I was reading an article here about the possibility that Google is funding research on artificial intelligence as a method of augmenting the effectiveness of search engines. It's a pretty interesting article, but I had to slow down every so often because it kept using phrases that I didn't understand -- like 'partially mineralized' and 'technological singularity'. It didn't take long to figure out what they meant (or at least, what I think they meant; each of those phrases was hyperlinked, but I didn't click through, as I liked my definitions -- I say that PN means 'partially human, partially machine', and TS means 'a point where technology breaks off into a radically new direction') but it made me wonder; why couldn't they just say it in plain words'?
Which is when I got my insight.
What if part of the fun of coming up with a new (whatever) is making up the words, so that the people who know are In The Club, and those who don't have to clamor for entry?
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