[Air-L] Metaphors in Technology

[Paul Emerson Teusner]

How about the metaphor of "space" as referred to the entire Internet?

paul emerson teusner

-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Gordon Carlson
Sent: Sunday, 29 June 2008 5:23
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: [Air-L] Metaphors in Technology

Hello all,

Many of you have helped me compile a list of technology metaphors.
Several asked to see the list.  So here we go.  The following is a
list of metaphors related to technology and its use.  The emphasis is
clearly on digital technology but some others are in there as well.

If you have additions to the list PLEASE do send them along, I would
like to keep the list growing.  If you have a dispute or other comment
that should make for interesting conversation, as metaphorical as it
might be on a mail list.

Thanks for all your help!

active and inactive
bandwidth
blog - web log??
blogosphere
breadcrumbs
brick and mortar
broadband
broken record (not digital but still a technology metaphor)
bulletin boards
calculating (as in a person is cold and calculating)
chat "rooms"
chatting
citizen of the internet - netizen
click
cloud (storage and computing)
cyberspace
dashboard
database
deckware
desktop
dial a touch phone
dial up internet access
dialog boxes
directory
domain
drop a packet
email
extranet
files
filing system
firewall
flame
flaming
folders
forum
forward (as in to forward an email)
frames
garbage can
garbage in, garbage out
gateway
grinding (used in gaming to get lots of a resource)
harvesting
hit
homepage
hotspot
hub
inbox
information superhighway
instant messaging
intranet
link
lurking
menu
mining, especially data mining
mouse
navigation
open (as in a file or email)
outbox
owning someone (as in to defeat someone in a game, not unique to
technology basis for pwned)
palette
portal
programmed or hardwired people
protocol

quad (a couple people mentioned this but I don't know why it is a
metaphor, any help?)

recycle bin
reply
reserving a "seat" for an online course
run
search engine
server
shopping carts/basket
slides in powerpoint
spam
speed dial (Opera browser)
spyware
surfing
tabs
tag
tap (as in a line or phone which is no longer literal)
terminal
the computer going to "sleep"
the whole concept of a virtual open house
tree
trojan horse
trolling
virus
windows
wiping out a team of players (gaming, not unique to technology)
world wide web
worm

-Gordon
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