Definition: Grok

To grok is to know. If you really truly understand, then you grok it. You have become one with it and you have enveloped the meaning.

The word comes from the Martian word, "to drink". Yes, Martians. Robert A. Heinlein, the author of "Stranger in a Strange Land" gave us this word back in 1961 and the computer industry later adopted it as our own. Trekkies have used this word, along with Matt Groening so you know it has reached the pinnacle of geekdom.

TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) Part 2

Back in October I wrote about the Internet industry's particular penchant for acronyms (see original post). As promised, here is an update with more web-speak definitions.

CLM (Career Limiting Move) "His dirty dancing at the company holiday party was a total CLM."

KPI (Key Performance Indicators) These are numbers that we should actually pay attention to.

WAG (Wild Ass Guess) Although clients will always promise that they won't hold you to your initial estimate, beware of publicizing any WAGs.

AYFKM (Are You Freakin' Kidding Me?) I have used this one a lot lately as I see the common everyday atrocities committed by some in the web business.

SME (Subject Matter Experts) Not at all like Smurfs, these know-it-alls are not necessarily cuddly. SMEs have massive currency in the knowledge economy.

ABC (Always Be Closing) In sales, as in your career, always be landing the next deal.

EOD (End Of Day) Always make sure to verify the time zone when someone requires something by EOD. And usually this means 5pm, but in a pinch it can mean midnight.

Check out TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) Part 1.

Definition: SneakerNet

We use the term SneakerNet to mean physically carrying a disc or flash drive from one computer to another. You move the files with your tennis shoes rather than over digital transmission lines. Sometimes, during the chaos of hard-core production, files just need to be carried. Networks break down and internet connections flake out, but the humans can always carry the bits.

Sometimes SneakerNets are the only way. Some files are so huge that it is quicker and cheaper to copy the data to a portable storage device and carry that device to the intended recipient. Scientists and data warehouses do this kinda thing all the time. Other users of SneakerNets are seeking high-security environments which can only be found today by avoiding cyberspace.

So remember, the next time you carry a CD over to a friend’s house to give ‘em a file, you are participating in a long history of file transfer. And one day your children will find it foolish and antiquated.

Definition: CamelCase

CamelCase is used to describe mashing compound words together and capitalizing the first letter of each word. Just like camels, these words have humps. I am noticing that this practice is being used more and more every day. Popular examples are AstroTurf, RadioShack, BlackBerry and QuickTime.

As with many habits of the computer industry, CamelCase comes from computer programming. That's why Microsoft used to be spelled MicroSoft. Rather than introduce spaces or hyphens into long words, programmers started using capitol letters to make variable names human readable. Sometimes CamelCase is actually camelCase (with the initial letter being lowercase, similar to how some variable names are spelled when writing code.)

CamelCase is sometimes called BiCapitalization when referring to marketing practices. I've also heard it called BumpyCase, HumpBackNotation and NerdCaps.

I am officially changing my name to ToddTibbetts and I live in SeattleWashington. I am a DigitalMediaConsultant. ThankYou.

Definition: Dogfooding

One of the terms I hear all the time in this industry (especially at Microsoft) is "dogfooding". It means to use your own product (eat your own dog food). You can't expect others to use your software if you don't use it yourself. The concept is said to have originated with actor Lorne Green who, in the Alpo dog food commercials of the 1970s, exclaimed that he fed it to his own dog. Yum!

TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) and Beyond

A new TLA often creates FUD. (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) Has our language become too cumbersome? Are we in such a hurry that we can’t be bothered saying so many words? “I’m sorry,” we say, “I’d love to talk to you but I am in a tremendous hurry. Perhaps I could just say the first letter of each word of every sentence?” WTF!

Every industry has its own particular acronyms. Our internet industry is one of the greatest creators of new TLAs, but we also share many traditional ones as well. I’ve included some fun examples below and I pose the question, “Do we need more acronyms or less?” WWTD? (What would Tim Burners-Lee Do?)

I decided not to list “chat speak” which is a language all its own. These abbreviations are almost emoticons describing fleeting feelings, lol. (Laugh out Loud)

PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) A subtle way technical support people describe a problem caused by a user who can’t figure out how to use a computer.

RTFM (Read The Frickin’ Manual) A response to an obvious computer question may illicit this abbreviation.

SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities & Threats) A strategic analysis technique developed at Stanford in the 1960s as a way to compartmentalize planning.

CYA (Cover Your Ass) When creating contracts or proposals, this is a more fun way to say “assumptions” or “caveats”.

SWAG (Stuff We All Get) The free stuff given away to those in (or near) the internet industry. But, as I wrote about in SWAG Stories, this one has many definitions.

OOF (Out Of Facility) Originally used in academic settings and has now come to mean Out of the Office in the corporate world.

FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Repair) Borrowed from the military, like many of our acronyms. Used to describe a project that will never get well.

SNAFU (Situation Normal, All Fucked Up) A WWII term the troops used to describe that everything is as screwed up as usual.

IP (Internet Protocol) or (Intellectual Property) I’ve been in quite a few digital studio environments where it was not always clear whether the conversation was about IP numbers for the server or ownership rights regarding a piece of content.

ASP (Active Server Pages) or (Application Service Provider) Many acronyms have multiple meanings, but this one in particular can get quite confusing. An ASP may run ASP, for example.

Even TLA has multiple meanings. It can mean Three Letter Acronym, Trial Lawyers Association, True Love Always or Top Level Architecture.

Want to explore more? Go to the Internet Acronyms Dictionary. We could go on and on… 24/7.

Definition: Kludgy and Kludgier

In internet studio terms, a kludge is a sloppy, messy ball of code. A kludge is a software application that was slapped together with little thought of planning and with no respect for the best practices of a mature industry.

Web developers often inherit code from previous, long-lost developers. When a new developer begins working with new code, some kludges work and others don't. A working, functional kludge is one you don't want to touch for fear you'll trip on some code and the whole application will come crumbling down. Most kludge applications are not documented so you'll always need to reverse engineer everything.