Quiz: Tech or treat! Tech or treat! Do you speak Geek? Technology is scary to a lot of people -- and no wonder, when you consider the harrowing terms and concepts involved. Here's our traditionally gruesome collection of Halloween horror for technophiles and technophobes alike. How many of these terrifying terms can you guess without shrieking? 1. Ugh! These slimy guys crawl in and then they crawl out: in computers, they're self-replicating programs that take up residence in active memory. What is it?
Answer 2. Does your costume include shades and a trench coat? You might be going as this type of programming that's installed on PCs to gather user information. What is it?
Answer 3. Sounds like a description of the sticky treats left at the bottom of your Halloween bag: in computers it's an interface that includes graphic elements rather than simply text. What is it?
Answer 4. This term describes a nasty massacre in a B movie; it's also a method of breaking data down into smaller chunks that can be viewed from different perspectives. What is it?
Answer 5. Long ago, in a very scary creature feature, hordes of these entities came from Mars, intent on murder and mayhem. Household versions have become better known for vacuuming and scrubbing floors. ( Hint: In these incarnations, they're known as "Roomba" and "Scooba." ) What is it?
Answer 6. For Dracula's pal Renfield, this is a crunchy treat; in software, however, it's a coding error. What is it?
Answer 7. Not a highly popular Halloween treat, but it does okay as a company that makes computers and related products. What is it?
Answer 8. AKA zombie army (eek!), this term describes an unwary network of computers forwarding transmissions, unwittingly serving a nefarious master. What is it?
Answer 9. Presents itself as Jekyll but acts like Hyde: This term describes a home-made wireless access point (hot spot) masquerading as a legitimate one to access data illicitly. What is it?
Answer 10. An argument among extraterrestrials? This term describes electromagnetic noise that can occur in a cable running alongside one or more other signal-carrying cables. What is it?
Answer How many could you guess correctly? Let us know! Still not scared? Take a deep breath, and enter The WhatIs Vault of Tech Terror.
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| Last updated on: Jul 07, 2008 |
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