Jan 29 2009 6:57PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Tech Trivia,
Audio,
Ogg Vorbis,
CIO,
quiz,
open source,
compression,
codecs
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is Ogg Vorbis
Vorbis is an open source patent-free audio compression format, developed as a replacement for proprietary digital audio encoding formats, such as MP3, VQF, and AAC. Vorbis files compress to a smaller size than MP3 files, which reduces bandwidth and storage requirements. According to many reports, a Vorbis file provides better sound quality than an MP3 file of the same size.
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your knowledge of tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
This word describes sound in the range that’s audible to humans. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Tech Trivia
Does sound move more quickly through air or a solid?
Answer (Scroll to the second paragraph.)
Word Scramble
Unscramble the letters to see the name of the pattern created by audible energy:
undos avwe
Answer
Acronym Challenge
Vorbis is an audio codec. What does “codec” stand for?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
USB audio glitches
Serdar Yegualp explains how to deal with USB audio problems, such as stuttering and glitching.
Jan 28 2009 7:19PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Tech Trivia,
social networking,
flash mob,
wireless,
CIO,
quiz
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who organize themselves, using electronic media such as cell phones or the Internet, to gather together in a public place, behave in a predetermined manner for a predetermined period of time, and then quickly disperse. The first flash mobs were considered either pranks or performance art. More recently, flash mobs have gathered for other purposes, including protests and charity. Last week, T-Mobile used the flash mob concept for an ad.
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your knowledge of tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
In this model of human interaction, people expand their connections by accessing the connections of acquaintances. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Tech Trivia
Who first proposed the “six degrees of separation” theory?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
GPS messaging is a little like a digital sticky note that mobile users access when they enter a specific location. What does GPS stand for?
Answer
Word Scramble
Unscramble the letters for the name of a device that became prominent because of its wireless email capabilities:
rabbyclerk
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Twitter tries to shore up security in wake of hack attack
As many as 33 high profile Twitter accounts were breached just days after a widespread phishing scam targeted users of the social network.
Sales 2.0
This white paper explores how sales and marketing professionals are using online collaboration and social networking to spark sales.
Jan 27 2009 11:54AM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Ubuntu,
Linux,
Tech Trivia,
CIO,
open source,
operating systems
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is Ubuntu
Ubuntu is an open source Debian-based Linux distribution that is considered suitable for users without extensive technical knowledge. Ubuntu distributions include Edubuntu (for educational users), Xubuntu (for users with limited processing power) and JeOS (for “just enough operating system,” a lightweight version for virtual appliances).
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your knowledge of tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
Ubuntu is often run from this type of distribution — an operating system on some bootable medium. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
GIMP is a freely available open source application for creating and manipulating graphic images. What does GIMP stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
Fill in the missing Ubuntu codename: _____ _____; Intrepid Ibex; Jaunty Jackalope
Answer
Acronym Challenge
GIMP is a freely available open source application for creating and manipulating graphic images. What does GIMP stand for?
Answer
Word Scramble
Unscramble these letters to see a software distribution model that allows code to be copied, modified and distributed along with the same stipulation:
pycflote
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Pam Derringer reports on the release of Ubuntu 8.10.
The Enterprise Linux Log blog covers Ubuntu.
Jan 25 2009 7:57PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Apple,
Macintosh,
computer history,
CIO,
Tech Trivia
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is Macintosh
The Macintosh was the first widely-sold personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI) and a mouse. Apple introduced the Macintosh (popularly known as the Mac) on January 24th, 1984.
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your knowledge of tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
Twenty years ago, computers were usually referred to as either Apples or ____ -compatible. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
What does the X in OS X stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
How did people interact with computers before the introduction of the GUI?
Answer
Word Scramble
Unscramble the letters to see a word for something simulated on a computer screen:
spokedt
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
See specs for the original Mac and the commercial that introduced it.
Wikipedia has an entry about the Macintosh.
Apple offers a Macintosh product guide.
CNET News looks at the future of the Mac.
Jan 23 2009 12:44PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
MAID,
Storage,
green computing,
green data center
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is MAID
MAID (massive array of idle disks) is a storage technology in which only those drives in active use are spinning at any given time. This reduces power consumption and prolongs the lives of the drives.
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your knowledge of tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
This storage buzzword is used to describe a logical, abstracted view of physical storage devices. What is the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
An SSD is a storage device that stores persistent data in flash memory. What does SSD stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
What storage medium was used for the 1890s U.S. census?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Copan CEO: Putting spindown on disk arrays isn’t MAID
Big savings with MAID 2.0 storage technology
StorageTopics: greenBytes – an innovative approach energy …but is it MAID?
Jan 22 2009 2:08PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is remote procedure call
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a protocol that one program can use to request a service from a program located in another computer in a network without having to understand network details.
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your knowledge of tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
Having this support in a network means that a client program can request a service without having to understand where the server is in a distributed network or exactly what the interface to the server program looks like. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
CORBA is an architecture and specification for creating, distributing, and managing distributed program objects in a network. What does CORBA stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
SOAP is a way for a program running in one kind of operating system to communicate with a program running in another kind of an operating system by using HTTPand XML for information exchange. Was SOAP invented by Sun, Microsoft or IBM?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Microsoft RPC worm spreads in corporate networks
VPN or RPC/HTTPS? Both have their place
Jan 21 2009 12:55PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
programming,
lean programming,
agile programming
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is iteration
In agile software development, an iteration is a single development cycle, usually measured as one week or two weeks. An iteration may also be defined as the elapsed time between iteration planning sessions.
Are you a Know-IT-All? Test your tech vocabulary!
Secret Word of the Day
The first version of this programming language for databases was developed at IBM in the early 1970s. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
CI is a software engineering practice in which isolated changes are immediately tested and reported on when they are added to a larger code base. What does CI stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
What do you call computer object code that is processed by a virtual machine instead of the hardware processor?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Agile Development Learning Guide
Open source, agile help move to lean software development
Learn about agile methods, how agile compares to other methodologies, and how to implement agile practices.
Learn Something New Every Day
