”, in Fortune, New York, N.Y.: Fortune Media Group Holdings, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-09-23:

Nevertheless, a number of tech stocks have returned handsomely this year and outperformed MAMAA's returns. These stocks have benefited from the stay-at-home trend that has driven demand for web-based services like e-commerce, contactless payment and delivery.

2021 December 22, Aniruddha Ganguly, “5 Tech Stocks That Have Crushed MAMAA in 2021”, in Nasdaq, Zacks Investment Research, archived from the original on 2023-03-06:

With MANAMANA we capture an enormous swath of the American technology industry. With the addition of Adobe and Nvidia, this bellwether gains exposure to two segments of the technology that FANG, FAANG, FANAMA and MAMAA miss: creation and publication, and the power behind graphics processing units.

[2021 November 5, Bill Mann, “FAANG is Dead. Long Live MANAMANA”, in The Motley Fool, archived from the original on 2022-08-07:

Whether it's FANG, FAANG, MAMAA, MANAMANA or something else, the idea is to serve as a proxy to track something larger.

[2021 November 17, Kevin Theissen, “What is MAMAA?”, in The Mountain Times, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-28:

Instead in 2019, 7 out of the top 8 companies are digital platforms: all the USA GAFAM/MAMAA plus the two Chinese digital platforms.

2022 March 10, Antonio Manganelli, Antonio Nicita, Regulating Digital Markets: The European Approach, Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 10:

These competitive advantages can make the FAANG (or MAMAA) stocks great potential investments. Still, investors may want to examine each stock’s valuation relative to its own historical value and that of comparable competitors before buying.

2022 July 21, Adam Levy, “Investing in FAANG or MAMAA Stocks”, in The Motley Fool, archived from the original on 2023-02-16:

Why won't MAMAA companies *disclose* how many employees they have in the Greater Philadelphia region?

2023 February 27, Sarah Huffman, “How many Big Tech employees live in Philly?”, in Technical.ly, archived from the original on 2023-02-27:

The five MAMAA stocks have a combined market cap of more than $6.6 trillion.

2023 March 1, Wayne Duggan, “What Happened To FAANG Stocks? They Became MAMAA Stocks”, in Benjamin Curry, editor, Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-01:

(technology) Acronym of Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet.


micro-retailing

From micro- + retailing. Grew in popularity as ecommerce merchants experiment with opening lower-risk physical retail spaces.

Micro-retailing helps create unique, in-person customer experiences. It can drive your brand’s convenience and make the most of the modern omnichannel shopping world. It even makes it easier for retailers to create physical human connections (all while staying within budget).

2020 November 11, “What Is Micro-Retailing? Why & How Retailers Are Going Small”, in Shopify:

(economics, marketing, business, finance, technology, neologism) A retail model including things like small-scale pop-up shops and boutique storefronts that leverage a variety of innovative downsized activities.


prompt engineering

Likely coined in 2020 by AI researcher Gwern Branwen.

Practice prompt engineering and measure your progress in time. Prompt engineering is a new skill that will take you to the next level of AI.

2022, Denis Rothman, Antonio Gulli, Transformers for Natural Language Processing […] , Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 426:

PromptBase’s sixth-most-popular seller, a prompt creator from Spain who goes by Imagineer, told me that prompt engineering is still a side hustle, having earned them just over 800 euros since September.

2023 February 8, Charlie Warzel, “The Most Important Job Skill of This Century”, in The Atlantic:

The latter skill has become known as “prompt engineering”: the technique of framing one’s instructions in terms most clearly understood by the system, so it returns the results that most closely match expectations – or perhaps exceed them.

2023 March 16, James Bridle, “The stupidity of AI”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Now that you’ve learnt the basics of prompt engineering, you should be able to use AI chatbots more efficiently and get the desired results.

2023 May 29, Zohaib Ahmed, “Want to make the most of ChatGPT? Try these prompt engineering basics”, in Indian Express, Mumbai:

generative AI
generative artificial intelligence

(artificial intelligence, technology, neologism) The technique of formulating instructions (prompts) for a generative AI, in order that it produce the expected output.


prompt engineer

prompt engineer (plural prompt engineers)

The primary role of an AI specialist will require linguistic skills to show, not just tell, the GPT-3 engines how to accomplish a task. Showing, for example, involves working on the context of the input. This new task is named prompt engineering. A prompt engineer has quite a future in AI!

2022 March, Denis Rothman, Antonio Gulli, Transformers for Natural Language Processing, Packt Publishing, page 17:

An online marketplace called Promptbase has already sprung up, where prompt engineers can sell their carefully crafted instructions for image-generation tools such as Midjourney.

2022 December 13, Tim Bradshaw, “Is becoming a ‘prompt engineer’ the way to save your job from AI?”, in Financial Times, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-23:

Some pundits are proclaiming that we will need to train humans in how to write good prompts, for which they will have the vaunted title of a prompt designer or prompt engineer.

2022 December 29, Lance Eliot, “Twenty-Five Eye-Opening 2023 Predictions About Generative AI And ChatGPT Including A Splash Of AI Ethics And AI Law Tossed In”, in Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-02-23:

With each request, [Riley] Goodside said, the prompt engineer should be instilling in the AI a kind of "persona" — a specific character capable of winnowing down hundreds of billions of potential solutions and identifying the right response.

2023 February 25, Drew Harwell, “Prompt engineers can make ChatGPT and Bing AI do what you want”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-24:

[Simon] Willison spoke with Day 6 guest host Peter Armstrong about whether skepticism is warranted over how much control prompt engineers have — and whether it's a real science, or just learned intuition.

2023 March 24, Paul Hantiuk, “These engineers are being hired to get the most out of AI tools without coding”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 2023-03-25:

(artificial intelligence, technology, neologism) Someone who designs prompts to be given to an artificial intelligence.


super-app

super-apps (plural)
super app (alternative)
superapp (alternative)

From super + app. Attested from a 2010 speech by BlackBerry founder Mike Lazaridis at Mobile World Congress (see quotations below).

We think these applications are so compelling that we just don't call them apps. We call them super apps. Super apps are integrated with other apps, giving you a seamless experience across the device.

2010 February, 10:25, in Mobile World Congress 2010 Keynotes: Mike Lazaridis, President, Co-CEO, RIM, spoken by Mike Lazaridis:

However, despite increased interest from tech players, it is the financial sector that strongly gravitates towards the super app approach. In particular, the newly-emerged digital banks and FinTech players are at full speed ahead into transforming their ecosystem of services into open banking marketplaces.

2019 October 18, “Introducing Super App: a New Approach to All-in-One Experience”, in Infopulse:

LINE and the regional convergences of super apps in East Asia are a potent reminder of the need to analyze platforms outside of the bi-polar hegemony of the United States versus Chinese tech world—which increasingly frames journalistic discourse and academic research—and of the need to attend to the historical and regional particularities of platforms and their cultural impacts.

2020 June 19, Marc Steinberg, “LINE as Super App: Platformization in East Asia”, in Social Media + Society, volume 6, number 2, →DOI:

The Tata super app, due to be launched on April 7, will bring about a potential 10-fold increase in the number of customers for Westside, which is the group's retail store chain, Tata Trusts director Noel Tata has said.

2022 April 5, Chaitali Chakravarty, “Super App may Grow Westside Reach by 10x”, in The Economic Times, New Delhi:

He could well be eyeing something along the lines of the hugely successful Chinese app WeChat. That's a kind of "super app" which incorporates a lot of different services including messaging, social media, payments and food orders—there is as yet no such thing in the west.

2022 October 5, Zoe Kleinman, “Elon Musk, Twitter and the mysterious X app”, in BBC News:

(technology, Internet) A mobile or web application that can provide multiple services.


do-ocracy

do-ocracy (countable and uncountable, plural do-ocracies)

do-ocracies (plural)
doocracy (alternative)
do-acracy (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-do-ocracy.wav

We'll make it a 'do-ocracy.' That is, you will be rewarded for actually achieving results.

2014, Aneesh Chopra, quoting John Halamka, Innovative State: How New Technologies Can Transform Government, New York, N.Y.: Atlantic Monthly Press, →ISBN, page 151:

"Wikipedia is a do-ocracy," said Dr. James Heilman, an emergency room doctor from British Columbia, Canada, who leads the Wikiproject Medicine that keeps close watch on the most important public health articles, like Ebola Virus Disease. "Those who do the most, do have a greater influence."

2014 October 27, Noam Cohen, “Wikipedia Emerges as Trusted Internet Source for Ebola Information”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-10:

The Anonymous do-ocracy was already in place, but it was radically different from the other do-ocracies of the Internet era (think Wikipedia or Linux).

2021 July 3, Quinn Norton, “How Anonymous Picks Targets, Launches Attacks, and Takes Powerful Organizations Down”, in Wired, San Francisco, C.A.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-10:

Communities form around software applications to trouble-shoot code, giving rise to 'do-ocracies' – systems of merit that privilege active positive contributions for the benefit of the community.

2023 January, Susan Carter, Cecily Andersen, Adrian Stagg, Lorraine Gaunt, “An exploratory study: Using adapted interactive research design and contributive research method”, in The Journal of Academic Librarianship, volume 49, number 1, Elsevier, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1:

(neologism, technology) An organization in which power and responsibility are held by those who do the most work.


do-ocratic

en-adj

do-ocratic (comparative more do-ocratic, superlative most do-ocratic)

more do-ocratic (comparative)
most do-ocratic (superlative)

Specifically, I propose that frictions in hacker- and makerspaces relate to competing values such as inclusivity and fairness versus "do-ocratic" tendencies. The notion of "do-ocracy" refers to the (explicit or implicit) assumption that expertise is decisive for agency within a community. In examining how hacker-/makerspaces negotiate values and rules, I shed light on tensions emerging between two main sets of values and related dynamics: efforts aimed at facilitating inclusivity and ultimately diversity are negotiated and occasionally collide with do-ocratic principles.

2022, Aagje Swinnen, Amanda Kluveld, Renée van de Vall, editors, Engaged Humanities: Rethinking Art, Culture, and Public Life, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 109:

(neologism, technology) Relating to or involving do-ocracies ("an organization in which power is held by those who do the most work").


do-ocratically

en-adv

do-ocratically (comparative more do-ocratically, superlative most do-ocratically)

more do-ocratically (comparative)
most do-ocratically (superlative)

Citizen engagement occurs do-ocratically in an environment without economic and administrative limitations to encourage creative productions that are interactive and gifted for public enjoyment.

2013 May, Kerry D. Rohrmeier, Welcome Home to Black Rock City: Urban Geography of the Burn (thesis), Reno, N.V.: University of Nevada, Reno, page i:

(technology, neologism) In the manner of a do-ocracy ("an organization in which power is held by those who do the most work").


enshittify

en-verb

enshittify (third-person singular simple present enshittifies, present participle enshittifying, simple past and past participle enshittified)

enshittifies (present singular third-person)
enshittifying (participle present)
enshittified (participle past)
enshittified (past)

From en- + shittify. Coined by Canadian-British-American blogger, journalist, and science fiction author Cory Doctorow in 2022 along with enshittification.

coin

For quotations using this term, see Citations:enshittify.

(technology, neologism) To make an online platform worse by enshittification.


technology education

(technology, education) The study of technology that involves exploring the processes and knowledge related to technology, empowering individuals to shape and transform the physical world by manipulating materials and tools.


mixnet

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-mixnet.wav

One type of mix network accepts as input a collection of ciphertexts, and outputs the corresponding plaintexts in a randomly permuted order. The main privacy property desired of such a mixnet is that the permutation matching inputs to outputs should be known only to the mixnet, and no one else. In particular, an adversary should be unable to guess which input ciphertext corresponds to an output plaintext any more effectively than by guessing at random.

2004, Philippe Golle, Markus Jakobsson, Ari Juels, Paul Syverson, “Universal Re-encryption for Mixnets”, in Topics in Cryptology – CT-RSA 2004 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science; 2964), Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Science+Business Media, →DOI, →ISBN, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 163:

Each server in the mixnet removes only one layer of encryption, so that only the last server knows a message's ultimate destination.

2016 July 11, Larry Hardesty, Phys.org, archived from the original on 2023-01-28:

This issue of privacy in blockchain isn't new, and many ideas have been proposed, such as keeping the data off-chain and using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to prove we did the right computation (e.g., Aleo and Aztec) or using mixnets to anonymize transactions (e.g., Tornado Cash).

2023 May 26, Rand Hindi, “How Homomorphic Encryption Can Make Blockchain Private”, in Forbes, New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-12:

(communication, technology) A server or group of servers facilitating private communication between individuals by randomly scrambling the order that messages are received, so that an adversary is unable to determine the source or destination of any message.


de-Google

en-verb

de-Google (third-person singular simple present de-Googles, present participle de-Googling, simple past and past participle de-Googled)

de-Googles (present singular third-person)
de-Googling (participle present)
de-Googled (participle past)
de-Googled (past)
deGoogle (alternative)
degoogle (alternative)

Murena is in the business of deGoogling Android smartphones in the name of privacy.

2023 September 5, Natasha Lomas, “A closer look at e/OS: Murena's privacy-first 'deGoogled' Android alternative”, in TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2023-09-06:

(intransitive, transitive, technology, neologism) To remove all Google products and software from (something).


de-Googled

deGoogled (alternative)
degoogled (alternative)

I bought a de-Googled smartphone so Google doesn't have access to all my data.

And some things still are extremely difficult, like removing Google services from my Android devices. To that end, I had originally purchased a OnePlus 3T several years ago with the intention of installing the de-Googled LineageOS variant of Android on it, but perhaps due to a lack of confidence in not bricking the $400 device during the installation procedure I could never quite bring myself to wipe the phone clean of its factory-installed operating system.

2021 September 2, Bryan Cockfield, “Pining For A De-Googled Smartphone”, in Hackaday, archived from the original on 2023-09-23:

The /e/ Foundation's de-Googled version of Android 10 has reached the market in a range of smartphones aimed at the privacy-conscious.

2022 June 2, Liam Proven, “Murena and /e/ Foundation launch privacy-centric smartphones”, in The Register, archived from the original on 2023-09-26:

Murena can even sell you a deGoogled (Google) Pixel which comes purged of the usual Google services — with no Play Store, Chrome browser, Google Maps etc — and running its alternative /e/OS, rather than mainstream Android.

(technology, neologism) That has had all Google products and software removed.


cheapfake

Compound of cheap + fake, modelled after deepfake.

"Cheapfakes" rely on free software that allows manipulation through easy conventional editing techniques like speeding, slowing, and cutting, as well as nontechnical manipulations like restaging or recontextualizing existing footage that are already causing problems.

2019 June 12, Joan Donovan, Britt Paris, “Beware the Cheapfakes”, in Slate, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-19:

Now that global superpowers are openly sharing cheapfakes on social media, what's to stop them (or any other actor) from deploying more sophisticated visual disinformation as it emerges?

2020 December 22, Nina Schick, “Don't underestimate the cheapfake”, in MIT Technology Review, Cambridge, M.A.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-04:

Aciman also noted that "cheapfakes" and other manipulated media may still be removed if it violates the platform's other policies around, say, misinformation or hate speech.

2023 December 18, Vittoria Elliott, “Worried About Political Deepfakes? Beware the Spread of ’Cheapfakes’”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-12-27:

(neologism, technology) A fake or misleading piece of media (such as a video clip or image) created using conventional methods, as opposed to AI deep learning algorithms.


shallowfake

Compound of shallow + fake, modelled after deepfake. Coined by AI and human rights researcher Sam Gregory.

coinage

The technology industry has a unique opportunity to tackle "deepfakes"—the problem of fake audio and video created using artificial intelligence—before they become a widespread problem, according to human rights campaigner Sam Gregory. ¶ But, he warns, major companies are still a very long way from tackling the pervasive and more damaging issue of cruder "shallowfake" misinformation.

2019 March 25, Bobbie Johnson, “Deepfakes are solvable—but don't forget that "shallowfakes" are already pervasive”, in MIT Technology Review, Cambridge, M.A.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-12-04:

Facebook last week banned deepfake videos that are likely to mislead viewers into thinking someone "said words that they did not actually say", in the run-up to the 2020 US election. However, the policy covers only misinformation produced using AI, meaning "shallowfakes" (see below) are still allowed on the platform.

2020 January 13, Ian Sample, “What are deepfakes – and how can you spot them?”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-12-25:

Hundreds of articles have focused on these and hypothetical deepfake scenarios and what they mean for the future of video and trust. But despite all this attention, shallowfakes — videos shared with misleading contexts or small edits — are far more widespread and easier to produce.

2022 August 26, Sam Gregory, “Shallowfakes are rampant: Tools to spot them must be equally accessible”, in The Hill, Washington, D.C.: Nexstar Media Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-23:

(neologism, technology) A misleading or slightly edited piece of media (such as a video clip or image) created using conventional methods, as opposed to AI deep learning algorithms.


clickwork

But in a high-wage economy like Finland, finding those data laborers was difficult. The Finnish welfare system's generous unemployment benefits leaves little incentive for Finns to sign up to low-wage clickwork platforms like Amazon's Mechanical Turk.

2023 September 11, Morgan Meaker, “These Prisoners Are Training AI”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-02-06:

'Clickwork' runs like clockwork as prisoners train AI systems

2023 September 14, Emma Yeomans, “(article title)”, in The Times, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-14:

(technology) Repetitive and unskilled digital labour.


clickworker

Compound of click + worker. Equivalent to clickwork + -er.

Around the world, millions of so-called "clickworkers" train artificial intelligence models, teaching machines the difference between pedestrians and palm trees, or what combination of words describe violence or sexual abuse. Usually these workers are stationed in the global south, where wages are cheap. OpenAI, for example, uses an outsourcing firm that employs clickworkers in Kenya, Uganda, and India.

Many clickworkers operate in a gig economy, using platforms such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk, a name inspired by the 18th-century chess-playing automaton dubbed "the Turk", to pick up brief, specific tasks for fixed pay.

2023 September 14, Emma Yeomans, “’Clickwork’ runs like clockwork as prisoners train AI systems”, in The Times, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-14:

(technology) A person who performs clickwork (repetitive and unskilled digital labour).


prompt crafting

Apparently appeared at about the same time as prompt engineering, the two terms being interchangeable.

promptcrafting (alternative)
promptcraft (alternative)

Guiding students in assessing AI-generated content instills discernment, while prompt crafting elicits original thinking.

2022, Sean Doyle, “Chapter 6: Augmenting Intelligence with Generative AI”, in Julia Nyberg, Jessica A. Manzone, editors, Practices That Promote Innovation for Talented Students, IGI Global, page 139:

2022, M. L. Ronn, Indie Author Confidential 11: Secrets No One Will Tell You About Being a Writer, Author Level Up, unnumbered page,
Non-artists don't want to go through the trouble of learning the nuances of prompt crafting, so they will rely on other people to do it, creating a new cottage industry […] .

2023, Jason Brownlee, Adrian Tam, Matthew Mayo, Abid Ali Awan, Kanwal Mehreen, Maximizing Productivity with ChatGPT, MachineLearningMastery.com, eBook, page 33,
One way to improve your prompt crafting is to get ChatGPT involved.

When GPT-4 was tested by medical experts from Microsoft without any specialized prompt crafting, it exceeded the passing score on USMLE by over 20 points and outperformed earlier general-purpose models (GPT-3.5) as well as models specifically fine-tuned on medical knowledge (Med-PaLM, a prompt-tuned version of Flan-PaLM 540B) [13].

2023, Aravind Kumaresan, Lorna Udan, Shazad Ashaf, “Potential Role of ChatGPT in Healthcare in the Prevention and Management of Non-communicable Diseases”, in Lorna Uden, I-Hsien Ting, editors, Knowledge Management in Organisations: 17th International Conference, KMO 2023, Proceedings, Springer, page 432:

prompt engineering
prompt engineering#English

(artificial intelligence, technology, neologism) Synonym of prompt engineering.


GFT

en-noun

GFT (countable and uncountable, plural GFTs)

From Atari's official website and blog, coined in 2022.

A GFT is a surprise, limited edition, gift-wrapped NFTs designed to delight – on any occasion.

2022 January 27, “Atari is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary with giftable NFTs”, in New Musical Express:

Purchasers can either keep their GFT for themselves, or alternatively, and as their title suggests, they can gift the suspense-filled digital asset to a friend.

2022 February 1, “Atari Combine NFTs with Loot Boxes in New ‘GFT’ Collection”, in NFT Plaza:

(cryptocurrencies, technology, neologism) Initialism of gift-fungible token.


lazy girl job

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lazy girl job.wav

Coined by author and social media influencer Gabrielle Judge in 2023.

coinage

[Gabrielle] Judge says a lazy girl job looks slightly different to everyone, because each worker has their own unique circumstances and needs.

2023 July 26, Bashirat Oladele, “How the 'lazy girl job' took over work TikTok”, in BBC News:

“There’s nothing lazy about expecting a job that pays you well, gives you good work-life balance and doesn’t overwork you. And no one in a lazy girl job is actually lazy”

2023 August 1, Angela Yang, quoting Gabrielle Judge, “‘Lazy girl jobs’ are trending in rally against burnout culture”, in NBC News:

Working a "lazy girl" job doesn't mean Gen Z workers are slacking off. Rather, they're rejecting hustle culture for well-paying, flexible jobs that end right at 5 p.m.

2023 October 18, Paola Peralta, “What the 'lazy girl job' trend says about Gen Z's mental health”, in Employee Benefit News:

If the post-pandemic decline in the appeal of “hustle culture” and “leaning in” laid bare structures of worker exploitation, the rise of trends such as “bare minimum Mondays”, “lazy girl jobs” and “act your wage” are manifestations of a resentment in search of articulation.

2024 May 18, “Loud quitting: Catharsis, breakdown”, in Indian Express, Mumbai:

You can think of it as financial education for the "lazy-girl job" generation — those who decry the corporate hustle and seek out low-stress jobs that don't take over their lives.

2024 August 12, Emilie Friedlander, “Gen Zers are investing their way out of the 9-to-5”, in Business Insider, US edition:

(social media, business, technology, neologism) A job that is well paid, does not demand long hours or too much effort, and can often be done remotely.


Apparatgeist

Pseudo-Germanism, derived from Apparat (“apparatus, device, machine”) + Geist (“spirit”). Perhaps influenced by zeitgeist. Coined by American communications academic James E Katz.

coinage

A few years ago such questions provoked academic controversy. Not everybody agrees with Ms Ito's argument that technology is always socially constructed. James Katz, a professor of communication at Rutgers University in New Jersey, argues that there is an Apparatgeist (German for "spirit of the machine"). For personal communication technologies, he argues, people react in pretty much the same way, a few national variations notwithstanding. "Regardless of culture," he suggests, "when people interact with personal communication technologies, they tend to standardise infrastructure and gravitate towards consistent tastes and universal features."

2009 December 30, James E. Katz, quotee, “The Apparatgeist calls”, in The Economist, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-03-26:

In constructing such a multiscalar approach, I want to draw upon the same insight that informed the theory of Apparatgeist, which James E. Katz and Mark Aakhus proposed to define as referring to 'the common set of strategies or principles of reasoning about technology evident in the identifiable, consistent, and generalized patterns of technological advancement throughout history' (Katz & Aakhus 2002: 307).

2012, Imar O. de Vries, Tantalisingly Close: An Archaeology of Communication Desires in Discourses of Mobile Wireless Media, Amsterdam University Press, →ISBN, page 95:

(technology, sociology) The inherent properties of a device which affect the way it is used by individuals across cultures.


autocorrupt

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-autocorrupt.wav

From auto- + corrupt, jokingly implying that the writer had meant to type autocorrect.

Autocorrupt fails to autocorrect "Autocorrect" to "Autocorrupt". :D

2005 July 20, Lee Sau Dan, “Easiest/quickest method for very simple interfaces?”, in comp.os.linux.misc (Usenet):

As for the embarrassing typos? It is easy enough to make those on a computer without "autocorrupt". Embarrassing miscorrections are pretty rare. It is just that when they do occur, they tend to get packaged into viral images and shared widely.

2017, Colin Beveridge, The Maths Behind...: Discover the Mathematics of Everyday Events, London: Cassell Illustrated, →ISBN, page 85, column 2:

Thank's autocorrupt.

2020 December 13, Lewis, “Voicemail setup”, in misc.phone.mobile.iphone (Usenet):

Yeah. This iPad I use for araa allows me to see 8 lines--*maybe*--of a post I am replying to. (Fully have of the screen is filled with the keyboard.) I have to stop typing and scroll downward every time I think I *might* have made a typo. And don't get me started on autocorrupt.

2022 February 2, Rob D., “lockdowns had little orno impact on covid-19 deaths”, in alt.recovery.aa (Usenet):

(technology, derogatory, humorous) An autocorrect feature which inadvertently introduces new errors into the writer's text.


bitcom

WWW apes TV with bitcoms

1995 November 5, “(article title)”, in Variety, Los Angeles, C.A.: Penske Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-04-28:

The site, which officially launched Monday, features videos, dubbed "bitcoms," of 30 to 90 seconds. Visitors can also participate in contests, vote and comment on all posted material from comics such as site co-founder Ray Ellin and former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Dean Edwards.

2006 September 6, “Web site fosters 'comedy community'”, in CNET, archived from the original on 2024-04-28:

Sitcom to Bitcom

2007 March 1, “Snack Attack!”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-04-04:

The bitcoms are shot in a comedy club and feature either TBS talent or comics hired by TBS especially for the bitcoms.

2008 January 23, Gail Schiller, “Open mike night with TBS 'bitcoms'”, in The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles, C.A.: Eldridge Industries, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-04-28:

For instance, TBS, part of Turner Entertainment, will offer four different pod-busters - bitcoms, which will feature comedians performing skits about sponsors like Pizza Hut; microseries, two-minute shows that integrate advertisers like Revlon into plots; customized spots for series like "House of Payne" and "My Boys," featuring cast members promoting sponsors like Chrysler and Alltel; and matchups between the themes of spots and shows, known as TV in Context.

2008 July 7, Stuart Elliott, “Networks employ ’pod-busters’ to keep viewers in their seats”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-05:

(technology, informal) A short sitcom-style comedy video viewed online.


bitlegging

If people can take your content without compensation, where do the revenues come from? "Bitlegging" can't be ignored: there's no doubt that it can be a significant drag on profits. Luckily, there are some compensating factors.

1999, Carl Shapiro, Hal R[onald] Varian, Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, Boston, M.A.: Harvard Business School Press, →ISBN, page 92:

Of course, downloading a ripped-off version of, say, the All Saints' Never Ever is the digital equivalent of bootlegging (bitlegging?). But MP3.com advises a legal alternative: buy the CD then use a "ripper" to create an MP3 file for your own use.

1999 March 11, John Graham-Cumming, “Make your PC really sing”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2014-05-08:

Bitlegging is NOT theft.

1999 August 20, ewhac, “First person convicted of U.S. Internet piracy”, in Slashdot, archived from the original on 2023-08-10:

Every passing year generates a wealth of new online terms: Companies can go 'viral' to reach thousands of customers with their advert or marketing message, or can try 'slivercasting' to target a small audience. There's also been an increase in blegging, bitlegging and splogging (a blend of spam and blog).

2006 November 26, Manisha Singh, “Lexicon techs all”, in The Economic Times, Mumbai: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-04-28:

'Bitlegging' describes the unlicensed downloading of copyright material, while 'ransomware' denotes programs that illegally encrypt personal files to prevent access.

[2007 May 16, Lawrence Wallis, “An increasing fetish for offlish”, in PrintWeek, archived from the original on 2024-04-28:


blogject

Blend of blog + object. Coined by American academic Julian Bleecker in 2005.

As I don't want to be too long, here are the essential attributes of blogjects.

2006 March 14, Roland Piquepaille, “The new world of 'blogjects'”, in ZDNET, archived from the original on 2023-09-26:

Julian Bleecker discusses the ins and outs of turning his car into a blogject.

2006 May 26, “Blogject Watch: Julian Bleecker’s Car”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-05-04:

I scour every photo feed published for anything that appears to be a photo of me. Most of it's from blogjects, CCTV cameras, and crap like that.

2009, Cory Doctorow, Makers, New York, N.Y.: Tor Books, →ISBN, page 295:

Design business conferences such as Lift and Where 2.0 feature the latest blogjects, mashups, and distributed narrative installations.

2013, Malcolm McCullough, “Inscribing the Ambient Commons”, in Ulrik Ekman, editor, Throughout: Art and Culture Emerging With Ubiquitous Computing, Cambridge, M.A., London: The MIT Press, →ISBN, page 450:

(technology, neologism) A physical object that automatically posts updates about its current location and state online.


standby time

en-noun

standby time (countable and uncountable, plural standby times)

(electronics, telephony, technology) The maximum amount of time in which a mobile phone can be continuously turned on and ready to communicate.


logject

(computing, software, technology) An object with embedded software capable of monitoring and recording, in some manner, its own activity and operation.


cookie licking

Suppose there is a list of items to be done, say, tasks or projects or topics for investigation. Somebody signals interest in a particular project, thereby making it unavailable for others to work on. If the person never actually starts working on the project, then that person is accused of engaging in cookie licking.

2009 December 1, Raymond Chen, “Microspeak: Cookie licking”, in The Old New Thing, archived from the original on 2024-10-02:

Allow people to act out in those ways, and you're guaranteeing that more counterproductive cookie-licking ways will emerge as you promote talent through the ranks. Left unchecked, advanced cookie-licking could include the following organizational poison: […]

2011 October 10, Kris Dunn, “Attack of the Cookie-Lickers”, in CFO, archived from the original on 2024-03-01:

Another way that executives waste employees' time, slow the work and add to their own burdens is by "cookie licking," a term inspired by sneaky children who lick cookies to deter others from eating them.

2018 August 12, Robert I. Sutton, “How Bosses Waste Their Employees’ Time”, in The Wall Street Journal, New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-19:

Several operations executives told me they were embarrassed by that stunt (which seven years later, had progressed no further than private tests). They used an old internal Microsoft term to describe it: "cookie licking," or the act of claiming to do something before you actually do it, in order to capture notoriety and prevent others from following.

2021, Brad Stone, Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire, New York, N.Y. […]: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 233:

(chiefly technology) The act of claiming a project or idea for oneself, discouraging others from working on it, but then never finishing it.


RedNote

Compound of red + note. English translation of Chinese 小红书 (Xiaohongshu, literally “Little Red Book”). Coined in 2024, but launched in 2013.

calque

The start of this week saw a dramatic uptick in Google searches and social media posts about RedNote, as well as its surge to the top spot of the "free apps" chart on Apple's app store.

2025 January 17, “What to know about RedNote, the Chinese app that American TikTokkers are flooding”, in NPR:

(China, social media, technology, neologism) Chinese social networking and e-commerce platform.


founder mode

Coined by Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, in an essay where he described a leadership style characterized by a hands-on, deeply involved approach to running a company, in 2024.

The battle over “founder mode” versus “manager mode” is one of those manufactured dramas that only a small segment of the world cares about — like going to Davos or Cannes or the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

2024 September 11, Allison Morrow, “‘Founder mode’ is the latest Silicon Valley buzzword telling toxic bosses they’re greatThe King of the Geezer Teasers”, in CNN:

(business, technology, neologism) A management style where the founder of a company is involved in all aspects of the business, rather than delegating responsibilities to managers.


digital audio

(sound engineering, technology) The representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, a digital form.


Digital Audio Tape

(sound engineering, technology) A signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987.


HOVM

(technology) One or more of the Chinese smartphone brands Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.


agentic AI

Attributed the agentic AI term's origins to AI researcher Andrew Ng.

While previous AI assistants were rules-based and had limited ability to act independently, agentic AI will be empowered to do more on our behalf.

2024 December 12, Mark Purdy, “What Is Agentic AI, and How Will It Change Work?”, in Harvard Business Review:

(neologism, technology, artificial intelligence) A type of artificial intelligence that can make decisions and take actions without the need for human input


flat metro

Conceived in the early 2010s, near the end of the "Frutiger" time period.

(aesthetic, technology, neologism) Aesthetic that bears a heavy resemblance to and pioneers elements of Flat Design. Characterized by blocks of flat color contrasted by monochromatic backgrounds, simple vector-based patterns, and organic or geometric shapes. It served as a transition from Frutiger Aero to Flat Design during the Early/Mid-2010s.


factory setting

en-noun

factory setting (plural factory settings)

(computing, computer hardware, technology, also engineering) The default configuration of a device when it is first manufactured and sold.


agetech

(neologism, technology) The business of using technology to offer services that help old people.


TOAD attack

Abbreviation from telephone-oriented attack delivery attack.

TOAD attacks often involve callback phishing, where victims are tricked into calling fake call centers. Before they strike, scammers will gather a victim’s credentials from various sources, such as past data breaches, social media profiles, and information bought on the dark web.

2024 June 6, Alex Lvoff, “How TOAD Scams Manipulate and Cheat Customers”, in Experian:

(cybersecurity, technology, computing, neologism) Abbreviation for “telephone-oriented attack delivery attack”: a type of fraud where a criminal contacts someone by phone, text or email and tricks them into giving information such as passwords, bank account details etc.


instant replay system

instant replay system (plural instant replay systems)

(sports, technology) A technology to review controversial or close calls by officials through video playback, allowing for analysis of plays from multiple angles and in slow motion to potentially correct or modify initial decisions.


sockfarm

(wiki jargon, neologism, technology) A coordinated network of fake online accounts, or "sock puppets", created and operated by a single individual or group to manipulate online platforms, particularly wikis and forums. These sock puppets are used to simulate consensus, sway votes, evade bans, or disrupt discussions. The term "sock farm" emphasizes the large number of these accounts, which are cultivated over time to appear legitimate and influence outcomes.


fox tox

“The fox tox look strikes a balance between drama and subtlety by giving your brows a noticeable lift that’s still fresh and natural,” says Marris. She explains that with fox tox, the brows appear snatched while the eyes look elongated and youthful.

2024 December 5, Jessica Fields, quoting Melanie Marris, “2 Brow Looks We’re Going to See Everywhere in 2025, According to a Celeb Brow Stylist”, in New Beauty, archived from the original on 2025-02-14:

(Internet slang, neologism, technology) A cosmetic treatment where Botox injections are used to lift the outer corners of someone’s eyes, making their face look like that of a fox.