Word Spy

phantom vibration

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:51:40 EST

phantom vibration

n. The perception of a cell phone's vibration in the absence of an incoming call or text message.

Example Citations:

It's not a trivial problem, according to his study of stress levels in 100 smartphone users, including university students, retail workers and public-sector employees. Some users in the study were so hooked that they reported feeling "phantom vibrations" from non-existent text messages.
—Adriana Barton, "Smartphone stress: Can you say irony?," The Globe and Mail, January 22, 2012

Psychologically, the key to deciphering phantom vibrations is "hypothesis-guided search," a theory that describes the selective monitoring of physical sensations, says Jeffrey Janata, director of the behavioral medicine program at University Hospitals in Cleveland. It suggests that when cellphone users are alert to vibrations, they are likely to experience sporadic false alarms, he says.
—Angela Haupt, "Good vibrations? Bad? None at all?," USA Today, June 12, 2007

Earliest Citation:

Just yesterday I thought my phone was ringing (vibrating) several times but when I went to answer it no one was there and no missed calls....

I tried searching for similar experiences but only found a few references to phantom vibration syndrome.
—carverrn, "Phantom vibration Syndrome?," eHealth Forum, June 2, 2004

Categories:

Anger and Anxiety
Cell Phones

Posted on February 3, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/phantomvibration.asp

hardlink

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:29:09 EST

hardlink

n. A tag, such as a barcode, assigned to an object that, when scanned with a smartphone or reader, displays online data about the object. Also: hard-link, hard link. —v.
—hardlinking pp.

Example Citations:

The key difference between the two dimensional QR code and the single dimensional barcode is the amount of data they contain. Quick Response codes are also known as hardlinks or physical world hyperlinks. QR Codes store up to 4,296 alphanumeric characters of arbitrary text. This text can be anything, for example, a URL, contact information, a telephone number, even a blog post!
—Bob Leah, "Create a Quick Response Code (QR Code) image using Google Chart," IBM developerWorks, March 14, 2011

Although invented in Japan in the 1990s, QR codes are only just being used by UK businesses.

The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background.

When the encoded information is accessed via an app on a smartphone it is termed hardlinking or object hyperlinking.
—"Code provides link to law firm information," The Plymouth Herald, July 28, 2011

Earliest Citation:

The simplicity of linking from the physical world into the electronic world, known as 'physical world hyperlinks' or a 'hardlink' is the essence of the QR code and explains its enormous popularity.
—Paul Bowers, "Why is QR Code Important to Business?," Ezine Articles, September 17, 2007

Notes:

A hardlink is also known as a physical world hyperlink or an object hyperlink. The term originally referred to an alphanumeric code associated with an object that, when entered into a browser, would look up the code in a special database and take the browser to online information about the object. That sense dates to at least 2005, but it has been superseded by the above sense.

One of the most common hardlinks these days is the QR code (Quick Response code), which contains alphanumeric text (such as a web address) encoded in a graphical pattern. For example, the QR code on the right encodes the address of this page. Retailers and advertisers are using these codes in the real world (for example, on storefronts and in the pages of newspapers and magazines), and the idea is that we are supposed to use QR code-reading apps on our smartphones to scan these codes and link to information about the retailer or product. (Meta project idea: Print out the QR code on the right and then scan it to hardlink to a page devoted to hardlinking.)

Categories:

Marketing
Internet
Cell Phones

Posted on February 2, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/hardlink.asp

SIFI

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:25:39 EST

SIFI

n. A financial institution so crucial to the economy that its failure could cause a financial crisis. [From the phrase systemically important financial institution.]

Example Citations:

The FSB list of 29 banks, known as "SIFIs," includes those judged to be the most globally important to the financial system by their size and complexity. The measures were agreed on by regulators to prevent any "systemically important financial institution" from failing and roiling the global economy.
—"Global regulators to subject 29 banks to stricter regulations," The Washington Post, November 4, 2011

Q: Is AIG part of the new regulation that came with the new Dodd-Frank legislation and the SIFI (systemically important financial institutions), or too-big-to-fail rules?

A: We don't know yet because that's one of the concerns the market has right now. We're not sure where we're going to come out on the federal landscape for SIFI regulations. So we don't know if we're going to be regulated as a SIFI.
—Maria Bartiromo, "AIG chief sees a 'core of strength' in U.S. economy," USA Today, August 14, 2011

Earliest Citation:

The place to begin is to establish an effective system of regulating the solvency and improving the transparency of systemically important financial institutions. I'm going to call them "SIFIs" from now on for short.
—Robert Litan, "Where were the watchdogs? The financial crisis and the breakdown of financial governance," Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, March 4, 2009

Notes:

A variation on this theme is the G-SIFI, a global (or globally) systemically important financial institution, so-deemed because its failure could precipitate a global financial crisis:

The FSB also said "global systemically important financial institutions" should be required to hold larger reserves than smaller banks and be subject to greater scrutiny by regulators....

Once the list of "G-SIFIs" is complete, Mr. Draghi said in his report that he would propose by the end of 2011 additional measures that national authorities should use to keep any globally systemic firms they happen to regulate in check.
—Kevin Carmichael, "G20 forges ahead with 'too big to fail' controls," The Globe and Mail, November 12, 2010

In case you're wondering, the related phrase too big to fail isn't at all new, and in fact dates to at least 1908.

Categories:

Economics
Globalization
Acronyms and Abbreviations

Posted on February 1, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/SIFI.asp

physible

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:01:25 EST

physible

n. A digital file containing instructions that enable a 3D printer to create a physical object. [Physical + feasible.]

Example Citations:

A "physible" is a digital plan for an object that can either be designed on a computer or uploaded with a 3D scanner. Those plans can be downloaded and used to assemble real, tangible objects using a 3D printer. Printers are getting more affordable, but they're still limited by the kinds of materials they can use.
—Jon Mitchell, "Forget MP3s: Soon You'll Download Your Sneakers From The Pirate Bay," ReadWriteWeb, January 24, 2012

Physibles are 3D printer plans for duplicating physical objects. This is a fascinating insight and early glimpse into the post-scarcity economy. This is a landmark event marking the transition of post-scarcity from the online world leaking into the physical world.
—MstrLance, "Physibles and post-scarcity economy," LinkSwarm, January 28, 2012

Earliest Citation:

We believe that the next step in copying will be made from digital form into physical form. It will be physical objects. Or as we decided to call them: physibles. Data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical. We believe that things like three dimensional printers, scanners and such are just the first step. We believe that in the nearby future you will print your spare sparts [sic] for your vehicles.
—WinstonQ2038, "Evolution: New category.," The Pirate Bay, January 23, 2012

Notes:

Categories:

Data
Technology (General)

Posted on January 31, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/physible.asp

bashtag

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:47:13 EST

bashtag

n. The use of a corporation's Twitter hashtag to bash the company's products.
—v.

Example Citations:

Here's a cautionary tale for the corporate social media consultants of the world. Last week, McDonald's launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #McDStories; it was hoping that the hashtag would inspire heart-warming stories about Happy Meals. Instead, it attracted snarky tweeps and McDonald's detractors who turned it into a #bashtag to share their #McDHorrorStories.
—Kashmir Hill, "#McDStories: When A Hashtag Becomes A Bashtag," Forbes, January 24, 2012

When it's done right, Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool. When it's not, it can be a recipe for disaster.
—"When hashtags become bashtags," DigiKnow, January 24, 2012

Earliest Citation:

New verb: bashtag. The act of hijacking a publicly-broadcast hashtag. As in: "man, the climatecamp has just been mercilessly bashtagged".
—Dave Stevenson, "davethelimey," Twitter, August 26, 2010

Notes:

On Twitter, a hashtag is a word (or, really, any sequence of characters), preceded by the hash sign (#), that serves to group similar tweets. So people talking about, say, the World Economic Forum might include the hashtags #Davos or #WEF in their tweets. Searching Twitter for one of these hashtags returns all the recent tweets on that topic.

The first known use of a hashtag is the following tweet from August 23, 2007:

how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?
— Chris Messina™ (@chrismessina) August 23, 2007

Categories:

Marketing
Social Networking
Insults

Posted on January 27, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/bashtag.asp

zombie debtor

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:59:10 EST

zombie debtor

n. An indebted consumer who is only able to pay the debt interest each month.

Example Citations:

Steve Inch, chair of the Scotcash board, said the collaboration — which sees a loan advisor based full time in the offices of North Glasgow Housing Association, also helped avoid the phenomenon of "zombie" loan accounts.

"There's a new term being coined for payday borrowers who are able only to pay the interest on their loans — zombie debtors — so that the principal debt just rolls on, and while there's talk of those institutions having a code of conduct introduced, that's only in the pipeline at present and we want people to know that there is an alternative in the shape of Scotcash," he said.
—Joan McFadden, "Loan service launches attack on the zombies," Herald Scotland, December 30, 2011

It is feared that 3.5m people will turn to payday lenders in the next six months but research shows that nearly two-thirds will regret the decision.

Many will be unable to pay off the loan and risk becoming "zombie debtors", only able to pay off the interest on what they owe.
—Nick Sommerlad, "Church of England ban on payday investments," Daily Mirror, December 19, 2011

Earliest Citation:

A new group of 'zombie' debtors — who currently pay only the interest charges on their debt and not the debt itself — has also been identified by R3's research. One in six individuals are only able to pay the interest on their debt rather than paying off the debt itself.
—"3.5 million reach for payday loans as 'zombie' debtors rise," R3: Association of Business Recovery Professionals, December 7, 2011

Notes:

Here's an earlier citation that refers to an indebted U.S. citizen who can't declare bankruptcy because he doesn't qualify for either Chapter 7 (liquidation of assets to pay creditors) or Chapter 13 (consolidation of debts):

Legions of consumers would shuffle through the marketplace dragging the leg irons of mandatory Chapter 13. Some consumers would become zombie debtors, unable to qualify for either Chapter 7 or 13.
—Steve France, "Big Brother Bankruptcy" (payment req'd), The Washington Post, March 21, 2000

Categories:

Money
People

Posted on January 26, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/zombiedebtor.asp

Eurogeddon

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:26:57 EST

Eurogeddon

n. An extreme European economic, political, or military crisis. Also: Euro‑geddon. [Europe + Armageddon.]

Example Citations:

Nobody wants to speak too soon, but the horrors of the past 12 months seem far away. Nothing has changed, of course. All the old nasties are still there, including looming Eurogeddon, but we're told that every possible hazard has been "priced in".
—Jeremy Thomas, "US investors busy making other plans," Business LIVE, January 21, 2012

As the debt-ridden, fractious European family gathered in Brussels for what was billed as crunch time, analysts coined a term for the chaos predicted to ensue if the euro fails: 'Eurogeddon.'
—Karen Kissane, "'Eurogeddon threatens the postwar dream of unity," The Age, December 10, 2011

Earliest Citation:

Eurogeddon? With the threat of civil war now facing Serbia itself, are we fiddling while east-central Europe burns?
—"Eurogeddon? The Coming Conflagration in East-Central Europe," New Statesman and Society, June 19, 1992

Notes:

Categories:

Economics
Geography
Military
Politics

Posted on January 25, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/Eurogeddon.asp

pollotarian

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:54:54 EST

pollotarian

n. A person who supplements a vegetarian diet with poultry. —adj. Also: pollo‑tarian.
—pollotarianism n.

Example Citations:

Now everybody with a cardigan and crocheted beanie has to have their own special food-limited diet. Not content with mere veganism, we have freeganism (people who only eat free stuff), flexitarianism (a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat) and pollotarians (those who eat chicken or other poultry but not red meat).
—Tim Elliott, "Eating their words," The Sydney Morning Herald, December 17, 2011

I declared myself as flexitarian back in 2008 hence the name of my blog The Flexitarian Runaholic Diaries. Late last year slowly with the help of Divine Wellness, I gradually became pollotarian until I have finally made amendment to let go of poultry into a Pescetarian.
—Kassy Pajarillo, "I'm Vegetarian. What's your problem?," a insatiable thirst, February 28, 2011

Earliest Citation:

If you are a vegetarian but eat chicken or fish, please don't call yourself a vegetarian. If you want to be a "tarian" you are a "pollotarian or pescetarian" respectively. Real vegetarians eat vegies.
—Jodi Kirby, "Real vegetarians" (letter to the editor), The Advertiser, July 2, 2003

Notes:

Categories:

Food and Drink
People

Posted on January 24, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/pollotarian.asp

FOMO

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:05:01 EST

FOMO

n. The fear of missing out on something interesting or fun, particularly when it leads to obsessive socializing or social networking. Also: fomo.

Example Citations:

The patrons — 30 per seating, two seatings per night — enjoy cuisine from a rotating roster of local star chefs. The buzz about the venture has been almost rabid, with passionate bloggers speculating on the identity of each surprise chef (the first was Marc Cassel from Park), leading to sellouts. It's all for a good cause, as each seating is expected to raise about $500 for a group of local charities.

48 Nights' organizers clearly have the followers, which draws the coveted chatter. Add in an expiration date and the potential FOMO — fear of missing out — only escalates the notion of exclusivity.
—Jason Sheeler, "Temporary shops, galleries, eateries popping up in Dallas," The Dallas Morning News, March 2, 2010

It begins with a pang of envy. Next comes the anxiety, the self-doubt, the gnawing sense of inadequacy. Finally, those feelings fizzle, leaving you full of bilious irritation.

Whether it's triggered by Laura's tweet from backstage at that gig or Joe's photos from his tropical retreat, most habitual users of social media will recognise the syndrome, which now has an equally irksome acronym: Fomo.

For the uninitiated, that's "fear of missing out"
—Hephzibah Anderson, "Never heard of Fomo? You're so missing out," The Guardian, April 17, 2011

Earliest Citation:

"It's a great event; I feel like I have to go, since it's free for me. The real reason is this thing called FOMO; it's a disease, the Fear Of Missing Out syndrome," says Acacia. "She has to go to every festival," adds Erin, "and now she has me coming along."
—"Why Reggae?," North Coast Journal, August 12, 2004

Notes:

FOMO was recently nominated for both Word of the Year and Most Useful word by the American Dialect Society.

Categories:

Social Networking
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Anger and Anxiety

Posted on January 20, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/FOMO.asp

workshifting

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:19:04 EST

workshifting

pp. Using portable devices and wireless technologies to perform work wherever and whenever it is convenient. Also: work-shifting.

Example Citations:

Did you go into the office this past Labor Day weekend? Did you work this past Labor Day weekend? If your answer to the first question is "no" but you answered "yes" to the second," you and your business are part of the growing trend toward workshifting.
—Rieva Lesonsky, "How Workshifting Is Changing the Way We Work," Small Business Trends, September 7, 2011

Trends such as IT consumerization, worker mobility, cloud computing and workshifting mean that more people are accessing enterprise desktops, applications and data from more places and in more ways than ever before.
—"Essar Group implements large scale Citrix Desktop virtualization Solution," The CTO Forum, December 21, 2011

Earliest Citation:

This special report reviews the Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) movement that is rapidly changing the way Americans work.
—Philip M. Burgess and Paul and Sarah Edwards, "Workshifting," Center for the New West, January 1, 1995

Notes:

Categories:

Employees
Internet
Wireless
Gadgets and Appliances

Posted on January 19, 2012

Permalink: http://www.wordspy.com/words/workshifting.asp