on words and up words

Camel doesn’t really believe in openness — let alone grok the concept — let alone give a shit about openness — but since all the cool kids are doing it, they’re happy to co-opt the label to win points. Let the backfire begin.

— grok (pronounced /ˈɡrɒk/) - v. is to share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity. Author Robert A. Heinlein coined the term in his best-selling 1961 book Stranger in a Strange Land. In Heinlein’s view, grokking is the intermingling of intelligence that necessarily affects both the observer and the observed.

[Source: Factory City]

Facebook has federated its “Like” button all over the Internet, so it’s not trying to entirely capture your browsing and communications, but in the process it’s turning its service into a glue — replete with extremely granular data about what you do online — that should make everyone cautious about putting so much power into a single enterprise’s control.

—  replete - adj. Filled to the point of bursting.

The boy never even glanced my way, but I was watching him. Because of the bread, because of the red weal that stood out on his cheekbone.

— weal - n. red, swollen mark left on flesh by a blow or pressure.

Let’s give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!” trills Effie Trinket.

— trill - v. produce a quavering or warbling sound