Rolling up a car window
buying some artist’s latest album
shift key on keyboard actually shifting something
turning on a TV and turning channels without actually ‘turning anything”.

OK
I summarized your last post.
I wish there were some way to change the heading without posting a new topic.
GOG"S There is a task for you all.

Rolling up a car window.  I still roll up my car windows. So that one is valid.  Comment??

Technology vs. Language

Here’s what I actually said on another thread, which sparked an interesting idea:

It’s funny how language tends to change more slowly than the technology that creates it.

Good idea for a new thread: Language versus Technology.

I’m sure there are other words and phrases that would not make sense without the memory of some technology to back them up.

For example, why do we cut and paste on a computer?
What is a leading edge?
Why is Times New Roman called Times New Roman?

All of these have histories that make the terms make sense.

I’m sure there are many more. Can you answer the ones above? And can you provide other examples?

Who Me?
I opened it up, just because you decided to repeat it all.
Times New Roman, comes from Mussolini and the pizza place he opened on Times Squre.
Leading Edge from people putting up new guttering on old houses.
Cut and Paste is a computer term and I don’t understand them.

I expanded on your explanation because I thought you were a little terse. (I think everyone is a little terse.)

Times New Roman is a serif typeface commissioned by the British newspaper, The [London] Times, in 1931. Times New Roman is slightly condensed (without being noticaeably so), thereby enabling more type to fit in on the page.

The leading edge is the front edge of an airplane wing, the part of the paper that goes into the press first, the front part of a cutting blade, etc.

Cut and paste comes from typesetting and printing. For ads and the like, photos and type were produced separately, then cut and pasted (with warm wax) onto a larger sheet of paper. When everything was laid out and “camera ready.” the finished product was photographed, and the film was used to make plates for printing.

Is a “little terse” the opposite of “greatly verbose”?\
As for serfiTimesNewRoman, who cares?
As for leading edge, Paul, your buddy says life is a two edged sword. Where is the leading edge.
Warm wax is for removing hair where it is not wanted.

You said it!

Watch you language and do not advertise.

You have been reported for spam, pornography and vulgarity.

[It’s funny how language tends to change more slowly than the technology that creates it.

It’s rather about language users, I think. It’s much more convinient to use old, known words (like net,web, copy or cell) then learn new ones. I’m not a specialist, but I’m sure they have their own specialized language - once three computer scientists talked in(?) my presence about new programme and I didn’t understand any word.
  But I have another question: I used to learn English over 20 years ago and had memorized words: “refridgerator”, “bicycle”. Then I had a long break and I have returned to learning few years ago and I found “fridge” and “bike”. My question is: are the words shortened or have I got better dictionaries?

It’s rather about language users, I think. It’s much more convenient to use old, known words (like net,web, copy or cell) than learn new ones.

I think it is not so much a matter of learning new terms, but of borrowing terms that make sense in a new environment. Network was around before there were computer networks, as were mouse, monitor, etc. But all these terms gave the computer world a sense of familiarity to new users who would have been more confused otherwise.

“Fridge” and “bike” have been around a long, long time. Maybe you just didn’t see them when you looked in your dictionary before.

“Fridge” and “bike” are older than me and I got off the boat with Noah, Saparris, on the other hand is more knowledgeable since he is the person who coined the word “dirt”.

Short for dirt bag. (There were no words when I was young. We had to point and grunt.)

It’s all very, very fascinating and thanks to you I am learning new words and new history. And who of you is the author of pictures in Lascaux?