A Bluffers guide to tech buzzwords

We all know the moment, your sitting chatting with a group of people and a word gets mentioned that you have never heard before and you’re screwed. We here at Goosed try to minimize the buzzwords, jargon and acronyms that normally plague the tech industry. However these days it seems that whenever technology gets mentioned in the media, there always seems to be a new tech buzzword to confuse and discombopulate. Navigating these can be a bit of minefields so you would be forgiven for not knowing the difference between your blockchain and IoT. So we have decided to put together a list of our top ten favourite tech buzzwords to help you bluff your way through your next meeting.

Augmented Reality – Ironman’s helmet

So if you have used Pokemon Go, Snapchat filters or seen Tony Starks view inside his helmet then you know what Augmented reality is. AR is is essentially putting a computer generated image, sound or video over the real world. This is traditionally done through your smartphone or if you are truly unlucky a pair of Google Glass or Snapchat Glasses.

The best and most obvious form of AR is definitely Snapchat, so the next time you see someone sending you a picture with a dog filter then you now know you’ve received some Augmented Reality magic.

Artificial Intelligence – Smart Robots

We have probably all heard the term AI before, but what exactly is it?

Well AI or artificial intelligence is a broad term given to machines that display human like intelligence. It works by focusing on a machines ability to capture information from its environment and adapting the data to make a decision. Developments in AI have seen machines learn to talk, beat people at chess and it won’t be long before machines will be more intelligent than people when it comes to performing specific tasks. Self driving cars are a form of AI which we will start to see more of in the next few years.

Net Neutrality – Paid Pornography

Another term that has been stumping people over the last year or so is Net Neutrality. The image above really described what the term means in the best way possible. Net Neutrality is the concept that a government or an Internet Provider should treat all data on the internet the same way, no matter where it comes from, where it is going, or what it contains. Basically it means that internet providers cannot charge users a premium to visit sites online. This is only a conversation that has taken place in the States so far but who knows what the future might bring.

Virtual Reality – Another world in a headset

Virtual Reality is similar to AR but it usually encompasses more of the user’s senses. Mainly because unlike Ar where you use your phone, VR requires a bit more kit.

In VR a use will wear goggles, headphones and might have some hand controls. Similar to Marty above. This setup full immerses the person into the virtual world created by the program. Examples of VR include the PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and the Google Daydream. There are also a number of cheaper alternatives if you ever want to give it a try on the cheap.

Virtual Reality has become one of the most promising trends in the gaming industry but it can also be used to train people who operate in complex procedures, such as flying a plane or performing a surgery.

Internet Of Things – Stuff that connects to the internet

This one is a bit more simple. The Internet of Things is basically any products that connects everyday devices to the internet. They work by exchanging data between each other to send information from one place to the other. For example smart home technology, be it a kettle, thermostat or even a key ring can be classes as an IoT product.

Cryptocurrency –  Online cash money

Until recently, we required banks and governments to fully understand the value of money. Governments decide how much all those coins and notes in your pockets are worth. Banks keep track of how much you have and also play a big part in keeping track of transactions between you and either shops or other people.

In recent years, you may have noticed that a lot of technology has started to challenge norms. The local chipper now relies on JustEat for home delivery, taxi offices have been replaced by MyTaxi and hotels are under siege from Airbnb. Cryptocurrencies challenge the idea that governments and banks need to be involved in the management of our currency.

Blockchain – Fancy new databases

This is one word you are bound to hear more and more in the near future. Blockchain is basically a new type of database which is encrypted by default.

Unlike a traditional database, a blockchain will record every change created in a new record, that is timestamped and contains a link to the previous version of the record. This means you will be able to see all the transactions that have ever occurred since the chain was created. This technology has made it popular crypto-currency, it’s so secure that the system is being evaluated for use in medical and banking records.

Big Data – Lots of information

A lot of the buzzwords we hear these days have to do with data, the most common being Big Data. This buzzword is used to describe very large amounts of data collected by companies or institutions.

Big Data typically refers to a set of data so big that traditional analysis software struggles to analyze it.

This could be data about what users click on a particular website or user’s watching habits on Netflix. This type of data can be useful for companies, but only if they know how to glean information from them.

Robotics – Building machines to do things we don’t want to

Robotics is very different to AI, while AI is the software that makes the machine learn and understand, robotics is the hardware. Essentially robotics is the field which focuses on designing, creating, and building robots. While robotics have been around forever it is the developments in AI that have really seen this field push to the forefront of technology.

Robotics have a multitude of uses ranging from the military to commercial products or to manufacturing or even replacing pets… just look at this crazy critter from Boston Dynamics.

And Finally GDPR – Data protection with an iron grip

And last but certainly not least is GDPR or the General Data Protection Regulation. If you have logged into your email anytime over the last month you will have seen a small stack of emails from companies asking you to opt back in to their marketing, or just letting you know they have updated their privacy policy.

Basically GDPR is a new set of rules governing the privacy and security of personal data laid down by the European Commission. The new single data protection act will make major changes to all of Europe’s privacy laws and will replace the outdated Data Protection Directive from 1995. These changes have been a long time coming and they have been designed to give power back to citizens over how their data is processed and used. I would love to give you more information about GDPR and we will after May 25th.

And there you have it, the 10 biggest tech buzzwords. Hopefully our bluffers guide is more than enough to help you lie your way through the conversation the next time you hear one of these magic words.