Chapter 6

Question 1

Storage technology

Answer 1

Any type of device or medium in which information can be maintained for later retrieval

Question 2

Mediated communication

Answer 2

Communication that takes place through a medium, such as writing or recording, as opposed to unmediated communication, such as face-to-face discussions

Question 3

Sequential-access memory

Answer 3

A type of medium in which a reader, viewer, or user must go through the medium in the order received in order to find specific information

Question 4

Random-access memory (RAM)

Answer 4

Usually used for a type of computer memory and abbreviated to RAM, in storage-technology terms it is a type of medium that allows for a reader or viewer to randomly obtain specific pieces of content by doing searches, using an index or taking some other action

Question 5

Byte

Answer 5

The most common base unit used to measure computer storage and information, it consists of eight bits, in a combination of 0’s and 1’s, to form letters, numbers, and all modes of computer information that are displayed

Question 6

Optical storage

Answer 6

Uses light in the form of lasers to store and read data of all types, whether text, audio, or video. Using light is highly efficient: it permits storage devices to record vastly greater amounts of data in small spaces and enables faster retrieval of the stored data than from magnetic storage devices

Question 7

Nanotechnology

Answer 7

A cutting-edge field of technology research that involves items that are nanometers (10^-9 meters) in length and that promises to revolutionize many fields, ranging from electronics, information storage, and even medicine

Question 8

MPEG

Answer 8

Moving Picture Experts Group, established in 1988 and responsible for creating the standards for digital and audio compression. THe abbreviation is also used to denote the types of compression, such as MPEG-1, MPEG-4, and so on

Question 9

MP3

Answer 9

Stands for MPEG-1, Audio Layer-III, a file-storage format for digital audio recordings

Question 10

Keyword auction

Answer 10

One method on search engine marketing in which companies bid for words and pay the search engine a certain amount every time the word is searched and their listing is clicked on

Question 11

Search engine Optimization (SEO)

Answer 11

A strategy that utilizes website design, careful choice of keywords, links, and other techniques to show prominently on online searches

Question 12

Search engine marketing (SEM)

Answer 12

Paying a search engine such as Google to have a listing appear prominently when searched

Question 13

Information overload

Answer 13

The difficulties associated with dealing with the vast amounts of information available to us and making sense of it

Question 14

User interface

Answer 14

The junction between a medium and the people who use it

Question 15

Cathode-ray tube (CRT)

Answer 15

A device that is still used in most television screens and computer monitors in which electrons are transmitted to a screen for viewing

Question 16

Aspect ratio

Answer 16

The ratio of a screen’s height to its width. Incompatible aspect ratios of ilm and television mean that either films have to be cropped to fit within a television screen, or, in order to keep the original aspect ratio, black borders must appear on the top and bottom of the screen

Question 17

Multitasking

Answer 17

In a computer environment, doing several activities at once with variety of programs such as simultaneously doing word-processing, spreadsheet, and database work while conducting real-time chat through an instant-messenger service

Question 18

Human-computer interaction

Answer 18

The general term for any interaction between humans and computers, either through devices such as keyboards, mice, touch screens, or voice recognition

Question 19

Graphical user interface (GUI)

Answer 19

A computer interface that shows graphical representations of file structures, files, and applications, in the form of folders, icons, and windows

Question 20

Trolling

Answer 20

The practice of posting deliberately obnoxious or disruptive messages to discussion groups or other online forums simply to get a reaction from the participants

Question 21

Metatag

Answer 21

A word or words used by websites to help search engines index and describe a site, typically unseen by humans unless looking at the website’s code

Question 22

OLED

Answer 22

Organic light-emitting diode screen, a type of thin, flexible screen that will change how and where we are able to view content on screens