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al benedict's definitions

Total Existence Failure

When something malfunctions by virtue of not existing at all. Taken (but not precisely) from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". In the original usage, a spaceship existed for a while and then spontaneously disappeared.
Bob: Can I borrow your car?
Bill: Nope. Sorry. It's having a total existence failure.
by Al Benedict October 22, 2009
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Frisco

Term used to identify recent arrivals to upper class areas in San Francisco nervous that they don't fit in.

Do they freak out and correct you when you use it? You've found a newbie.
Bob: "Nice weather for Frisco"
Bill: "Never call it Frisco! It's an insult! Only people that aren't from around here use the term!"
Bob: "How long have you lived here?"
Bill: "Three years. More than enough to be a local."
by Al Benedict September 17, 2013
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Windows Moment

A 10-15 second period of total unresponsiveness encountered when using a PC running any version of Microsoft Windows. Traditionally occurs several times an hour. Just long enough to become disturbing and annoying, not long enough to inspire a reboot. Generally the mouse continues to move. When the moment ends, the user is usually left to deal with the consequences of the keys they struck in frustration while it was ongoing.
Sure, I'll pull that up right now. Ummm... Dammit, my computer's having a Windows Moment. Hang on.
by Al Benedict August 4, 2007
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Loud Pipes

The only concession to safety that a motorcycle needs. Time was, you were expected to wear visible clothing and a helmet and drive predictably. Now it's OK to dress completely in black (no helmet) and pop in and out of lanes at will. As long as you have really loud, low pitched, non-directional exhaust noise.

Loud pipes endanger lives.
"Boy, these loud pipes rock. Everybody takes their eyes off the road to figure out where the hell the racket is coming from and get into massive pileups. Then I just drive around the mess."
by Al Benedict June 4, 2013
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tauntbary

A music library (iTunes or otherwise) that's visible to your roommates or coworkers, but due to firewalls or DRM restrictions, contains nothing that can be played.
Bob: Bill just shared his iTunes library. Let's take a look.

Bob: Dammit. Another tauntbary.
by Al Benedict December 20, 2012
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Security by Banality

A computer system made secure by obviously containing nothing of interest. Never a protection against pranksters, in the age of Zombie Spammers, this concept is mostly obsolete.
I protected Mom's computer by installing Windows 98 on it and putting up a thick firewall of bundt cake recipes. True Security by Banality.
by Al Benedict April 9, 2008
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cryptonimby

Someone that is terribly, terribly offended at the very thought of being accused of being a NIMBY, but refuses on the grounds of "reasonable concerns" to allow any development in their area.
"OMG. The Traffic!"

"Been studied. It will be fine."

"OMG. The Sewage!"

"We're only using 1/3 of what we have."

"OMG! My view!"

"Of what? You won't even be able see it through your trees."

"Why are you being this way?"

"Because you're a total cryptonimby"
by Al Benedict October 26, 2018
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