Word of The Day: Galvanic

As science fiction turns reality with the advent of the first artificial minds, our thoughts naturally turn towards the robotic. These clean, mean, steely machines could be the future of the human race. They know how to use a search engine, can already do much administrative work, and share our unexplained penchant for lolcats. Perhaps our days of boring admin are over. Or, we could just roboticize parts of ourselves, voluntarily. Today's word of the day is galvanic: of, or produced by, electricity.

Living our lives in a galvanized way is already true in many ways; the internet, phones, payment processors and other comfort-inducers are already doing the leg-work. Robots are gaining a cool factor that they've always maintained, but which, like a flattering and tacky fashion trend, reaches consumer peaks every ten years. Making robot-esque human dance music, inducing robot sweat-shops and printing out your own 3D objects are just some of what is in store. It all seems innovative, but a little geeky. Then again, who said the robotic can't be sexy?

Gives you something long and hard to think about.

Word of the Day: Cucullated

You are walking down a shadowy alleyway; you know you shouldn't be there at this time. Your bag clenches, like your fist does, at the thought of someone taking it away. News stories of murder and theft flash across your mind. Could you be today's victim?

The soles of your shoes sidle along the path when you hear the steps behind you. Quick steps. An unclean smell washes across your senses and you realize something is amiss. A shadow of a hood is following you. The steps quicken and snatch! he's away. You shudder in disgust, fear, pity of yourself. Who, what, how did this type of person come to be? He is at least one thing: today's word. Cucullated: shaped like, or covered with, a hood.

To me, a cucullate sounds more like a type of shellfish you might eat at a popular deli. I imagine it pink with a popping shell, something someone might bring up in a conversation or home menu without really knowing what it is. Here is a photo of a cucullated Justin Bieber. Do you think the word could have a double meaning?

Happy fishing, possible cucullates.

Word of the Day: Clangour

Your colleague types loud and fast, mimicking a machine gun. A careless driver swerves in front of you, causing a ding and profanities to be hurled outside your car window. As you take a detested saucer out underneath a pile of detested saucers belonging to your mother in law, they crash to the ground. Whoops. Today's word is clangour: a succession or prevalence of clanging noises.

The great thing about clangour is that it can be used metaphorically with great passion. Nagging, bad singing or an annoying, talkative companion are all clangour-esque. To the educated viewer, the picture below epitomizes societal clangour, but is masked as Hollywood celebrity.

I wish you a day free of clangour and the clangour-esque. Especially if you are hungover.