New Meanings of Acronyms and Words

[phorneker]

Every time a new technology or product comes out with a acronym or name, the meaning of the acronym or name changes.

For example, the acronym for Cascading Style Sheets is css. Here in Northwest Indiana and the rest of the Metropolitan Chicago area, css has another meaning. CSS is the reporting marks for the Chicago SouthShore and South Bend Railroad, a one hundred year old interurban that is operated by two separate companies, one for freight (http://www.southshorefreight.com), and one for the commuter trains (http://www.nictd.com).

Another example is Vista is the Spanish word for view. This year, it has taken on a whole new meaning: A new way to screw computer users out of hundreds of dollars a year.

PC today stands for Personal Computer, PC thirty years ago meant Penn Central, a merger of the Pennsylvania, New York Central, and New Haven railroads, and one of the worst financial disasters in US history.

Can you think of any other such acronyms and words we use today here that have another meaning outside of the computing world?

[Nobber]

Can you think of any other such acronyms and words we use today here that have another meaning outside of the computing world?

No.

But I wanted to post here to let you know about my favourite acronym used within the company I work for:

RSCIC

It's a proper acronym (i.e. it's pronounced as a word), and it does actually mean something, but it is a challenge to use it in conversation while keeping a straight face.

[Dutch_Master]

Yeah, what about Windows No further explaination required I guess And RAM (Random Access Memory) also a particular species of male sheep (at least in Dutch and German). To keep to your railway theme (I'm a professional railroader), The Norfolk Southern in the US and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch railways) share the same acronym: NS. And Canadian Pacific, or the copy command: cp

[nelz]

One of my favourites is PICNIC

[MartyBartfast]

PC today stands for Personal Computer, PC thirty years ago meant Penn Central, a merger of the Pennsylvania, New York Central, and New Haven railroads, and one of the worst financial disasters in US history.

PC is now in at least it's third incarnation "Political Correctness", at least in the UK.

[Rhakios]

I recall on one occasion commenting that I often did the crossword in the back of the BMJ with the aim of finishing it in under ten minutes. My companion looked bemused and remarked that a crossword for doctors should be pretty hard, was I really that good at crosswords? They looked disappointed when I pointed out I was referring to the Builders Merchants' Journal.
Which has nothing to do with computer-related acronyms, of course.

[ollie]

I find it even worse in the IT world where the same acronym means different things - courtesy of the large OS company we love to hate is ASP. As a web developer it started out as Active Server Pages, now often refers to Application Service Provider, and of course it is a snake referred to most often with Cleopatra.

[godofthedevil]

what about this for windows....

Software Hell Information Technolgy (Europe)

[Arthur_Dent]

It may be apocryphal, but if my memory serves, during that last reorganisation of higher education here in the UK, Grimsby Tech was all set to rechristen itself as the "South Humberside Institute of Technology" until someone pointed out what the logo might look like...

[MikeHarvey]

What did they become instead, the Grimsby Institute of Technology?

[jjmac]

Oxymorons, with a very flexable definition, can be more fun ... like

The Free World
IT Systems
Responsible Government --- (that one really craks me up)
There is reseach to suggest --- (along with that as well)
A New Release --- ( or should that be taken more as a dark omen)

While not stricly correct, they fit my perceptions


jm

[towy71]

Intelligence gathering = extraodinary rendition & torture
War on terror = State terrorism
New Improved = something has been removed

Doesn't DRM mean Digital Removal Method

[Ram]

Doesn't DRM mean Digital Removal Method

Nope, Damaged Reference Material

[ethernet]

Not forgetting DSL: Digital Subscriber Line and Damn Small Linux and who knows whatever else.

Today, the BBC added to my confusion with AMD: Age-related Macular Degeneration and Advanced Micro Devices. The former will work wonders in terms of marketing for chip-maker AMD

[jjmac]

Not stricly oxymoronic, but ...

Auto Updates == void VirusAttack(Removing found flexibility, Adding Lock Down, commandering beta testers, encouraging non-awarness, default='whichwaydiditgo')

The Latest * == Rolling the Market




jm