Jargon Watch (Wired, Feb 2012)
Saber-toothed squirrel (noun) Cronopio dentiacutus A small rodentlike creature with enormous fangs that lived in the age of dinosaurs. the long-extict species, fossilized evidence of which was recently found in South America, bears an uncanny resemblance to Scrat in the Ice Age films.
Satlet (noun) A lightweight chassis for a satellite built in space. Darpa hopes to launch fleets of satlets into geosynchronous orbit together with a satellite servicing station, creating a manufacturing system. Heavy antenna arrays will be salvaged from passing space junk, cutting the costs associated with construction and launch.
spiPhone (noun) An iPhone that's able to spy on a computer. Hijacked by malware, the phone's accelerometer "reads" what is typed on a nearby PC by monitoring keyboard vibrations. With the aid of pattern recognition, spiPhones can eavesdrop with up to 80 percent accuracy.
Loose geeks (noun, plural) Scientists who sell their expertise to rogue states trying to build the bomb. The UN has determined that a loose geek trained in the former Soviet Union was a potent secret weapon in the Iranian nuclear program.
