1970s Computers in Harvard University

ECL: Extensible Computer Language

LHASA (Logic and Heuristics Applied to Synthetic Analysis) is a computer program developed in 1971 by the research group of Elias James Corey at the Harvard University Department of Chemistry. The program uses artificial intelligence techniques to discover sequences of reactions which may be used to synthesize a molecule. This program was one of the first to use a graphical interface to input and display chemical structures.

idle: ​(of machines, factories, etc.) not in use

The RAND Tablet is a graphical computer input device developed by The RAND Corporation.

stylus: (computing) a special pen used to write text or draw an image on a special computer screen

ubiquitous: seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common

Chevrolet is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors.

Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) using the trademark Digital, was a major American company in the computer industry from the 1960s to the 1990s.

tinker (with something) to make small changes to something in order to repair or improve it, especially in a way that may not be helpful

legendary: very famous and talked about a lot by people

Spawn in computing refers to a function that loads and executes a new child process.

frivolous: ​(of people or their behavior) silly or funny, especially when such behavior is not suitable

snowflake: a small soft piece of frozen water that falls from the sky as snow

groundbreaking: making new discoveries; using new methods

A computer rack is a metal frame that is used to keep different hardware devices such as servers, hard disk drives, modems, and other electronic equipment.

Sketchpad is a computer program written by Ivan Sutherland in 1963 in the course of his PhD thesis.

"By then" is a phrase indicating a point in the future or past that has already been established in the conversation

soup up: (informal) to make changes to something such as a car or computer, so that it is more powerful or exciting than before

harness something to control and use the force or strength of something to produce power or to achieve something

nifty: practical; working well

devise something: to invent something new or a new way of doing something

Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) is a legendary R&D center by Xerox that invented foundational technologies for modern computing, including the graphical user interface (GUI), mouse, Ethernet, laser printers, bitmap graphics, and object-oriented programming (OOP) (Smalltalk).

PostScript (PS) is a page description language and dynamically typed, stack-based programming language.

cockpit: the area in a plane, boat or racing car where the pilot or driver sits

A baseball pitch is the act of a pitcher throwing the ball to the batter to start a play, varying velocity, movement, and location using different grips (like four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, changeup) to deceive the hitter and get an out.

"Scooping" in baseball is a fielding technique, especially for first basemen, to cleanly catch low throws or ground balls by digging the glove down and "up" to get under the ball, preventing it from going in the dirt.

A pop fly (or pop-up) in baseball is a short, high, arcing batted ball, usually hit to the infield, that doesn't travel far and is often an easy catch for an out, though sometimes dropped due to sun or misjudgment, leading to potential errors.

shortstop: (in baseball) a player who tries to stop balls that are hit between second and third base; the position of this player

aka: also known as

deliberately: done in a way that was planned, not by chance

hype: advertisements and discussion in the media telling the public about a product and about how good or important it is

quirk: a strange thing that happens, especially by accident

de facto: (from Latin, formal) existing as a fact although it may not be legally accepted as existing

subsist (on something) to manage to stay alive, especially with limited food or money

suite: a set of rooms, especially in a hotel

trivia: unimportant matters, details or information

 ALaserDisc (LD) used for music, often featuring music videos, concerts, or high-fidelity audio, predating DVDs, known for its large 12-inch size (like vinyl LPs) and ability to hold both video and high-quality stereo/surround sound

instill: to gradually put an idea or attitude into somebody's mind; to make somebody feel, think or behave in a particular way over a period of time

obsession: the state in which a person’s mind is completely filled with thoughts of one particular thing or person in a way that is not reasonable or normal

mundane: not interesting or exciting

a restaurant where you choose and pay for your meal before you carry it to a table. Cafeterias are often found in factories, colleges, hospitals, etc.

pinball: a game played on a pinball machine, in which the player sends a small metal ball up a sloping board and scores points as it bounces off objects. The player tries to prevent the ball from reaching the bottom of the machine by pressing two buttons at the side.

abortion: the deliberate ending of a pregnancy at an early stage

crook: (informal) a dishonest person

coed: a female student at a co-educational school or college

velvet: ​a type of cloth made from silk, cotton or nylon, with a thick, soft surface

bell-bottoms: trousers with legs that become very wide below the knee

posse: (informal) a group of people who are similar in some way, or who spend time together

if people do or say something in unison, they all do it at the same time

stammer: to speak with difficulty, repeating sounds or words and often stopping, before saying things correctly

bushwhack: To bushwhack means to move through thick, uncleared terrain by cutting a path (like in hiking or exploring)

meld: to combine with something else; to make something combine with something else

congeal: (of blood, fat, etc.) to become thick or solid

Bill Gates "Source Code"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

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