We know that computers have led to a whole army of developments and changes in the English language. “Friend” is now both a noun and a verb, a “sandbox” can be for developers, and a “tablet” is no longer just an ancient relic.
But not all of these changes are recent: The word “e-mail” has been in the Oxford English Dictionary since 1989, and some basic technological jargon began moving toward mainstream English even earlier than that.
For example, take the following entries from a “Layperson’s guide to ‘computerbabble,'” published in a 1985 edition of the Toronto-based Financial Post.
The guide promises to allow readers to “cut expertly through the jungle of computerbabble,” and gives a rundown of plain language definitions for the words and phrases that were, at that time, starting to escape into wider use but that were not widely known outside of computer scientist circles.
Although often funny in retrospect, the guide is also surprisingly comprehensive. The definitions of many of these terms will be second nature to most 2015 readers. Others are more technical. The definitions here speak to how much assumed knowledge of computer technology has changed over time
Here are selections from how the Financial Post instructed its readers to talk about computers in the mid-’80s. We’ve condensed and organized their alphabetical list into a few, easier to read, categories.
The Basics
Alphanumeric
“Anything containing letters of the alphabet and numbers, such as a typewriter keyboard.”
Analog
“A continuous signal, along which all information, such as voice and data, travels at the same time. The human voice, for example, is a continuous (analog) signal. Analog is slower and less precise than digital.”
Digital
“Unlike analog, this sends information in a series of discrete pulses, much like a machine gun firing bullets at a target. Much faster and more accurate than analog.”
Hardware
“A computer, smart telephone, word processor or other electronic device.”
Software
“Instructions to the computers to enable you to carry out specific functions – such as data analysis, spreadsheets or word processing. Usually in the form of small magnetic floppy disks, which are inserted into the computer and instruct it how to process the information entered into it.”
QWERTY
“A standard typewriter keyboard, after the layout of the first six letters in the top line. Computers, smart telephones, and word processors have this basic keyboard, often with additional keys.”
Getting “on line”
Modem
“Short for modulate/demodulate, this is used to attach a computer to the telephone network. It changes computer digital signals to analog for sending, and reconverts the analog signal at the other end so the receiving computer can understand it.”
On line
“Direct access to the processing power of a computer. A computer timesharing service, in which a number of subscribers share the same central computer, is an example. When subscribers call up and connect their terminals to the system, they are on line.”
Off line
“No longer connected. When subscribers in the example above finish using the the central computer, they are said to be off line.”
Electronic mail
“All the ways of sending and receiving messages using computers. Hooking a computer into the telephone network gives access to such services as word processing, database, stock market quotations, provided by electronic mail companies.”
Full-duplex
“A modem that can send and receive information while connected to the telephone line. If it can only handle these functions one at a time it is half-duplex. Full-duplex is sometimes just called duplex.”
Learning about computers
Architecture
“A building is made up of many parts. So is a computer’s brain, or central processing unit (CPU). Architecture refers to how the CPU is assembled, which affects how it is programmed.”
Baud
“Often referred to as ”bits per second,” the numbers of characters per second that can be sent across a telephone line. Baud rates are expressed in multiples of 10. A personal computer with a baud rate of 300 can send messages at a speed of 30 characters per second.”
Bit
“Short for binary digit, the smallest unit of information in computers. Bits are usually bundled together in groups of eight, called bytes.”
Black box
“Converts the signals of one machine into signals another dissimilar machine (such as a telephone) can understand. It is attached to these machines by cables.”
Buffer
“A separate device or space set aside in a computer’s memory to store information temporarily. For example, most printers hooked up to computers can’t print as fast as the information arrives, so they must store the information while they catch up.”
Byte
“The equivalent of one letter or number in a computer’s memory, usually measured in increments of 1,000.”
Database
“Anything stored electronically in a computer. Database is also a special program that enables you to sort through these lists for information.”
Dedicated
“A telephone, computer, word processor or other piece of equipment used for a specific purpose is said to be dedicated – a telephone line used only for transmitting data is a dedicated telephone line.”
Firmware
“The built-in operating program (also read only memory, or ROM) of a computer or smart telephone, so called because you cannot erase it. Also applied to electronic devices containing this program.”
Kilobyte
“From the Latin, kilo, for 1,000. Often, just the letter K appears after a number, describing the size of a computer’s memory – 64,000 bytes-worth would be 64K.”
Protocol
“The rules of operation built into a computer and its programs.”
Extra credit
Fibre optics
“The technology that combines tiny infrared lasers with glass fibres made up out of the purest silica sand to send information. A century ago, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell discovered light could transmit soundwaves, but it is only today optical fibre cables are being harnessed for business communications. Eventually, these hair-thin strands of glass will replace all copper wire cables.”
Integration
“The latest buzzword. The functions of different equipment, such as telephones, word processors and computers, are combined in one machine, or linked together in a network. Not true integration if the combination doesn’t improve efficiency or is impractical. A digital watch/calculator combination is not an integrated system because the functions aren’t directly related to each other.”
User-friendly
“PhD in computer engineering not required. The machine and the software programs are easy to use and understand.”
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Landslide in Northern Myanmar Kills About 70; 100 Missing
A landslide near a jade mine in northern Myanmar killed up to 70 people and left more than 100 missing, most of them villagers sifting through a huge mountain of tailings and waste, a community leader and businessman said Sunday.
The collapse occurred Saturday afternoon in Kachin state, said Brang Seng, a jade businessman, describing rows of bodies pulled from the debris.
"There were more than 70," he said. "This is awfully bad."
More than 100 others were missing, said Lamai Gum Ja, a community leader who also has interests in the mining business.
Myanmar only recently started moving from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy. Hpakant, the epicenter of the country's jade boom, remains desperately poor, with bumpy dirt roads and constant electricity blackouts.
The region bordering China is home to some of the world's highest quality jade, bringing in billions of dollars a year, though researchers say most of that money goes to individuals and companies tied to Myanmar's former military rulers.
Informal miners risk and often lose their lives digging through scraps of the giant mines.
"Large companies, many of them owned by families of former generals, army companies, cronies and drug lords are making tens or hundreds of millions of dollars a year through their plunder of Hpakant," said Mike Davis of Global Witness, a group that investigates the misuse of revenue from natural resources.
He said that "scores of people at a time are buried alive in landslides."
Why It Takes Two Years for Syrian Refugees to Enter the U.S.
1. Registration with the United Nations.
2. Interview with the United Nations.
3. Refugee status granted by the United Nations.
4. Referral for resettlement in the United States.
The United Nations decides if the person fits the definition of a refugee and whether to refer the person to a country for resettlement. Only the most vulnerable are referred, accounting for fewer than 1 percent of refugees worldwide. Some people spend years waiting in refugee camps.
5. Interview with State Department contractors.
6. First background check.
7. Higher-level background check for some.
8. Another background check.
The refugee’s name is run through law enforcement and intelligence databases for terrorist or criminal history. Some go through a higher-level clearance before they can continue. A third background check was introduced in 2008 for Iraqis but has since been expanded to all refugees ages 14 to 65.
9. First fingerprint screening; photo taken.
10. Second fingerprint screening.
11. Third fingerprint screening.
The refugee’s fingerprints are screened against F.B.I. and Homeland Security databases, which contain watch list information and past immigration encounters, including if the refugee previously applied for a visa at a United States embassy. Fingerprints are also checked against those collected by the Defense Department during operations in Iraq.
12. Case reviewed at United States immigration headquarters.
13. Some cases referred for additional review.
Syrian applicants must undergo these two additional steps. Each is reviewed by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services refugee specialist. Cases with “national security indicators” are given to the Homeland Security Department’s fraud detection unit.
14. Extensive, in-person interview with Homeland Security officer.
Most of the interviews with Syrians have been done in Jordan and Turkey.
15. Homeland Security approval is required.
If the House bill becomes law, the director of the F.B.I., the Homeland Security secretary and the director of national intelligence would be required to confirm that the applicant poses no threat.
16. Screening for contagious diseases.
17. Cultural orientation class.
18. Matched with an American resettlement agency.
19. Multi-agency security check before leaving for the United States.
Because of the long amount of time between the initial screening and departure, officials conduct a final check before the refugee leaves for the United States.
20. Final security check at an American airport.
Brussels in lockdown
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| Many in Brussels continued to go outside despite the threats [AP Photo/Virginia Mayo] |
Belgium's state of emergency has entered a second day amid concerns that a "Paris-style" attack involving explosives is imminent in Brussels, which is on lockdown with the army on the streets.
Shops in the Belgian capital are closed, the city's metro system has been shut down, and residents have been urged to say at home in the face of a "serious and imminent threat".
Warnings on movement remained in place on Sunday as authorities continued their efforts to track down one of the men believed to be involved in the attack on the French capital last week that killed 130 people.
Salah Abdesalam, a Belgian national, is suspected to be hiding in the Brussels area and carrying what might be an explosive device.
Charles Michel, Belgium's prime minister, moved to increase the state of alert in Brussels to the highest level early on Saturday in response to the threat.
Metro services and major events have since been suspended as hundreds of police officers and soldiers fanned out across the city.
Residents have been asked to stay indoors and avoid crowded areas amid the alert, which is in force only in Brussels.
Emergency phone lines have been set up to report suspicious activity, as well as sightings of Abdesalam.
Ongoing threat
Belgium has been at the forefront of efforts to track down those involved in helping execute the November 13 attacks in Paris, which targeted a concert hall, football stadium, cafe and shopping mall.
On Thursday, the country's security services launched raids in the Molenbeek and Jette neighbourhoods of Brussels and made further arrests on Saturday.
The attacks were blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, and several of the attackers are believed to have received training in Syria.
The apparent ringleader, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was a Belgian national who fought with ISIL and is suspected of helping to inspire or direct previous attacks targeting France.
Since the start of October, ISIL has launched a number of attacks against targets outside the territory it primarily operates in, including in France, Lebanon, and Turkey.
The group has also claimed credit for bringing down on October 31 a Russian airliner in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by smuggling a bomb on board.
Hillary Clinton knew American Mali terrorist attack victim
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday mourned the lone identified American Mali terrorist attack victim, whom she knew from her Senate days.
Anita Datar, 41, perished in the Mali hotel siege on Friday. She's the only American known to have died in the attack. A former Peace Corp worker in Senegal, Datar was in Mali on an international development project. The casualty hit home for Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner and senator from New York for eight years.
"I knew Anita as the loving mother of a wonderful seven-year old boy and the former partner of David Garten, one of my senior policy advisors in the Senate," Clinton said in a statement. "My prayers are with the Datar and Garten families, especially Anita and David's son. My heart breaks thinking of the burden he will now bear on his small shoulders and the courage he will have to show in the days ahead."
"As I said this week, America must wage and win an immediate battle against ISIS, al Qaeda, and other terrorist networks, as well as a generational struggle against radical jihadism," Clinton added. "We face a choice between fear and resolve. Anita's murder should deepen our resolve. American must lead the world to meet this threat."
Datar is among the at least 19 victims of terrorist attackers at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali. More than 100 people were taken hostage. The rampage came a week after at least 130 people were killed in Paris by Islamic terrorists. Two of the attackers in Mali died, though it's unclear whether security forces killed them or they blew themselves up.
Celine Dion to Pay Tribute to Paris at American Music Awards
Celine Dion will honor the victims of the attacks in Paris at Sunday's American Music Awards.
ABC and dick clark productions say that Dion will perform a rendition of Edith Piaf's "Hymne à L'Amour" in French at the ceremony to pay tribute to those affected by last week's attacks.
American Music Awards producer Larry Klein says the ceremony's producers wanted to show solidarity.
"Hymne à L'Amour" was written by Piaf as a tribute to lover Marcel Cerdan. He died in a plane crash in 1949.
Jennifer Lopez is set to host and perform at Sunday's fan-favorite ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Other performers include Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, One
Army patrols deserted streets as Brussels
Streets that would normally be heaving with pre-Christmas shoppers thinned out in a tense Belgian capital on Saturday evening after the government announced the highest possible terror alert for the city.
The Metro system and many shops were shuttered, heavily-armed soldiers and police patrolled key intersections, and major events were cancelled to protect against "Paris-style attacks".
In a move that shocked many, the government urged residents of the capital to stay indoors.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said authorities feared an attack "with explosives and weapons at several locations" despite the hundreds of soldiers patrolling the city.
The capital was placed on the top level "four" in the government's threat scale after a meeting of top ministers, police and security services.
The Federal Prosecutor's office said that several weapons were discovered during the search of the home of one of three people arrested in connection with last week's Paris attacks, but said no explosives were found.
At least one person suspected of involvement in those attacks, which left 130 people dead, is still at large, and was last reported to have been seen crossing into Belgium.
A cosmopolitan city of more than one million people, Brussels is home to the headquarters of the European Union, the NATO alliance and the offices of many multi-national corporations.
Many residents of the city used social media to share photos of the dramatic shutdown.
This user posted photos that purported to show one of the busiest streets, La Rue Neuve, before and after security was tightened.
The city's historic Grande Place, usually bustling with tourists, was also quiet.
A shopping district a few blocks away usually attracts 44,000 people a day but the large Galeria Inno shopping centre was closed. Management at the neighbouring mall City 2, decided to close at noon.
And during the two hours it was open, shops were deserted, with most residents following the recommendations of the authorities to avoid commercial hubs.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium closed for the weekend, and a Saturday evening concert by French rocker Johnny Hallyday was rescheduled for next March.
A rugby match between Belguim and Italy was also cancelled.
Brussels Airport, which is not in the Brussels administrative region, reported normal operations on Saturday, but external communications manager Florence Muls said extra security measures were in place.
The prime minister, speaking at a news conference after the emergency meeting, said: "We urge the public not to give in to panic, to stay calm. We have taken the measures that are necessary."
He said the government's crisis cell would meet again on Sunday afternoon to reassess the threat.
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