Data Doctors Geek Speak

Automagically

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0700

A term used to avoid explaining a technical process that occurs automatically and appears to be 'magic' to the non-technical user.

PPC

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0700

Pay Per Click - An Internet advertising system developed in 1998 by GoTo.com that charges advertisers only if a visitor clicks on the ad. Google's meteoric rise to power was primarily based on the PPC revenue generated by all their search traffic.

Wall wart

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0700

Tech slang for a small transformer with a plug attached (usually a charger for an electronic device), that hangs off of your electrical outlet. Wall warts are one of the most common consumers of phantom power (they consume power even when nothing is being charged).

Multitouch display

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0700

A new feature supported in Windows 7 that allows you to use 'multiple touches' to manipulate the display screen. This very useful interaction was made popular by the iPhone.

Obfuscated link

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0700

A trick often incorporated in e-mail spam & phishing scams where a link that is presented actually will take the visitor to a different location. Floating your mouse over any link and looking at the status bar at the bottom can often alert you to an obfuscated link.

Polymorphic code

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0700

Code that changes itself each time it runs, but the function of the code in whole does not change at all. This is a common tactic to evade anti-malware programs that use 'signature-based' detection. Since the signature changes constantly, it can't be compared to previously discovered code.

Cyberchondriac

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0700

Someone who spends their time searching medical websites for diseases they convince themselves they actually have...

Facebook Fired

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0700

To be terminated because of a posting to a social network such as Facebook (alternatively, to be fired via post to such a network -- worse than the email pink slip, to be sure).

Intexticated

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0700

Preoccupied by reading or sending text messages, particularly while driving a car.

New version of a DWI: Driving While Intexticated

Cloudburst

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0700

(Negative) The failure of a cloud computing environment from an overload of demand

(Positive) The use of the Cloud to handle a spike in internal applications that overload the local resources