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Public Confused by Tech Lingo

the_helper_monkey writes "The BBC has an article about how tech jargon confuses the public. It's based on a survey done by AMD asking the definitions of words such as megahertz, MP3, and Bluetooth. " I was recently reminded of how big a deal this is while trying to help my tech novice brother select a computer. If you don't know what a gigabyte is, it's hard to know how large of a hard drive you need.

8 of 1,041 comments (clear)

  1. What do the British know? by RevDobbs · · Score: -1, Troll

    C'mon, this in on the Beeb... forget about tech jargon, these people don't even know English... what the hell is a lorry, or a lift? I mean, how can you take a country seriously when they say things like "fags give you cancer"?

    1. Re:What do the British know? by BiteMeFanboy · · Score: -1, Troll

      Yeah, when everyone knows that fags give you Aids... whoops going to take a mod beating on that one.

  2. Religion is for the weak, powerless and gullible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    People should learn to think for themselves and not be lead like mindless sheep.

  3. I know why! by 200_success · · Score: 0, Troll

    British people wouldn't know how much a Library of Congress is, so how would they ever understand our explanations of how much a gigabyte is?

  4. IN RELEATED HGLAUGHAGLUAGH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Rob Malda is a 26-year old white male with a stocky build and a beard. His head is shaved. He responded to my ad to be interviewed for this article wearing only leather pants, leather boots and a leather vest. I could see that both of his nipples were pierced with large-gauge silver rings.

    Questioner: I hope you won't be offended if I ask you to prove to me that you're a nullo. Just so that our readers will know that this isn't a fake.

    Rob: Sure, no problem. (stands and unbuckles pants and drops them to his ankles, revealing a smooth, shaven crotch with only a thin scar to show where his genitals once were).

    Q: Thank you. That's a remarkable sight.

    (laughs and pulls pants back up). Most people think so.

    Q: What made you decide to become a nullo?

    (pauses). Well, it really wasn't entirely my decision.

    Q: Excuse me?

    The idea wasn't mine. It was my lover's idea.

    Q: Please explain what you mean.

    Okay, it's a long story. You have to understand my relationship with Michael before you'll know what happened.

    Q: We have plenty of time. Please go on.

    Both of us were into the leather lifestyle when we met through a personal ad. Michael's ad was very specific: he was looking for someone to completely dominate and modify to his pleasure. In other word, a slave.

    The ad intrigued me. I had been in a number of B&D scenes and also some S&M, but I found them unsatisfying because they were all temporary. After the fun was over, everybody went on with life as usual.

    I was looking for a complete life change. I wanted to meet someone who would be part of my life forever. Someone who would control me and change me at his whim.

    Q: In other words, you're a true masochist.

    Oh yes, no doubt about that. I've always been totally passive in my sexual relationships.

    Anyway, we met and there was instant chemistry. Michael is a few years older than me and very good looking. Our personalities meshed totally. He's very dominant.

    I went back to his place after drinks and had the best sex of my life. That's when I knew I was going to be with Michael for a long, long time.

    Q: What sort of things did you two do?

    It was very heavy right away. He restrained me and whipped me for quite awhile. He put clamps on my nipples and a ball gag in my mouth. And he hung a ball bag on my sack with some very heavy weights. That bag really bounced around when Michael fucked me from behind.

    Q: Ouch.

    (laughs) Yeah, no kidding. At first I didn't think I could take the pain, but Michael worked me through it and after awhile I was flying. I was sorry when it was over.

    Michael enjoyed it as much as I did. Afterwards he talked about what kind of a commitment I'd have to make if I wanted to stay with him.

    Q: What did he say exactly?

    Well, besides agreeing to be his slave in every way, I'd have to be ready to be modified. To have my body modified.

    Q: Did he explain what he meant by that?

    Not specifically, but I got the general idea. I guessed that something like castration might be part of it.

    Q: How did that make you feel?

    (laughs) I think it would make any guy a little hesitant.

    Q: But it didn't stop you from agreeing to Michael's terms?

    No it didn't. I was totally hooked on this man. I knew that I was willing to pay any price to be with him.

    Anyway, a few days later I moved in with Michael. He gave me the rules right away: I'd have to be naked at all times while we were indoors, except for a leather dog collar that I could never take off. I had to keep my head shaved. And I had to wear a butt plug except when I needed to take a shit or when we were having sex.

    I had to sleep on the floor next to his bed. I ate all my food on the floor, too.

    The next day he took me to a piercing parlor where he had my nipples done, and a Prince Albert put into the head of my cock.

    Q

  5. Re:Good news for Linux? by vofka · · Score: 0, Troll

    ...logical history underlying the acronames "cd" and "ls" and how they are actually newmonic. ... It's like Mensa--you have to have a certain amount of brains to get in the door, which makes for a more pleasant experience among the intelligentcia.

    Perhaps you mean acronym, mnemonic and intelligentsia.

    This goes to show a long-held belief of mine that the more someone knows the language of IT (for example someone knowledgable in a Unix environment, and most programmers) the less they can understand the basics of the English language (or any other spoken language).

    --
    Disclaimer: I meant what I thought, not what I wrote! What? You can't read my Mind? Oh dear!
  6. You're so full of shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    If you're going to make up some bullshit conversation to try and prove a point at least make it make sense...
    And furthermore, why the fuck would you ASSume that your cable company would even bother support DHCP on OpenBSD...?

  7. Re:Yes they do by OAB · · Score: -1, Troll

    Fuck off you elitist twat. Almost nobody knows what horsepower is, it's just a number, just like GHz. I am sure that you do indepth research into the background tech of everything you even consider buying, the rest of us however, actually have a life (or at least a bit of one).