Comments on: Iconic change and floppy disks http://noncompositional.com/2007/01/iconic-change-and-floppy-disks/ Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:44:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Hamilton Lovecraft http://noncompositional.com/2007/01/iconic-change-and-floppy-disks/comment-page-1/#comment-8851 Hamilton Lovecraft Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:24:32 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/2007/01/iconic-change-and-floppy-disks/#comment-8851 <p><i>Another interesting one is the verb tape, which is used to mean copy audio/visual information onto some permanent medium: it can still be used even when there is no physical “tape” onto which the recording is done (just search for “tape * on my tivo”, and peruse the results).</i></p> <p>Some years ago, I heard an acquaintance refer to a cartridge for a Nintendo game console (one or more ROM chips in a plastic shell with a card-edge connector going into the machine) as a "Nintendo tape" by analogy with an audio- or video-cassette tape.</p> <p>"Tape", to her, meant, roughly, "a plastic box which, when inserted into a piece of consumer electronics, provides a certain specific entertainment experience."</p> <p>It was so logical I didn't even correct her.</p> Another interesting one is the verb tape, which is used to mean copy audio/visual information onto some permanent medium: it can still be used even when there is no physical “tape” onto which the recording is done (just search for “tape * on my tivo”, and peruse the results).

Some years ago, I heard an acquaintance refer to a cartridge for a Nintendo game console (one or more ROM chips in a plastic shell with a card-edge connector going into the machine) as a “Nintendo tape” by analogy with an audio- or video-cassette tape.

“Tape”, to her, meant, roughly, “a plastic box which, when inserted into a piece of consumer electronics, provides a certain specific entertainment experience.”

It was so logical I didn’t even correct her.

]]> By: Grant Barrett http://noncompositional.com/2007/01/iconic-change-and-floppy-disks/comment-page-1/#comment-8072 Grant Barrett Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:54:36 +0000 http://noncompositional.com/2007/01/iconic-change-and-floppy-disks/#comment-8072 <p>These remnants of past forms and functions are known as <a href="http://www.onelook.com/?w=skeuomorph ">skeuomorphs</a> (occasionally spelled "skeumorphs" or "skeuromorphs".) <i>OED</i> has the term back to 1889 and defines it as "1. An ornament or ornamental design on an artefact resulting from the nature of the material used or the method of working it" and to 1938 as "2. An object or feature copying the design of a similar artefact in another material."</p> These remnants of past forms and functions are known as skeuomorphs (occasionally spelled “skeumorphs” or “skeuromorphs”.) OED has the term back to 1889 and defines it as “1. An ornament or ornamental design on an artefact resulting from the nature of the material used or the method of working it” and to 1938 as “2. An object or feature copying the design of a similar artefact in another material.”

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