I keep hearing the term, "Wy, or WI-Fi," or something similar. What are they talking about? I think it has to do with wireless internet, which might explain the "Wi," but the "fi, or Fy?"

The Wi is for Wireless. Many people have laptops with wireless internet cards, and many coffee shops have Wi-fi. This means you can sit down, turn on your laptop, and browse the internet without having to connect any cords. Many college campuses, restaurants, and big city locations have wireless internet access, or Wi-fi.

The fi doesn't mean anything, but Wi-fi sounds good. The name Sci-fi has caught on, despite it being derogatory, annoying, and fought by SF fans constantly. The name is somewhat catchy for the "trendy" coffee shop patrons, people who spend $4 every morning at Starbucks.

I think it is named by analogy with 'hi-fi', or 'high fidelity'.

Yes, it is a decent attempt at a pun, sorry I didn't mention that, but it is the same pun as Sci-Fi.

As far as I can tell the "fi" doesn't actually mean anything in the context of "Wi-Fi". Wireless Fidelity is as about a meaningless expression as you can get.

Because WAN (wide-area network) was already taken, a new shorter term was needed. Wi-fi fits the bill. As for the term sci-fi (which I usually vocalize as skiffy to annoy both parties in the argument), it was coined by a fan (short for fanatic) of science fiction, Forrest J Ackerman. I've never understood why people find it "derogatory". SF, for me, usually denotes Suomi / Finnland, or maybe San Francisco. Hugo Gernsback also coined a term which is scarey looking: scientifiction. And let us not forget the slightly less accurate "speculative fiction". It is interesting how much people seem to decry and deride "PC", but then you see attitudes like these ...

Wi-Fi = Wireless Fidelity .

Tinman

Suomi/Finland is redundant. As for PC, I'm all in favor of healthy Pubo-Coccygial muscles!

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Originally posted by zmjezhd:
SF, for me, usually denotes Suomi / Finnland, or maybe San Francisco.

SF means San Francisco to me.

Why is Sci Fi derogatory?

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SF means San Francisco to me.

Hmmmm.... Nah, it's the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe! Maybe you guys aren't old enough to remember the song!

Good grief - when did Sci-Fi become derogatory? I had no idea! In fact, it's one of the nicknames I have for my son, whose first few letters of his three names are: Si Fi Wi

Me too, Sunflower. It's funny how abbreviations mean something different to different people. In our organization we have this committee that runs our rewards program, and they call it ERT (employee recognition team). I just can't ever hear that abbreviation without thinking estrogen replacement therapy!

Sci-fi originated as a derogatory term, kind of like "Big Bang". The American Sci-fi channel shows an appallingly small amount of actual Science Fiction.

Science Fiction started out as a pulp genre in the 20's, and Hugo Gernsback(the Hugo Award) originally called it "Scientifiction", as Isaac Asimov said "an ugly portmanteau word". Sci-fi is no better, but like it or not, we are stuck with it. I prefer to use SF, and know that any fans will understand what I mean contextually.

ERT: For women going through menopause, that IS a reward!!!

Asa,

Wi-Fi = Wireless Fidelity.

I see it is a trademark, too.

Suomi/Finland is redundant.

I was referring to the auto shield /stickers that cars used to sport in Europa. S is Sweden, E is Spain, SF is Finnland. You can backronymize as well as I.

Sci-fi originated as a derogatory term, kind of like "Big Bang".

I'd always heard that sci-fi originated with F J Ackerman as a neutral to affectionate term. It was later picked up by others to be used as a derogatory term.

You're right zmjezhd, Ackerman wasn't intending it to be derogatory, although it fairly soon became so. Words have a life of their own. At least among serious computer programmers, hacker is a great complement, which has been subverted by 15 year olds, who used it amongst themselves, so that now it describes something malicious. Now, we would say "Perl guru", when before we would say "Elite Perl hacker". I say this because a significant percentage of computer programmers are big SF fans.

I remember my friend was having lunch with my dad and me and said his computer was "all pimped out". My Dad said "that's too bad", having missed the point of the expression entirely.

But I'm completely off topic. Back to Wireless Fidelity. I didn't know the term had been trademarked, as it has become nearly ubiquitous. It may someday be along the lines of Xerox and Kleenex.

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Asa,

Arnie, ERT is replacement estrogen for women in menopause to decrease some of the associated symptoms, like hot flashes. Therefore, as with our office's reward team (ERT), ERT is seen as a reward to women.

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I remember my friend was having lunch with my dad and me and said his computer was "all pimped out". My Dad said "that's too bad", having missed the point of the expression entirely.

I'd have missed it as well, Sean. Had I been there, I would have agreed with your dad!

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I was referring to the auto shield /stickers that cars used to sport in Europa. S is Sweden, E is Spain, SF is Finnland.

Ah, yes! Thanks for setting me straight.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Asa Lovejoy>,

Sorry Kalleh, somehow I jumped over your earlier post, so Asa's post seemed to make no sense!

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Originally posted by arnie:
Asa's post seemed to make no sense!

And this is a NEW phenomenon?

Sci-Fi is a term of derogation among a certain genre of the professorial class who only read high theory and things of that nature. You will be fortunate if you do not know these people. I was raised to be one and although I have escaped that fate I still cannot cultivate a taste for sci-fi: ruined for life, I guess.

For many of them, because they still live in the nineteenth century, wi-fi is equally a derogatory term. As Plato thought that writing would reduce our brains to mush, they have the corresponding belief about computers.

Lesson: beliefs about words are entirely prejudices, just like racial prejudices. In this case, what I tell my students is that we have to wait patiently for a generation of dinosaurs to die.

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As Plato thought that writing would reduce our brains to mush...

Considering the state of the world and its history since Plato's time, I fear he was right.

Asa your fellow curmudgeon