Early to Rise » Wise

Word to the Wise: Solecism

ETR — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:47:17 +0000

“Solecism” - from the name of a city (Soloi) where a corrupt form of Greek was spoken - is a nonstandard or ungrammatical use of language.

Example (as used by Don Hauptman today): “A quick Internet search reveals that just about anything has been incorrectly labeled proverbial… . Some dictionaries have shamefully capitulated, sanctioning this solecism.”

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It’s Fun to Know: Desktops vs. Laptops

ETR — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:00:40 +0000

A recent report from industry watcher iSuppli showed that overall computer sales are down 8 percent from last year. But when viewed separately, sales of laptops grew 10 percent over last year, while desktop sales dropped 23 percent.

This is simply the continuation of a longtime trend. Laptops currently account for 80 percent of computer sales in the United States.

(Source: Gizmodo)

Word to the Wise: Occiput

ETR — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:21:24 +0000

The “occiput” (AHK-sih-put) - from the Latin for “against the head” - is the back part of the skull.

Example (as used by Alan Falk in Michigan Lawyers Weekly): “So let me suggest that everyone put away their pitchforks and firebrands and stop trying to ‘bury the hatchet’ by planting it in the other fellow’s occiput.”

It’s Good to Know: The New Generation of ATM Skimmers

ETR — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:20:22 +0000

Skimmers are small electronic devices that identity thieves attach to ATMs, gas pump card readers, and other places where you swipe credit or debit cards. They are used to steal card numbers, expiration dates, and PINs. And now criminals in Eastern Europe have come up with a new twist: a software skimmer that is inserted in the operating code (usually Windows-based) of the ATM’s computer. The program allows them to access all the personal data for all the cards used in the machine.

Security experts predict that the new skimmers could make an appearance in the U.S. soon.

(Source: Scientific American)

Word to the Wise: Obstreperous

ETR — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:27:35 +0000

Someone who’s “obstreperous” (ob-STREP-ur-us) - from the Latin for “to make a noise against” - is noisily and stubbornly defiant.

Example (as used by Marilyn Stasio in a New York Times review of Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich): “Eye on the reward, Stephanie’s obstreperous fat friend, Lula, decides to enter the cook-off, which she reckons will attract the killer.”

It’s Fun to Know: Outsourcing Special Effects

ETR — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:25:31 +0000

India has long been the go-to country for companies looking for low-cost customer service and software programming. And now Hollywood studios are increasingly looking to India for special effects artists to help make movie magic. Currently, the Indian companies are doing mostly midlevel work. But they hope the higher-end jobs, such as creating entire computer-generated landscapes, will start coming their way as their expertise grows.

(Source: Associated Press)

Word to the Wise: Sempiternal

ETR — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:59:30 +0000

“Sempiternal” (sem-pih-TUR-nul) - from the Latin for “always” + “eternal” - is another way of saying “everlasting.”

Example (as used by Thomas L. Jeffers in Commentary): “… Syon’s orchards are the world as our imagination would like it to be - not wilderness, since orchards are after all planted and cultivated by farmers, but a sempiternal and ideal region of the mind.”

Word to the Wise: Lamster

ETR — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:59:54 +0000

A “lamster” LAM-ster) - a word with obscure origins - is a fugitive, especially from the law.

Example (as used by Christopher Loudon in The Financial Post): “The vast majority of identity-changers become scurrying lamsters, spinning an endless wheel of lies and deception… .”

Word to the Wise: Vacuous

ETR — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:14:02 +0000

“Vacuous” (VAK-yoo-us) - from the Latin for “empty” - means lacking in ideas or intelligence.

Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): “This is a very bad strategy. In a job interview, it makes the interviewee look pompous and vacuous - two traits any sensible employer wants to avoid.”

It’s Good to Know: Brand Loyalty Goes by the Wayside

ETR — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:12:59 +0000

Consumers who are usually loyal to certain brands when it comes to food, cosmetics, and other products are increasingly shifting to lower-cost alternatives.

A new study from Catalina Marketing Corp. showed that among customers classified as “highly loyal” in 2007 to brands like Coca-Cola, Crest, or Green Giant, 33 percent had switched to other products in 2008. Meanwhile, grocery stores have been expanding their lines of generic brands.

(Source: Reuters)