Do You Speak Geek? Meet Alpha Geek, Dr. Bob Lash

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Published by WhatIs.com  September 10, 2004 >> Receive this e-mail as text  >> About this e-mail   In this Issue >> Do you speak geek? Improve your IT IQ >> Alpha Geek and dog of the week: Meet Dr. Bob Lash and his sidekick, Baxter >> Whatizard forum: Technology in our schools  Do you speak geek? How many of these IT terms can you guess without peeking? 1. C14N is the process of making something conform to some specification. What does C14N stand for? a. conformalization b. canonicalization Answer 2. Richard Skrenta became somewhat famous -- if not exactly popular -- for creating this early version of a self-replicating program. What is it? 3. What popular Web site whose mottos is "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters" derives its name from two non-alphanumeric characters? Answer 4. The TCB is everything in a computing system that provides a secure environment. What does TCB stand for? a. total confidence base b. trusted computing base Answer 5. It comes and goes: this phenomenon describes how relative motion affects the frequency and wavelength of received signals. What is it? 6. This is a device that receives a signal on an electromagnetic or optical transmission medium, amplifies the signal, and then retransmits it along the next leg of the medium. What is it? 7. In chat abbreviations, what does 404 mean? Answer 8. MVS is an operating system from IBM that continues to run on many of IBM's mainframe and large server computers. What does MVS stand for? a) Multiple Virtual Storage b) Mainframe Virtual System c) Mainframe Virtualization System d) Multiple Virtualization System Answer 9. Who said "The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from"? Answer 10. A blob is a large file that must be handled in a special way because of its size. What do the letters in blob stand for? a. binary large object b. Nothing; it's just called a blob. Answer How many could you guess without peeking? Let us know!  Alpha Geek and dog of the week Meet Dr. Bob Lash by Ivy Wigmore, Consulting editor Our Alpha Geek this week, Bob Lash, was one of the original members of the legendary Homebrew Computer Club, where as a teen, he constructed a working 12-bit microprogrammed minicomputer. As an adult -- AND an engineer and medical doctor -- Lash has developed many devices to improve patient quality of life. This week, we introduce you to Dr. Lash (pictured with the Cray-I supercomputer above) and his faithful canine companion, Baxter. Read more about this topic  Whatizard forum: Technology in our schools by Margaret Rouse, Site editor It's back-to-school time around here. My youngest son, Dave, is 16. He spent his days during the summer videotaping himself and his friends as they skateboarded and rehearsed their garage band. He spent his summer nights editing the footage and posting it on his Web site. When I asked him if he was able to fit any computer/technology classes into his schedule this year, he told me computer classes weren't being offered at his level. After some investigation, I found that the computer labs have been dismantled because they were too expensive to maintain. Most of the computers were moved to the library or issued to classroom teachers who wanted them. Students in business tracks are expected to lease or purchase their own laptops. The general impression I got from school administrators is that "this generation has grown up with computers, the Internet, cell phones, pin numbers and debit cards -- these kids know more than we do." I left his school feeling confused and sad. Is our school district unique? I'd like to know what you think about computer education in your area of the world. - Are your schools meeting the needs of students when it comes to computer education? - Has technology become so much a part of each subject area that dedicated computer labs are no longer necessary? - Is it enough to have one or two computers in each classroom? - Should computer education in high school be a core requirement or an elective? If you have time, drop me a note and tell me what you think. Better yet, post your comments in the Whatizard discussion forum so we can all talk together. Post your feedback Learn one new thing every day! Enter your e-mail and start receiving Word of the Day. E-mail    Not a member? We'll activate your membership with your subscription. We have an RSS feed! Add the Whatis.com Word of the Day and daily quiz questions to your RSS editor! 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