Van Cleef & Arpels end-of-2022 tweet!

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Reference
Van Cleef & Arpels Heritage Collection - 1960s -1970s.

https://www.vancleefarpels.com/us/en/collections/high-jewelry/the-heritage-collection/1960s-to-1970s.html  

Oh, kids! Gitanjali Rao, young inventor

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

What were you doing, when you were 10 years old? According to the USPTO inventor-profiling series, Journeys of innovation, 10-year old Gitanjali Rao was compelled to figure out what she could do to help remove lead from contaminated water in Flint, MI. A story she had heard on TV News, which led her to think that kids, just like her, were drinking contaminated water in their community, and getting sick. She thought that there must be a way to remove such dangerous substances. No wonder that in 2020, at fifteen years of age, Gitanjali was featured as Time Magazine Kid of the Year. No wonder, but how extraordinary!

Her first invention, titled System and method for detecting contaminants in water was awarded the US utility patent US11085907, on August 10, 2021. The invention, called the Tethys, after the Greek Titan Goddess of fresh water, recites the use of carbon nanotubes to detect unsafe drinking water, containing lead. Specifically, the invention comprises a carbon nanotube sensor, configured to detect one or more contaminants in the water. When the sensor is dipped in water, lead binds to the chloride ions of the sensor, creating lead chloride molecules, which increase resistance to the current, inside the nanotube. In general, the amount of lead detected is proportional to the increase in resistance to the current. 

Then, the microcontroller, connected to the carbon nanotube sensor, determines the level of contamination of the water, based on the difference between the resistance encountered inside the nanotube, and a set of pre-existing resistances. Finally, depending on whether the difference is found above, or below, two different threshold levels, the water is then determined safe, moderate risk, or unsafe for drinking. The results are sent via wireless Bluetooth® connection to a mobile device, where they are gauge-displayed.

Below, an image of the Tethys system prototype inside its housing, together with the patent Figure 3D, depicting the water decontamination device 300, and insulating cartridge 303, comprising the carbon nanotube sensor. Both the image of the prototype, and the patent Figure 3D, depict the system inside a housing, designed to protect all the components of the Tethys system.  

The image of a Marvel comic book cover, depicting Genius Gitanjali, the young Tethys inventor, is also included below, together with the abstract of her first invention. 

Devices, systems, and methods for detecting contaminants in water are provided. A device may include: a sensor configured to detect one or more contaminants in a liquid when the sensor is dipped into the liquid; a computing device connected to the sensor, the computing device being configured to determine a resistance of the device when the sensor is dipped into the liquid; and a wireless electronic device connected to the computing device via one or more wireless links and configured to receive the resistance of the device when the sensor is dipped into the liquid from the computing device, and the wireless electronic device determines a level of contamination in the liquid based on a difference between the resistance of the device when the sensor is dipped into the liquid and a set or predetermined resistance. [Abstract US11085907]

References

Gitanjali Rao - Time Kid of the Year 2020.
https://time.com/5916772/kid-of-the-year-2020/

Prisco, J. (Feb. 15, 2018). Gitanjali Rao wants to make polluted water safer with lead-detection system.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/health/gitanjali-rao-young-scientist-winner/index.html

USPTO – Journeys of innovation: One girl’s commitment.
https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/field-stories/one-girls-commitment

Oh, patents! Glucose-monitoring contact lens

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Yes, that’s right, smart contact lenses, comprising Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) nanotechnology, that continuously measures and analyzes glucose levels in tear film, sending information to your mobile device for the management of diabetes. In a nutshell, this is what the Medella Health smart contact lenses are all about: paving the way for on-eye tear diagnostics. Pioneers in smart contact lenses, because beyond nano-glucose monitoring, tear film contains many important biomarkers of health, all of which are potential sources of personal health information. 

The YouTube video below explains how the smart lens works:

Winner of an International Runner-up James Dyson Award, the many aspects of the Medella Health smart contact lens, comprising LOC or Micro Total Analysis System (µTAS), are recited in a family of patents:

• CA2948010A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• CN106793943B - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• EP3131454A4 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• US20170042480A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.
• WO2015157855A1 - Functional contact lens and related systems and methods.

The US20170042480A1 abstract, of the Medella Health smart contact lens invention, is included below.

Various embodiments are described herein for a Functional Contact Lens (FCL) for detecting at least one target analyte. The FCL may comprise a substrate for supporting electronic components and providing structural support for the functional contact lens; at least one sensing element disposed on the substrate for sensing the at least one target analyte and undergoing a physical change representing a sensed signal; and an antenna disposed on the substrate for transmitting the sensed signal to an external device, the antenna being coupled to the at least one sensing element. [Abstract US20170042480A1]

References

Medella Health
http://medella.ca/

Medella Health - James Dyson Awards.
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/2016/project/smart-contact-lens-platform/

Terminology – WOTTIES 2022 – Macquarie Dictionary - The People’s Choice (2)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The People’s Choice of the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year (WOTY) is seldom the same as the dictionary’s WOTY Committee selection. This year is no exception. The People’s Choice of the Macquarie Dictionary 2022 WOTY is bachelor’s handbag, a take-out roasted chicken that requires no further preparation. The Macquarie Dictionary definition is included below, together with a picture of such a bachelor bag, captured in Perth, Australia.

People choice of the Word of the Year 2022

bachelor’s handbag noun Colloquial (humorous) a takeaway roast chicken. [from the fact that such a chicken requires no further preparation before consumption, so is seen as an easy meal favoured by a single person, and is often packaged in a small plastic bag with a handle, resembling a handbag].

The People’s Choice was selected from a shortlist of fifteen 2022 WOTY candidates, extracted by the dictionary’s WOTY Committee, from a longlist of sixty-nine 2022 WOTY candidates. Considering that shortlisted WOTY candidates are no less interesting than the winner of them all, the Macquarie Dictionary 2022 WOTY shortlist is included below, together with their dictionary definitions. All the terms are new, 2022 additions to the Macquarie Dictionary. 

barbiecore noun a fashion characterised by an all-pink colour palette, especially bright pink. [trademark for a popular female doll Barbie +CORE].

bossware noun Computers Colloquial software installed on an employee's computer which allows their employer to remotely monitor and measure activity and productivity, as by logging keystrokes and mouse movement, taking screenshots, etc..

brigading noun the organisation of a concerted effort by a large number of people to effect a particular action or change, as by online voting or reviewing.

clapter noun applause from an audience to indicate agreement with a comedian's joke or statement, especially one of political and social nature. [CLAP + (LAUGH)TER]

e-change noun a move from a city environment to a rural location, made possible by the facility of being able to, and being permitted to, conduct one's work remotely from home. [E + (SEA) CHANGE]–e-changer, noun.

gigafire noun a fire which burns through more than 100000 ha. Compare megafire, terafire. [GIGA- + FIRE].

goblin mode noun Colloquial a pattern of behaviour characterised by an embrace of indolence and slovenliness. [from the grotesqueness ascribed to the appearance of a GOBLIN]

hidden homeless phrase the, people with no home who stay temporarily with friends, family members, etc., and who do not access homeless support services during this period.

nepo baby noun Colloquial (sometimes derogatory) a celebrity, often in the entertainment industry, who has a famous parent. Also, nepotism baby. [so called from the insinuation that they have attained a high profile as a result of their parent's fame or connections].

orthosomia noun insomnia thought to be caused by preoccupation with obtaining the amount and quality of sleep recommended by a wearable sleep tracking device, often resulting in anxiety, which can in turn adversely affect sleep quality and the ability to fall asleep. [ORTHO- + (IN)SOMNIA]

pirate trail noun a trail which has been established or constructed without the required permission, used for mountain biking.

prebunking noun the practice of challenging the veracity of misinformation or disinformation, and the authority of its source, before such information is disseminated. [modelled on DEBUNK +-ING]

quiet quitting noun the practice of strictly limiting oneself to performing the tasks within one's job description, and working only the hours for which one is contracted. –quiet quitter, noun.

skin hunger noun desire for loving or friendly physical contact with another. Also, touch hunger.

spicy cough noun the, Colloquial COVID-19.

teal noun (also upper case) Politics an independent political candidate who holds generally ideologically moderate views, but who supports strong action regarding environmental and climate action policies, and the prioritising of integrity in politics. [so called as many of the candidates use the colour teal in their electoral material]

truth telling noun the act of relating the facts of a situation, exclusive of any embellishment or dilution applied as justification for past actions.

yassify verb to apply multiple filters and edits to an image or digital photograph, in order to transform the original image to one which is glamorous and beautiful. [from YAS QUEEN, popularised in 2021 by a Twitter account which posts such images] –yassification, noun.] Maquarie WOTY Shortlist]

References
Macquarie Dictionary
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Shortlist
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/blog/article/898/

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Shortlist (pdf version)
https://media-macquarie-wspdigitalproduction-com.s3.amazonaws.com/media/hosted_files/Shortlist_WOTY2022.pdf

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Longlist
https://media-macquarie-wspdigitalproduction-com.s3.amazonaws.com/media/hosted_files/Public_Longlist_WOTY2022.pdf

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 – Macquarie Dictionary ‘teal’ (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The Macquarie Dictionary is the official dictionary of Australian English. A committee that included two dictionary editors, the publisher, and two well-known Australian broadcasting personalities, selected the 2022 Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year (WOTY): “teal”, and the runner-up WOTY “truth-telling”. The selections were made from the political category of a longlist of sixty-nine new words, admitted to the Dictionary in 2022. According to the Macquarie Dictionary WOTY committee, the 2022 WOTY "teal" and runner-up WOTY  "truth-telling", respectively reflect the current year’s successful palette of “green + Liberal blue” politics, and the future reconciliation of Australian politics, which promises to include parliamentary representation for the First Nations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, in 2023. 

The Macquarie Dictionary WOTY committee also selected three honorable mention 2022 WOTTIES: “bachelor’s handbag (a takeout roasted chicken), goblin mode (the COVID-19 slovenly lifestyle), and the spicy cough (a  facetious synonym for COVID-19).

The Macquarie Dictionary WOTY Committee selections are listed below, together with the extracted dictionary definitions. [Macquarie WOTY 2022]

2022 Word of the year

teal noun (also upper case) Politics an independent political candidate who holds generally ideologically moderate views, but who supports strong action regarding environmental and climate action policies, and the prioritising of integrity in politics. [so called as many of the candidates use the colour teal in their electoral material]

2022 Runner-up WOTY

truth-telling noun the act of relating the facts of a situation, exclusive of any embellishment or dilution applied as justification for past actions.

Honorable mentions

bachelor’s handbag noun Colloquial (humorous) a takeaway roast chicken. [from the fact that such a chicken requires no further preparation before consumption, so is seen as an easy meal favoured by a single person, and is often packaged in a small plastic bag with a handle, resembling a handbag]

goblin mode noun Colloquial a pattern of behaviour characterised by an embrace of indolence and slovenliness. [from the grotesqueness ascribed to the appearance of a GOBLIN]

spicy cough noun the, Colloquial COVID-19. 

References
Macquarie Dictionary
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year 2022
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/resources/view/word/of/the/year/2022

Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year Longlist
https://media-macquarie-wspdigitalproduction-com.s3.amazonaws.com/media/hosted_files/Public_Longlist_WOTY2022.pdf

Shepherd, T. (Nov. 28, 2022). Teal named Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year – ‘an emblem of Australia’s political landscape’. The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/29/an-emblem-of-australias-political-landscape-macquarie-dictionarys-word-of-the-year-is-teal

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - The Merriam-Webster shortlist (2)

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

If gaslighting is the uncontested Merriam-Webster Word of the Year 2022, the list of competing Merriam-Webster 2022 WOTY candidates is no less interesting. The following words, together with their definitions, were shortlisted.

• oligarch: Merriam-Webster notes that, even if the term oligarch has Greek roots, the use in question refers specifically to Russia, as in  “one of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles.” In this sense, searches for the term spiked 521% in early March 2022, when the US and other countries placed sanctions on Russian oligarchs and their families, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

• Omicron: To avoid the geographical stigma of origin, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to use Greek letters to name the various significant mutations of the COVID 19 virus. In November 2021, the fifteenth letter of the Greek Alphabet “Omicron” was designated to name the most recent significant mutation of the virus, causing spikes in searches at the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, every time the news was flooded with Omicron-related headlines.

• endemic: Merriam-Webster defines endemic as: “a term used to describe a disease that is constantly present in a particular place". Consequently, the term endemic spiked 874% in January 2022”, in connection with the term Omicron.

• codify: Searches for the term codify are reported to have spiked 193% in 2022, due to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, on June 24, 2022. Code means "law" in this particular case, referring  directly to President Biden's suggestion that he would push for Congress to codify abortion rights, during the next Congressional session in 2023. 

• LGBTQIA: An old abbreviation expanded for inclusiveness. The abbreviation stands for: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (one’s sexual or gender identity), Intersex and Asexual/Aromantic/Agender”. The term spiked in 2022, during the whole month of June, corresponding to the month-long celebration of Gay Pride. The term spiked again in the aftermath of a deadly shooting, at a gay nightclub, in Colorado Springs.

• sentient: This term spiked 180% in the aftermath of an incident  involving a Google engineer, who claimed that the company’s AI Chatbox had developed humanlike consciousness. A claim that the company vigorously denied, placing the employee on paid leave.

• loamy: This term refers to “a soil consisting of a friable mixture of varying proportions of clay, silt, and sand”. Searches for the term loamy are reported to have surged, when it was selected Quordle, a much harder version of the popular New York Times online game Wordle, on August 29th.

• raid: The term “raid” surged 970% in August 2022, after the FBI executed a search warrant at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach residence. The event also prompted spikes in related searches for the term banana republic, referring to "a small and despotically run country". 

• Queen Consort: The title “Queen Consort” is reserved for the spouse of a reigning monarch. Following accession to the throne of the British King Charles III, on September 8, 2022, the title Queen Consort was bestowed upon Camilla, his wife.

References

Merriam-Webster (website)

https://www.merriam-webster.com/

Staff (Nov. 28, 2022). Word of the Year 2022 – Gaslighting.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year

NYT Wordle

https://nytwordle.io/

Quordle

https://www.quordle.com/#/

Terminology: WOTTIES 2022 - Merriam-Webster "gaslighting" (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Merriam-Webster has selected gaslighting, “the act of grossly misleading someone, especially for one’s own advantage”, as the Word of the Year (WOTY) 2022. 

Gaslighting is a term imported into the English language from the 1944 American psychological thriller, titled Gaslight. A big screen adaptation of the 1938 British theatre play, Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, and blockbuster that received no less than seven Academy Award nominations, and won two, for Best Actress (Ingrid Bergman), and Best Production Design. 

Gaslight was the macabre story of a husband scheming to drive his wife crazy with lies and deceit, for the usual mix of envy, greed, lust and ambition. As a result, the meaning of the term gaslighting, in 1950: 

  [...] psychological manipulation intended to make a person question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator [Merriam-Webster]

was tightly correlated to the movie, and slightly different from the meaning in 2022, where it has become consonant with modern forms of personal and political deception, mediated by a vast array of technologies, such as fake news, deepfake, and AI in marketing.

To further circumscribe the meaning of gaslighting in 2022, Merriam-Webster distinguishes the term gaslighting from other terms, expressing deceit. Terms such as lying –which is personal, fraud –which involves organizations, and the more euphemistic, such as falsehood, untruth and prevarication, or the innocuous term fib. Additionally, Merriam-Webster offers the following examples of usage, extracted from various mainstream sources:

"I am sorry you feel this way” approach, along with avoiding an argument in lieu of admitting fault, is good old fashioned gaslighting. [Psychology Today]

Patients, who have felt that their symptoms were inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by doctors, are using the term “medical gaslighting” to describe their experiences and stories.  [New York Times, March 28, 2022.]

My Committee’s investigation leaves no doubt that, in the words of one company official, Big Oil is gaslighting the public. [Rep. Carolyn R. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Sept. 14, 2022.]

In any event, the true meaning of gaslighting might lie in the numbers (no pun intended). With so many diversified technologies and channels of communication, available to mislead and disinform, searches for the term gaslighting this year spiked a whopping 1740% online at Merriam-Webster, conferring without contest the title of Merriam-Webster WOTY 2022 to gaslighting.

References

Staff (Nov. 28, 2022). Word of the Year 2022 – Gaslighting. Merriam-Webster

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year

Cabral, S. (Nov. 29, 2009). Gaslighting: Merriam-Webster picks its word of the year. BBC.com

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63798242 

Terminology - WOTTIES 2022 - Oxford English Dictionary "Goblin Mode"

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Remnants of pandemic lockdowns? Cynicism in a looming recession? The term goblin mode won the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Word of the Year (WOTY) 2022 contest. A contest breaking an almost 20-year tradition of  committee-selected WOTY, at the famous English dictionary that claims to be: The definitive record of the English language for more than 1000 years.

Goblin mode was competing for the Word of Year 2022 with Metaverse and the hashtag #IStandwith, when it won by a huge landslide. Indeed, Goblin mode won almost unanimously with 93% out of the more than 340,000 votes cast. Metaverse came in second with just 4% of the votes.

Defined as: “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”, the consensus makes one wonder. 

How representative was the sample of votes cast? Does the selection of goblin mode reflect post-pandemic experience, or is it the expression of unanimous liking for a term, that sweetly embraces going feral? The Guardian further describes Goblin Mode as: 

“embracing the comforts of depravity: spending the day in bed watching 90 Day Fiancé on mute while scrolling endlessly through social media, pouring the end of a bag of chips in your mouth; downing Eggo toaster oven waffles with hot sauce over the sink because you can’t be bothered to put them on a plate. Leaving the house in your pajamas and socks only to get a single Diet Coke from the bodega.”

Regardless of speculations on the reasons motivating voter preferences, Goblin mode will certainly go down in the OED history of WOTTIES, as the first people’s choice of the winner of ‘em all in 2022. 

References

Paul, K. (March 14, 2022). Slobbing out and giving up: why are so many people going ‘goblin mode’? The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/14/slobbing-out-and-giving-up-why-are-so-many-people-going-goblin-mode

Oxford Word of the Year

https://languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/ 

 
Schuessler, J. (Dec. 4, 2022). The Word of the Year Goes Goblin Mode. NYTimes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/arts/goblin-mode-oxford-word.html