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 14 2009 1:17PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Tech Trivia,
IPv6,
CIO,
IP addressing
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is IPv6.
IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) is the latest level of the Internet Protocol. IP addresses are lengthened from 32 bits to 128 bits to deal with an anticipated shortage. IPv4 address space allowed for four billion IP addresses, not quite enough for everyone on the planet to have one. IPv6 address space enables enormous future growth.
Are you a Know-IT-All?
Secret Word of the Day
You might hear this term used to describe the movement of birds or herds of caribou. In IT, it’s the process of moving from one operating environment to another. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
ARIN administers IP addresses in the United States. What does ARIN stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
How can you find the dot address for a given domain name?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Podcast: IPv6 in 10 minutes
IT Knowledge Exchange: IPv6 questions and answers
Dec 31 2008 5:24PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Networking,
Security,
biometrics,
compliance,
encryption,
CIO,
Mobile,
cloud computing,
communications,
top searches of 2008
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is Top search terms of 2008
You asked for them and here they are — we’ve assembled a list of the terms most often searched on the site this past year.
Are you a Know-IT-All?
Secret Word of the Day
This term refers to any commonly used word (such as “the”) that a search engine has been programmed to ignore. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
ARPU is an expression of the income generated by a typical subscriber or device per unit time in a telecommunications network. What does ARPU stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
Number #1 on our list this year was SAP, a company started in Germany by five former employees of a certain technology company. What company did SAP’s founders originally work for?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
2008 was a challenging year for security. What will 2009 bring? See Five predictions for Web security trends and changes in 2009.
An expert explores whether security and compliance concerns in the cloud could hinder the viability of cloud computing.
Dec 19 2008 9:44PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Security,
Microsoft Windows,
browsers,
operating systems,
CIO,
antivirus,
malware,
network administration,
Tech Trivia,
personal computing
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is scareware
Scareware is a type of malware designed to trick victims into purchasing and downloading useless and potentially dangerous software. A scareware program usually generates pop-ups that resemble Windows system messages and warn the user that viruses or other problems have been detected.
Are you a Know-IT-All?
Secret Word of the Day
This controversial rootkit program gets its name from a play on words mocking a Microsoft product. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
Scareware preys on users’ FUD. What does FUD stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
What browser was #1 on Bit9’s 2008 list of the most vulnerable applications? (Hint: It might not be the one you think it is.)
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
John Strand explains how to prevent clickjacking with security policies.
Ken Harthun writes about malware and vulnerabilities in his ITKE Security Corner blog.
Dec 17 2008 1:59AM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
Networking,
Cisco,
CIO,
network administration,
WAN optimization,
Tech Trivia,
transparent addressing,
WAFS
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is wide area file services.
Wide-area file services (WAFS) is a storage technology that makes it possible to access a remote data center as though it were local. Among other benefits, WAFS enables businesses, academic institutions, and government agencies having numerous branch offices to centrally manage data backups in real time.
Are you a Know-IT-All?
Secret Word of the Day
In a network, this is a synonym for delay. It’s an expression of how long it takes a packet to get from one designated point to another. What’s the secret word?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
TTL tells a network router when a packet has been in the network too long and should be discarded. What does TTL stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
What’s the world’s biggest and best-known WAN?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
Stephen J. Bigelow explains WAN/WAFS and remote offices.
Read about WAN optimization in this book chapter.
Dec 15 2008 12:34PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
hardware,
Storage,
cooling,
CIO,
DataCenter,
supercomputers,
network administration,
green computing,
electronics,
Tech Trivia,
phase-change cooling,
ECOphlex
The WhatIs.com Word of the Day is ECOphlex.
Tech Trivia
What was the first computer to break the petaflop barrier?
Answer
Secret Word of the Day
This repository for the storage, management, and dissemination of data is, essentially, the brain of an organization. What’s the secret word?
Answer
IT Acronym Challenge
The IEEE describes itself as the world’s largest technical society. What does IEEE stand for?
Answer
Dec 8 2008 2:46PM GMT
Posted by: Margaret Rouse
Security,
network behavior analysis,
DDoS,
Packet Sniffing
Our WhatIs.com Tech Term is network behavior analysis.
The goal of network behavior analysis is to flag unknown, new or unusual traffic patterns that might indicate the presence of a security threat. Because it operates passively, NBA avoids latency or becoming a performance bottleneck.
Are you a Know-IT-All?
Secret Word of the Day
This popular open source network intrusion prevention and detection system is rules-based. Its logo is a pig. What is it?
Answer
Acronym Challenge
In a DDoS attack, an army of compromised systems attack a single target. What does DDoS stand for?
Answer
Tech Trivia
Which Hanna-Barbera Saturday-morning cartoon inspired a type of ping attack?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
2008 Products of the Year - Network Behavior Analysis
Security Spotlight: Network Behavior Analysis goes long and wide (by Lisa Phifer)
In this Webcast, security expert Ben Rothke will provide you with an overview of NBA and give you a deeper understanding of threats that are not visible to traditional signature-based IDS/IPS solutions.
Dec 4 2008 12:15PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
hardware,
Networking,
Storage,
broadband,
CIO,
DataCenter,
Tech Trivia,
connections
The WhatIs.com Word of the Day is InfiniBand.
Tech Trivia
It looks like a sideways numeral 8 — what does it symbolize in mathematics?
Answer
Secret Word of the Day
In a communications context, this is a point where the flow of data is impaired or stopped entirely. What’s the secret word?
Answer
IT Acronym Challenge
What does the i in iSCSI stand for: Internet or intelligent?
Answer
Dec 3 2008 12:07PM GMT
Posted by: Ivy Wigmore
hardware,
Storage,
CIO,
USB,
network administration,
electronics,
Tech Trivia,
connections,
personal computing
The WhatIs.com Word of the Day is port interface card.
Tech Trivia
A computer has a motherboard. Which of the following might it also have:
a. a fatherboard
b. a daughterboard
c. a sonboard
Answer
Secret Word of the Day
In a computer or on a network, this is a transmission path on which signals are dropped off or picked up at every device attached to the line. What’s the secret word?
Answer
IT Acronym Challenge
MPP is the coordinated processing of a program by multiple processors that work on different parts of the program, with each processor using its own operating system and memory. What does MPP stand for?
Answer
Learn Something New Every Day
