Sometimes we can’t help but wonder if those tech geeks sit around and create terms just to be naughty in their own nerdy kind of way. After all, how else do you account for some of the names they’ve given us for common technical terms? Don’t believe us? Try these on for size – 10 technical terms that sound dirty (but really aren’t):
- Core Dump – Seriously, was there not a better way to describe large-scale memory storage to a device that wouldn’t summon images of large mammals with fiber issues? We suspect that someone willfully opted for this more graphic term after their computer crashed and they lost a lot of valuable data.
- Joystick – OK, we realize that many millions of people really enjoy their video games. We get it. We’re just not so sure they should be having quite as much fun as this term suggests. Let’s see those hands, Space Ranger.
- Packet Sniffing – Get your mind out of the gutter! This is simply a network analysis program that analyzes incoming traffic; never mind the fact that it sounds suspiciously like something you’ve tried to train your dog to stop doing to house guests.
- Dongle – This is a small device that plugs into a computer, acting as a key to access specific programs. Oh, that’s not what you thought it was? As far as we’ve been able to tell, the word didn’t exist anywhere before some geek came up with it to describe a very small piece of hardware. Hmm.
- Plug and Play – No, this is not a frat-boy reference to Friday night frolics. It’s a term meant to describe hardware that can be automatically recognized by a computer when it’s connected. The obvious question, though, is will it call tomorrow?
- Daisy Chain – Don’t get any ideas about trying this one out at your next pool party. It’s actually an electrical or electronic wiring configuration that connects devices together in sequence, forming them into a ring.
- Firmware – We’d love to see someone market a line of undergarments that would replace the old-school tube-sock technique. Alas, however, this term refers of course to the fixed internal programs which control an electronic device.
- Root User – Although it can indeed be used to accurately describe a few techies we know, the official definition of this term refers to the user of a program or device who has all permissions and rights, in all modes of operation.
- Floppy Disk – You don’t hear this one mentioned very often anymore, and it’s not because of all those Cialis ads either. These storage devices simply became passé because they were no longer – wait for it – up to the task.
- Hard Drive – Again, not so much a modern medical marvel; it is the permanent, rigid disk storage device on a computer which stores and retrieves data for its operation. By the way, just because they are typically non-volatile and random-access doesn’t mean they’re easy.
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