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What is that damned word... ?

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We're The Great Old Ones Now

20:26 / 20.06.07

It refers to objects whose form is determined by an outmoded technological constraint, the defining mechanism of which they no longer employ. Example: the QWERTY keyboard, the Landscape-style computer monitor. Anyone? It's been driving me nuts for about a year.

grant

20:33 / 20.06.07

Actually, I was just reading about the Qwerty keyboard. It came about as a way to slow down typists because old typewriter keys tended to jam.

However, nowadays, that configuration is.... outmoded? obsolescent?

Damn. I thought I could get it that way.

20:50 / 20.06.07

Anachronism, relic, survival, holdover, archaism.

grant

21:44 / 20.06.07

ATAVISM!

Tell me it's atavism!!

Mistoffelees

21:48 / 20.06.07

I thought of atavism too, but isn´t it concerning outdated biological things? Like human babies born with tails, for example.

Feverfew

23:41 / 20.06.07

Is there a technical term for when you turn up on the board and seem to scare everyone else away?

Alex's Grandma

00:35 / 21.06.07

Atavism can also be behavioural, i.e. Neanderthal-type mating rituals enacted by pissed-up folk in pubs.

Alex's Grandma

00:42 / 21.06.07

Vestigial? Like an appendix?

Not quite ...

We're The Great Old Ones Now

10:46 / 21.06.07

Alas, it's a specific term, a noun, not an adjective. It's like Zeugma or Oglivarp. Gah...

unheimlich manoeuvre

01:47 / 22.06.07

Lock-In?

Papess

01:57 / 22.06.07

antiquation?

astrojax69

04:37 / 22.06.07

maybe there's really no word, you were dreaming it, and you'll have to make one up, nick..?

go on.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

12:36 / 22.06.07

Flender? Katillopeia? Lostrigal? Hummerfillet? Bosticon? Primotive? Ambiladrent? Hopsic? Rhodenumeral?

Look, I could do that all day, but there's already a damn word! BOOOOOHOOOOHOOO!

Triplets

12:45 / 22.06.07

Qwertyan.

Mysterious Transfer Student

12:52 / 22.06.07

The nearest I can think of is not a word but a phrase, 'technological lock-in'. It refers to this exact phenomenon and this exact example is used, and the use I'm thinking of is in the novel Distraction by Bruce Sterling.

So I'm afraid you may have to be content with that.

MattShepherd: I WEDDED KALI!

16:33 / 10.08.07

Hurm. A better word for what a chef does than "cooking"? It has to be a single word, not a word combination (i.e. "food preparation" is no good). I'm sure there is one, but it's just not coming.

Happy Dave Has Left

16:37 / 10.08.07

Well, chefs call it a 'service' don't they?

Mistoffelees

16:56 / 10.08.07

to prepare food?

Here´s a link to a large amount of french verbs related to cooking.

Mistoffelees

16:58 / 10.08.07

Oops, you already had something with "prepare". Then maybe to dress food?

trouble at bill

19:26 / 10.08.07

well if a maker of chocolate can be referred to as a (or un) chocolatier then frankly anything's possible in gastronomeze.

IMHO Nick's phenomenon might be better expressed in more than one word, but anyway.

On a rather tangential note I read recently that the device known as a US "elevator" and UK "lift" had originally going to be referred to as the "ascending room". Splendid!

Orange

00:50 / 06.10.07

What's the word for surrendering yourself to someone else's expectations or authority or whatever, except not as passive as surrendering or submitting? You're ________ing yourself to someone/something, a word that makes it sound voluntary? Maybe also with a sense of fitting yourself into someone else's box? I'm sure there's a word for what I'm trying to say . . .

Sorry this is so random considering that I never post here.

Tsuga

00:53 / 06.10.07

supplicating, maybe? or capitulating,

Closed for Business Time

01:00 / 06.10.07

Accommodating?

Mistoffelees

01:11 / 06.10.07

to dedicate, to devote

Orange

01:25 / 06.10.07

Accommodating gets across the idea, but I guess I'm looking for something stronger? Closer to surrendering, with a hint of succumbing, even (although not quite that dramatic), and not positive like dedicate or devote. Capitulating is also close but the word I think I'm looking for can be reflexive (like accommodating oneself to something). Of course this word may not even exist, in which case I apologize. Thanks for the suggestions, they are certainly helpful in any case.
Arrgh, this is going to keep bothering me though.

Bamba

01:27 / 06.10.07

Hurm. A better word for what a chef does than "cooking"? It has to be a single word, not a word combination (i.e. "food preparation" is no good). I'm sure there is one, but it's just not coming.

The word is quite obviously "chefing".

e.g.

"Dude, I chefed the hell out of that souffle!"

"Hmmm, the evidence of the chefing is in the pudding."

"Motherfucker! I don't give a good fucking godddamn about your shit, but that cock-stabbing peach cobbler needs to be chefed to shit RIGHT FUCKING NOW or we'll all be dead come morning, you hear me shitmonger?!"

Papess

01:36 / 06.10.07

Orange: acquiesce?

Closed for Business Time

01:40 / 06.10.07

Cockfuck? Bambinate?

Orange

03:38 / 06.10.07

Umm . . .

(Medulla Oblongata: not quite, but what a nice word! I'm experiencing a whole new appreciation for its spelling in particular.)

Papess

04:09 / 06.10.07

It is lovely, isn't it? I thought for certain I had it!

adjure?

Martyring?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

01:43 / 07.10.07

I thought "acquiesce" at first, too...

Saint Keggers

02:07 / 07.10.07

relinquishing?

Orange

23:25 / 07.10.07

These are all really good, thank you! I think I may have just come up with a really precise definition in my head of a word that doesn't actually exist. In any case, I now have more words than I'll probably ever need to express that general idea, so I'm going to be all set for quite a while . . . thanks all!

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