The rarified organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file.
Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or
irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.
Alpha Geek
The most knowledgeable, technically-proficient person in an office or work
group. "Ask Larry, he's the alpha geek around here."
Beepilepsy
The brief seizure people sometimes suffer when their beepers go off,
especially in vibrator mode. Characterized by physical spasms, goofy facial
expressions, and stopping speech in mid-sentence.
Blowing Your Buffer
Losing one's train of thought. Occurs when the person you are speaking
with won't let you get a word in edgewise or has just said something so
astonishing that your train gets derailed. "Damn, I just blew my buffer!"
Bookmark
To take note of a person for future reference (a metaphor borrowed from
web browsers). "I bookmarked him after seeing his cool demo at Siggraph."
Brain Fart
A biproduct of a bloated mind producing information effortlessly. A burst
of useful information. "I know you're busy on the Microsoft story, but can you
give us a brain fart on the Mitnik bust?" Variation of old hackerslang that had
more negative connotations.
Career-Limiting Move (CLM)
Used among microserfs to describe an ill-advised activity. Trashing your
boss while he or she is within earshot is a serious CLM.
Chip Jewelry
A euphemism for old computers destined to be scrapped or turned into
decorative ornaments. "I paid three grand for that Mac SE, and now it's nothing
but chip jewelry."
CGI Joe
A hard-core CGI script programmer with all the social skills and charisma
of a plastic action figure.
Crapplet
A badly written or profoundly useless Java applet. "I just wasted 30
minutes downloading this stinkin' crapplet!"
Dead Tree Edition
The paper version of a publication available in both paper and electronic
forms, as in: "The dead tree edition of the San Francisco Chronicle..."
Dilberted
To be exploited and oppressed by your boss. Derived from the experiences
of Dilbert, the geek-in-hell comic strip character. "I've been dilberted again.
The old man revised the specs for the fourth time this week."
Dorito Syndrome
Feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction triggered by addictive
substances that lack nutritional content. "I just spent six hours surfing the
Web, and now I've got a bad case of Dorito Syndrome."
Egosurfing
Scanning the net, databases, print media, or research papers looking for
the mention of your name.
Glazing
Corporate-speak for sleeping with your eyes open. A popular pastime at
conferences and early-morning meetings. "Didn't he notice that half the room
was glazing by the second session?"
Gray Matter
Older, experienced business people hired by young entrepreneurial firms
looking to appear more reputable and established.
Graybar Land
The place you go while you're staring at a computer that's processing
something very slowly (while you watch the gray bar creep across the screen).
"I was in graybar land for what seemed like hours, thanks to that CAD
rendering."
Keyboard Plaque
The disgusting buildup of dirt and crud found on computer keyboards. "Are
there any other terminals I can use? This one has a bad case of keyboard
plaque."
Link Rot
The process by which links on a web page became obsolete as the sites
they're connected to change location or die.
Nyetscape
Nickname for AOL's less-than-full-featured Web browser.
Open-Collar Workers
People who work at home or telecommute.
Plug-and-Play
A new hire who doesn't need any training. "The new guy, John, is great.
He's totally plug-and-play."
Squirt The Bird
To transmit a signal up to a satellite. "Crew and talent are ready...what
time do we squirt the bird?"
Tourists
People who are taking training classes just to get a vacation from their
jobs. "We had about three serious students in the class; the rest were
tourists."
Under Mouse Arrest
Getting busted for violating an online service's rule of conduct. "Sorry I
couldn't get back to you. AOL put me under mouse arrest."
World Wide Wait
The real meaning of WWW.
404
Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web message "404, URL Not
Found," meaning that the document you've tried to access can't be located.
"Don't bother asking him...he's 404, man."