 Words,
words, words....In the fast-moving world of technology, new words and phrases are
constantly introduced. In order to keep up with the times, you need to learn
about the current terminology. This need
not be a drudgery. In fact, it can be fun to see what new words and
abbreviations are popular. Check these out and you can wow your friends next
time computers and technology become the subject at the 19th hole or
the neighborhood cocktail party.
SSD (Solid-State Drive)
This is a type of memory that you will
be hearing more and more about in the future. It is a type of flash memory that
has no moving parts. Some small laptop computers are appearing using SSDs for
storing data instead of hard drives. Because SSDs have no spinning disks like
the ordinary hard drives, they offer improved battery life for laptop
computers. They also have better data access speeds than hard disks.
You may
recognize this as a common message on the Internet. It indicates that the
requested page could not be found. This may mean that the page has temporarily
or permanently moved and is not currently available. However, recently the term
404 has come to have another meaning. It refers to someone who is totally
clueless. From the error message "404 not found", this has become a slang term
meaning that the person's brain could not be located. If you decide to call
your spouse a 404, make sure that he or she has not read this column or you'll
be in big trouble.
Crowdsourcing
Using the
skills of a wide variety of people to do a job or perform a task is called
crowdsourcing. The people who perform such a function are often found on the
Internet. Although these people can be paid, often they are often volunteers.
Geotagging
This is technology
built into a digital camera or part of a camera add-on device that is able to
tag each photo with the exact location that the picture was taken. Photos can
then be sorted based on where they were taken. They can also be plotted on
maps.
HDMI (High-definition Multimedia Interface)
This is a newer audio and video
interface that is often found on televisions, DVD players, video game consoles,
video cameras, and other video equipment. This type of connector replaces older
standard connectors like composite video, S-Video, component video, and DVI. HDMI
carries both audio and video in one cable. It supports digital rights
management systems. HDMI cables can be very expensive in comparison to older
audio and video cables.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC)
Started by Nicholas Negroponte, this is a
nonprofit organization whose mission is to design, manufacture, and distribute
affordable laptop computers to children around the world. The laptops were
initially called the "$100 laptop", but the final build cost almost $200 each.
In 2007, the One Laptop per Child organization started distributing these
laptop computers to children in developing countries. The laptops are bright green
and white portable computers with special features like a sealed keyboard. They
are called XO computers.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search Engine Optimization is the
process of tweaking a website to improve the volume of traffic that is produced
by search engines. The idea is to give the website a higher ranking in the
search engines thereby producing more traffic to the site. SEO includes using
keywords and website design to get higher rankings with search engines.
Skype
This is an online
service that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. The
software is free and there is no charge to call the computers of other Skype users.
Your computer must have a microphone in order to use Skype. With the addition
of a webcam, Skype callers from computer to computer can also place video calls
where they can both see and talk to each other. Skype also allows you to call
landlines and cell phones for a fee. Skype has other services such as instant
messaging and file transfer.
FTW
This stands for "For The
Win". You may remember it being a part of
the game show "Hollywood Squares
where a certain square would be selected "For the Win." It is also used
in some online games like World of Warcraft. It is now a popular term that
usually projects a boast, as in "I did
it FTW." It is often used ironically and
sarcastically.
BOT
A bot computer is one that has been
infected with some type of malware that allows the computer to be controlled by
an outside entity. Millions of computers are bots that are now under the
influence of malware distributors who use these computers to send out spam,
attack other computers and websites, and carry out scams and identity theft.
The computer owner is usually unaware that their computer has been compromised
since this activity is performed in the background.
BotNet
A series of bot computers, sometimes
as large as millions of computers is called a BotNet. The BotNet does the
bidding of some entity that has compromised the computers and taken control of
them by installing some type of malware.
Zombie
This term that means the same thing
as a Bot. It is a personal computer that has been infected with a virus that allows
an outside force to control it. Such a computer can be used to send out spam or
attack other computers without the owner's knowledge. Millions of computers
today are zombie computers. They are part of a Zombie Network of computers that
are controlled by hackers.
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