Do you speak geek? Let’s be honest, tech-lingo is another language in itself. To help solve the problem of feeling like a martian on your own planet. Tech Sesh - “Tech decoded” is all about trying to make tech easier to understand and use. 

Have any questions you're too embarrassed to ask? Read more to get your weekly dosage of 5 tech word nutrition.  

Here's a list of 5 techie buzz-words to head-start your tech-lingo.

1. Internet of Things (IoT)

What it means in Silicon Valley: n. Network of everyday devices that have Internet connectivity to collect and transfer data to each other.

How it impacts you: Simply put, this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from your smartphone, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, you Apple Watch and almost anything else you can think of. 

Used in a sentence: "Did you hear Grandma bought the new iPhone 6S? Can’t believe Grandma will benefit from the Internet of Things."

2. UI

What it means in Silicon Valley: n. short for "User Interface". It is the visual part of the computer application or software system that the user interacts with.

How it impacts you: Every piece of tech you encounter has a UI. Engineer’s manipulate the way their software looks and work so that you, the user, have an easy time navigating and have better experience.

Used in a sentence: "Wow, John's new website has an amazing UI. It's looks clean and is really easy to use."

3. Cookies

What it means in Silicon Valley: n. A text file given to from website put onto your hard disk so it remembers you at a later time. The main purpose of cookies is to identify users, record their preferences, and create customized web pages for them.

How it impacts you: Ever wonder how an ad on a website magically displays a product you were looking at previously..and from a different site? Thank cookies. To avoid spam and customized ads, turn off cookies in your web browser.

Used in a sentence: “Homemade chocolate-chip cookies are my favorite! But cookies on my web browser are my least favorite.”

4. N.F.C.

What it means in Silicon Valley: n. Short for “Near Field Communication”. Generally, it is a method of wireless data transfer and communication from device to device in near proximity without the need for internet connection.

How it impacts you: Your Apple Pay or Google Wallet both use N.F.C.

Used in a sentence: “Thanks to N.F.C. my new Apple Watch pays for my groceries at the cash register!”

5. Cache

What it means in Silicon Valley: n. Pronounced “cash”. Is a high-speed storage mechanism that is used to retrieve information at a later time. There are different types of cache computers use to run more efficiently. This types include: browser cache, processor cache, disk cache, and memory cache. 

How it impacts you: Most caching is done in the background, so it is very hard to notice. The only one type of cache you can control is browser cache. Clearing your browser cache is a common diagnostic to fix websites that don’t seem to load properly.

Used in a sentence: Billy: “Woah, why aren’t the pictures loading on this website?”
Bob: “Have you tried clearing your browser cache? That will make more storage so the images can download properly.” 

If you have any questions or comments about the “Internet of Things” or have a specific term you want to include in the next Tech Decoded go ahead and post below.

Stay tuned for Tech decoded - Vol. 2 coming soon!