The language of silicon dreams and stack overflows.
The complete set of technologies, languages, and tools used to build an application. Essentially your project's ingredient list, often inflated with trendy items you don't need but added anyway for your resume.
The grand science of shooting messages across the planet using electricity, radio waves, or whatever technology keeps your Zoom call from freezing. Born from telegraph wires and evolved into the reason you can video chat with Tokyo while sitting pantless at home. The industry responsible for both connecting humanity and giving us endless Terms of Service agreements.
A now-discontinued cola soft drink that was Coca-Cola's answer to diet sodas before Diet Coke existed. The example references a classic computer science joke about pressing the Tab key and expecting a beverage. It's a double entendre that only programmers and soda historians appreciate.
The amount of data, transactions, or work that flows through a system in a given time period—basically measuring how much stuff your system can churn through before collapsing. It's the metric that separates the systems that can handle Black Friday traffic from those that crumble under three simultaneous users. Higher throughput is always better, until you realize it's bottlenecked by that one database query you wrote in 2019.
A device that both transmits and receives signals, because apparently having two separate boxes for talking and listening was too much of a hassle. Think of it as the ultimate multitasker in the communications world—your walkie-talkie, cell phone, and Wi-Fi router all use these. Engineers love them because cramming two functions into one box is peak efficiency, even if it makes troubleshooting twice as annoying.
A chronic browser tab hoarder who refuses to close anything, resulting in a computer that runs like it's powered by a hamster on a wheel. These digital pack rats will have 47 tabs open and still not find the one with the audio playing.
In mechanical systems, a sharp projection on a gear that meshes with other teeth to transfer rotational motion—basically, a gear's way of saying 'let's stay connected.' Without teeth, gears would just spin past each other awkwardly.
The clarity and stability of the picture on a VCR during playback, controlled by manually adjusting the tracking dial on the machine. Poor tracking resulted in wavy lines, distortion, or snow on the screen, making the tape unwatchable.
Your smartphone—that glowing rectangle that has somehow become the primary repository for every important moment, connection, and piece of information in your existence. Essentially, it's your digital life support system.
To shorten something by cutting off the end or top; to reduce in length or duration. In computing, it means to cut off digits or data without rounding.
A rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of fluid (gas, liquid, or air) and converts it into mechanical energy; commonly used in power generation, jet engines, and water mills.
The inexplicable rush of sexual arousal triggered by purchasing or using cutting-edge tech gadgets—because nothing says romance like new electronics and the smell of factory plastic.
The curved path that an object follows through space under the influence of gravity or other forces; more broadly, the general direction or course of development of something over time. In abstract contexts, it describes the arc of progress or decline.
A mechanical or electric writing machine with individual keys that, when pressed, cause metal type-faces or ribbons to strike paper, leaving characters. It was the standard tool for producing typed documents from the 1870s until computers and word processors became widespread.
A tall metal structure that screams into the sky via radio waves, microwave signals, or whatever else needs broadcasting—basically a giant lollipop stick holding up the invisible infrastructure that keeps modern communication humming. You've seen them painted red and white, judging you from cell towers everywhere.
A live-streaming platform owned by Amazon where content creators broadcast gameplay, entertainment, music, and other live content to viewers in real time, with interactive features like chat and emotes.
Lasting only a short time; temporary or impermanent. Can describe something that appears briefly or passes through without staying, or in physics, a temporary oscillation or disturbance in a system.
The forgotten grandfather of Team Fortress 2—a game that technically existed but nobody remembers because it didn't have cosmetic hats, which is apparently the only reason anyone plays the sequel. It's the video game equivalent of your parent's first attempt at something.
A funnel-shaped or T-shaped device used in metallurgy and foundry work to direct and control the flow of molten metal into molds, or in plumbing, an open channel or tank that separates incoming water pipes from outgoing drainage pipes to prevent siphoning.
A mathematical object so sophisticated it makes linear algebra weep—it's essentially a multidimensional array that describes how things relate to other things in ways that would require a whiteboard and a mathematician's migraine to fully explain. Think of it as the overachiever of the math world.
According to the strict interpretation of rules, definitions, or technical specifications; in a manner that adheres to technical details or formal criteria. Often implies a distinction between what is formally true and what is practically or colloquially understood.
A consumer electronics retailer and computer manufacturer that sold personal computers and accessories through Radio Shack stores from the late 1970s onward, known for affordable, budget-friendly machines like the TRS-80 and Color Computer. Tandy computers were accessible entry points for home computing.
China's answer to eBay, famous for rock-bottom prices and equally rock-bottom quality—your knockoff gadgets ship faster than your expectations can crash. If it's impossibly cheap and made in mainland China, it probably came from here.
Fancy word for tracking everything your users do so you can optimize the product—or sell the data. Depends on the company's ethics.