Blown to Bits Vocabulary

ad hoc

when used to describe programming, it means a quick fix for a problem, not usually the best example that will sustain an issue.

database

a collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly selected the desired pieces of data. Often abbreviated DB

data abstraction

In a computer program a variable is named section of memory, e.g., 'X', that can store a piece of data - i.e., a number or a word or a list of objects. When we want to manipulate the data, we can use its name rather than the data itself.

data aggregation

process in which information is gathered and expressed in a summary form for purposes such as statistical analysis

data mining

a class of database applications that look for hidden patterns in a group of data that could be used to predict future behavior

procedural abstraction

An example might be the square root procedure, which calculates the square root of X, sqrt(X). The nice thing about procedures is that they hide the details of how they carry out their task.

data repository

generically refers to a general place where data is stored and maintained

data sources

name given to the connection setup from a database to a server. The name is commonly used when creating a query to the database

digital detritus

term used to describe unsightly debris that accrues as the result of the experience of digital living

dossier

a collection of documents about a person, event, or subject

EDR

event data recorder

encode

the phrase used to describe the method of preparing data for storage or transmission

encryption

the translation of data into secret code

IP address

an identifier for devices on a TCP/IP network

metadata

data about data; describes how and when and by whom a particular set of data was collected, and how data is formatted

query

a request for information from a database

RFID

radio frequency identification, similar to barcodes

bit

short for binary digit

blacklist

in internet terminology, a generic term for a list of email addresses or IP addresses that are origination with known spammers

character

any symbol that requires one byte of storage

cyberspace

a metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created by computer systems

data

data is distinct information that is formatted in a special way. Data exists in a variety of forms, like text on paper or bytes stored in electronic memory

data center

are physical or virtual infrastructures used by enterprises to house computer, server and networking systems and components for the company's IT (information technology) needs

data network

a telecommunications network which allows computers to exchange data

disk drive

a randomly addressable and rewritable storage device

intellectual property

refers to any property that is created using original thought. Traditional intellectual property include patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

Moore's Law

The number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits has doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented.

network

a group of two or more computer systems linked together

processor

short for microprocessor or CPU

social networking

a social structure made of nodes that are generally individuals or organizations. A social network represents relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, animals, computers, or other information/knowledge processing entities

whitelist

a generic name for a list of email address or IP addresses that are considered to be spam free

background

multitasking computers are capable of executing several tasks, or programs, at the same time

binary

pertaining to a number system that has just two unique digits

bot

short for robot, a computer program that runs automatically.

cache

a special high-speed storage mechanism

firewall

prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network

foreground

in multiprocessing systems, the process that is currently accepting input from the keyboard or other input device

HTML

hypertext markup language, a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on World Wide Web pages

URL

abbreviation of uniform resource locator it is the global address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web

algorithm

a formula or set of steps for solving a particular problem.

analog

a device or system that represents changing values as continuously variable physical quantities

ASCII

a code for representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127

cloud computing

comparable to grid computing, cloud computing relies on sharing resources rather than having local servers handle applications.

cryptography

the art of protecting information by transforming it into an unreadable format, called cipher text

digital

any system based on discontinuous data or events. Computers are digital machines because at the basic level they can distinguish between just two values, 0 and 1.

digital signal processing

(DSP) refers to manipulating analog information

download

to copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device

lossless compression

data compression techniques in which no data is lost.

lossy compression

data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. This technique attempts to eliminate redundant information.

megabyte

used to describe data storage, 1,048,576 bytes (abbreviated MB)

megapixel

one million pixels, used in reference to the resolution of a graphics device

modeling

process of representing a real-world object of phenomenon as a set of mathematical equations.

OCR

optical character recognition, the branch of computer science that involves reading text from paper and translating the images into a form that the computer can manipulate

pixel

short for a picture element, a single point in a graphic image

raster

the rectangular area of a display screen actually being used to display images

render

refers to the process of adding realism to a computer graphics by adding 3-D qualities, such as shadows and variations in color and shade.

spam

spam is electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings

steganography

the art and science of hiding information by embedding messages within other, seemingly harmless messages

upload

to transmit data from a computer to a bulletin board service, mainframe, or network.

AES

advanced encryption standard, a symmetric 128-bit block data encryption technique

certification authority

(CA), a trusted organization or company that issues digital certificates used to create digital signatures and public-private key pairs

cipher text

data that has been encrypted

DES

data encryption standard, a popular symmetric-key encryption method that uses a 56-bit key and uses a block cipher method which breaks text into 64-bit blocks and then encrypts them

decryption

the process of decoding data that has been encrypted into a secret format

encryption

the translation of data into secret code

packet

a piece of message transmitted over a packet-switching network

plain text

refers to textual data in ASCII format. Plain text is the most portable format because it is supported by nearly every application on every machine

router

a device that forwards data packets along networks. A router is connected to at least two networks are located at gateways

centralized systems

collect files at a central computer for people to download

commons

a system of sharing that minimizes the need for fine-grained property restrictions

DRAM

dynamic random access memory

DRM

digital rights management

flooding

each computer in a file-sharing network maintains a list of other computers in the network.

gigabyte

1,024 megabytes or 1,073,741,824 bytes

peer-to-peer architecture

a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities

piracy

the unauthorized use or reproduction of another's work

sealed storage

an application that lets you encrypt files in such a way that they can be decrypted only on particular computers that you specify.

TPM

trusted platform module