Jargon Watch
Bambi
What game- and talk-show staffers call someone who freezes in front of the camera (like a deer caught in headlights).
Batmobiling
Putting up an emotional shield just as a relationship enters that intimate, vulnerable stage. Refers to the retractable armor covering the Batmobile.
Cyber Noir
Used to describe dark, trippy, weird "cyber" films and shows like Wild Palms, Tank Girl, and VR.5.
Gutter Tribes
Nomadic bands of homeless people in their teens and early twenties who travel from city to city, making their living primarily through panhandling.
In the Plastic Closet
Said about someone who refuses to admit to having cosmetic surgery. "Is Tori Spelling in the plastic closet, or what!?"
Triple-dub
An abbreviated way to say "WWW" (double-yew, double-yew, double-yew) when speaking a URL. "Hey, check out this cool Web site at triple-dub dot neowobbly dot com."
Value-Subtracted Reseller
A company that buys components from other companies and puts them together in a system that's less than the sum of its parts. Opposite of value-added reseller.
Waitbuster
Checkout-counter displays that entice you to buy, buy, buy while you wait. (Also called a "shelftalker.")
- Gareth Branwyn (jargon@wiredmag.com) Tip o' the tiara to: Jerry Dunn, Gavin Ivester, Kevin Kelly, Mikki Halpin, Michael Gold, Jef Poskanzer, and Marjorie Ingall.
