We Demystify the Internet's Acronyms
Uncanny Valley | WIRED25 Huhti 2024

We Demystify the Internet's Acronyms

Do you know what TCP/IP means? (Hint: you’re using it right now.) What about CDMA? Or GPT? While the concepts and the execution of these technologies are clear to most of us who have been on the internet nearly our whole lives, the acronyms we use to define them are often inscrutable. On this week’s episode, we welcome WIRED’s AI reporter Will Knight onto the show. Along with our hosts Michael Calore and Lauren Goode, the trio takes turns quizzing each other on what exactly these acronyms stand for. Michael is asked to unpack various terms from the early internet era, Lauren is tested on acronyms from the mobile era, and Will tells us what all the AI-related abbreviations mean. Everyone does a pretty good job even if nobody earns a perfect score. Play along at home; maybe you can best our hosts with your arcane knowledge of internet minutiae.


Show Notes

Read Steven Levy’s story about the Google research paper that kickstarted the transformer-based AI boom.


Recommendations:

Will recommends the book The Rise and Fall of the EAST by Yasheng Huang. (Watch their conversation at MIT’s Starr Forum.) Lauren recommends the Forest app for the Pomodoro work method. Mike recommends The Jargon File.


Will Knight can be found on social media @WillKnight. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jaksot(426)

WIRED Roundup: Making Art In the AI Era, With Wicked’s Jon. M Chu

WIRED Roundup: Making Art In the AI Era, With Wicked’s Jon. M Chu

You don’t have to be a fan of musicals to know about the Wicked film franchise — it’s been everywhere since the first film launched last year, and that’s exactly how director Jon. M Chu wanted it. At ...

12 Joulu 202526min

AMD CEO Lisa Su Isn’t Afraid of the Competition

AMD CEO Lisa Su Isn’t Afraid of the Competition

Last week, some of the most forward-thinking minds in tech, culture, and politics came together for WIRED’s Big Interview event — a series of live, in-depth conversations with industry leaders. To kic...

11 Joulu 202547min

BIG INTV: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie: ‘We Are a City on the Rise’

BIG INTV: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie: ‘We Are a City on the Rise’

Since taking office, San Francisco’s mayor has been on a quest to revitalize the city and increase public safety. He’s also kept the National Guard out—with a little help from some very powerful frien...

9 Joulu 202531min

WIRED Roundup: DOGE Isn’t Dead, Facebook Dating Is Real, Amazon AI Releases

WIRED Roundup: DOGE Isn’t Dead, Facebook Dating Is Real, Amazon AI Releases

In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Leah Feiger to discuss five stories you need to know about this week — from how Amazon is trying to catch up in the AI race, to why Facebook Dating is more...

5 Joulu 202525min

What Happens When Your Coworkers Are AI Agents

What Happens When Your Coworkers Are AI Agents

This year, AI agents have been at the forefront of tech companies' ambitions. OpenAI’s Sam Altman has often talked about a possible billion-dollar company being spun up with just one human and an army...

4 Joulu 202536min

BIG INTV: Melinda French Gates on Secrets: ‘Live a Truthful Life, Then You Don’t Have Any’

BIG INTV: Melinda French Gates on Secrets: ‘Live a Truthful Life, Then You Don’t Have Any’

On this week’s episode of The Big Interview podcast, the philanthropist sits down with Katie to offer her insights on billionaire donors, kids on phones, and the importance of women’s healthcare.Join ...

2 Joulu 202546min

WIRED Roundup: Epstein Files Fallout, NVIDIA Earnings, Gemini 3 Release

WIRED Roundup: Epstein Files Fallout, NVIDIA Earnings, Gemini 3 Release

In today’s episode, Zoë is joined by WIRED’s Max Zeff to discuss five stories you need to know about this week — from the political fallout after the release of the Epstein files, to why two young mor...

21 Marras 202523min

Can Tech Get Rid of Bad Trips?

Can Tech Get Rid of Bad Trips?

Whether it's teenagers reviving the Benadryl TikTok challenge or people signing up for an out of body experience program previously used by the CIA, some of us are chasing unconventional trips. Bad tr...

20 Marras 202527min