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Subject: L.A. SPEAK
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 07:26:22 EST
Message-ID: <special59.1992Nov23.072622@AmeriCast.com>

HEADLINE: L.A. SPEAK
Publication Date: Sunday November 22, 1992
BYLINE: Sheldon Teitelbaum

Computer literacy these days entails a major upgrade in basic
language skills. Selections from Gareth Brandwyn's hypercard stack,
"Beyond Cyberpunk: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to the Future."

   cybercrud  n . Obfuscatory tech-talk, the computer equivalent of
bureaucratese. "That disk-drive manual bogged me down in 
cybercrud. "

   droid  n . A person exhibiting a naive trust in authority, a
company man.

   drool-proof paper  n . Documentation that has been dumbed down
to the point where only a cretin could bear to read it. "My laser printer
manual is on  drool-proof paper. "

   flame war  n . An acrimonious dispute conducted in an electronic
forum. "If you want to see real action, check out the  flame wars 
on Prodigy."

   lunatic fringe  n . Customers who buy early, often bug-ridden
versions of software.

   sagan  n . A large quantity of anything, as in Carl Sagan's
famous "billions and billions" quote. "The U. S. spends  sagans  on
bombs and welfare."

   wave a dead chicken  v . To perform a futile repair ritual over
a crashed system.

   wirehead  n . A hacker, especially one who concentrates on
communications hardware. "If you can't crack the system, hire a 
wirehead. "

   zipperhead  n . A person with a closed mind.


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