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May 2, 2014
Q. In 1988, Xerox's Mark Weiser coined the term “ubiquitous computing” to refer to the seamless integration of computing resources into most of the objects we use in daily living. What phrases are we more apt to use today?
A. Technically speaking, “pervasive computing” is everywhere, or “everyware,” as is “clamorous computing” to describe all those gadgets like smartphones and tablets that we routinely carry with us, writes columnist Paul McFedries in IEEE Spectrum magazine. True enough, it's a sort of “jittery technology,” constantly bleeping at us and alerting us to new messages, posts, updates and news. Also consider the curious prevalence of “phantom vibration,” where we perceive a cellphone's vibration in the absence of an incoming call. Even watching TV is no longer straightforward as people use their mobile tech for “second screening” (monitoring social media commentary about the show they're watching) and “chatterboxing” (chatting online with people watching the same show).
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