Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

What did the first internet troll write? | TECH WORDS

11 snips
Jan 14, 2026
Dive into the fascinating world of tech language! Discover the origins of 'robot' and why it connects to Czech for 'forced labor.' Uncover the infamous line of the first internet troll and how 'spam' links back to Monty Python. Learn the correct pronunciation of 'meme' and trace its roots from Richard Dawkins. Plus, explore the meanings behind 'Jedi' and other iconic sci-fi terms. It's a tech-themed journey packed with quirky etymology and cultural insights!
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INSIGHT

How “Internet” Got Its Meaning

  • "Internet" evolved from an 1800s past participle internetted to a 1945 tech shorthand for internetwork.
  • The term now covers both small networks and the global internet without needing a capital I.
INSIGHT

Data Literally Means “Things Given”

  • Data and French donné both mean “things given,” showing the original sense of datum as a given.
  • Modern data concerns (privacy/control) echo that original idea of information people supply.
INSIGHT

Why Zetta And Yotta Sound Strange

  • Large metric prefixes like zetta and yotta were invented to avoid abbreviation conflicts and follow engineering naming needs.
  • Their forms are altered from septem/octo to avoid clashes with units like seconds.
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