Hacker = A non-professional with credentials

July 31, 2006

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?

As you are beginning to learn, I post Jim C’s Quiz of the Week as a pdf – like I did last week on the origin of the word witticism. To help keep this site entertaining and educational, I will continue to provide some background on how the format for my postings have evolved over the years and how this week’s posting was put together.

I typically start each week’s posting with a sentence – something that contains the subject word and, hopefully, catches the reader’s attention. To mention the “Great Hacker War” accomplishes the goal. Who wouldn’t want to know about the fight between the MoDs and the LoDs?

The other thing that caught my eye about the word “hacker” is the inbuilt dichotomy – it has both a positive and negative connotation, which is a special ingredient for people like me who really enjoy wordplay. That’s why the pdf posting not only includes the standard definition and etymological origin, but also the clarification from Wikipedia.

As always, I finish each posting with the Conventional Wisdom (sometimes counter intuitive) and Moment of Zen (that’s where I put the wordplay or wit).

Jim C’s Quiz of the Week for Monday, July 31, 2006 is attached as a pdf, and your comments would be appreciated, especially related to the following items:

1) Why are negative terms now becoming positive?

2) How would you rephrase the Conventional Wisdom?

3) How would you rephrase the Moment of Zen?

Please read the pdf posting and let me know what you think.
jim-c-quiz-hacker.pdf

Witticism = A wiley pun, retort or repartee

July 24, 2006

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD, IDIOM OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?

Last week you learned that I have been posting Jim C’s Quiz of the Week since 1999 at my place of work. It was a form of giving something back to my fellow employees. The weekly posting at work is literally just that – a paper posting by the water cooler or copy machine, some place at work that has traffic where the posting can be easily seen.

Now that I have started this web site, I wanted to keep the “posting” format by attaching a pdf – like I did last week on the origin of Pandora’s Box. If the weekly work is posted as an attached file, then how should I use this space?

Since this is an evolving web site, it might be appropriate to discuss some aspect of my life and how it impacted the thought process that went into publishing each week’s word. In my younger days I provided simple Excel spreadsheet templates to a variety of people. I learned very quickly that common sense was not a universal trait, because the users always needed more help. From that sad experience, I found that it was very important that anyone using the template have the same starting point, the same point of reference.

Therefore, I want to make sure everyone reading the Jim C’s Quiz of the Week has at least two common points of understanding:
1) Use the word/phrase in a sentence and
2) Provide a clear, concise definition.

Of course, I want the experience to be entertaining as well as educational. That’s why I started this week’s posting with two direct quotes from Will Rogers and then provided the following definition by the writers of the TV Show, The Simpsons.

“Witticism is nothing more than an incisive observation, humorously phrased and delivered with impeccable timing.”

The two witticisms from Will Rogers are perfect examples of that definition. And amazingly enough, the two quotes are as applicable today, as they were over fifty years ago.

Please use the “Witticism” hyperlink below to gain access to the Comments section and the attached pdf, which is the Jim C’s Quiz of the Week for Monday, July 24, 2006. Your comments would be appreciated, especially suggestions on the following items:

1) Do you have a better definition of wit?

2) Why are the two quotes from Will Rogers still so true?

3) How would you rephrase the Conventional Wisdom?

4) How would you rephrase the Moment of Zen?

Please read the pdf posting and let me know what you think.
Jim C Quiz – Witticism.pdf

Pandora’s Box – It was really a jar

Jul 17, 2006

Back in late 1999 I wanted to share my interest in the origin of our language. In fact, my first posting went like this:

JIM C’S QUIZ OF THE WEEK – FRIDAY – 10/22/1999

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW A WORD OR PHRASE ORIGINATED IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE?

EACH FRIDAY I WILL POST A WORD OR PHRASE TO CONSIDER. EACH MONDAY I WILL POST THE ANSWER.

EXAMPLE: THAT MATH PROBLEM SURE “STUMPED” ME.

HOW DID THE WORD “STUMPED” ORIGINATE?

That’s how it all started every Friday; then, each weekend I would start researching the answer so that I could post the answer on Monday. I went to the public library; checked the internet; and did other research until satisfied that the answer was correct. My original answer for Monday, 10/25/1999 was as follows:

THE TERM “STUMPED” ORIGINATED IN AMERICA IN THE EARLY 1700’S. AS THE GOVERNMENT CLEARED FORESTS TO BUILD THE PRIMARY HIGHWAYS, TREE STUMPS WERE LEFT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD.

WHEN THE ROADS BECAME BLOCKED BY STORMS OR WHATEVER, TRAVELERS WOULD TRY TO GO AROUND AND THEIR WAGONS WERE UNABLE TO GET THROUGH THE TREE STUMPS – THUS, THEY WERE “STUMPED”.

Over six years my approach and format has evolved; however, the one aspect that I really wanted to retain was the ability to post the Jim C’s Quiz as a one-page pdf document. If you click the Pandora’s Box hyperlink below, you will be in the Comments section and have access to the pdf.

The Jim C’s Quiz of the Week for Monday, July 17, 2006, is about Pandora, who was given a trick gift by the gods and told don’t open the gift. The facts about Pandora’s Box are a little surprising; for instance, did you know that it wasn’t a box? This part of the story was apparently improperly translated centuries ago – the container was really a jar. Not only will you find out about the origin of the phrase, but the posting should also start you thinking on several different levels, such as:

1) Why have women (Eve, Pandora, Mary Magdeline, etc.) consistently been portrayed as corrupted?

2) What is the moral of the story by the Greek poet?

3) How would you rephrase the Conventional Wisdom?

4) How would you rephrase the Moment of Zen?

Please read the pdf posting and let me know what you think.

Jim C Quiz – Pandora’s Box.pdf