Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/04/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> 2008-04-25-15:00:15 Frank Filippone: >> What's Grok? > > http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/grok.html > > It's lovely and inclusive and all that that the great general public are > using computers as handy appliances these days, but sometimes it can be > a bit disturbing. I mean, there was a time when, for cultural reasons, > it would be nearly impossible to imagine anyone who hadn't devoured the > complete works of Heinlein getting near a computer, at least in the US. > > I mean, sure, he could be a litle self-indulgent, and there was often a > bit of a stink of misogyny and homophobia overlaying some of the stories -- > but still, it was liberating stuff at the time, and _Stranger in a > Strange Land_ remains worth reading. > > `Like many influential works of literature, Stranger made a > contribution to the language: specifically, the word "grok." In > Heinlein's invented Martian language, "grok" literally means "to > drink" and figuratively means "to understand," "to love," and "to be > one with." This word rapidly became common parlance among science > fiction fans, hippies, and computer hackers, and has since entered the > Oxford English Dictionary among others.' > > --from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land>, > but don't read this article before reading the book -- the Plot > Summary section would be a spoiler. > >> What's Wetware? > > And wetware, for the human brain and similar messy biological devices, > is a clear parallel with software, hardware, firmware and the like. > > http://catb.org/jargon/html/W/wetware.html > > -Jeff M > I like the term "meatware". Mark William Rabiner markrabiner.com