Lighting up the Lexicon
I’m convinced that someone at Microsoft has been deliberately injecting words into the industry lexicon. My mind keeps track of relative word frequencies, and every now and then I’ll see a new outlier pop up — first in some BillG and other keynote speeches, then spreading throughout the employee base, and then into the industry as a whole. Three recent examples have been “ecosystem”, “jazzed”, and “super” as in “super pumped”, “super critical”, etc. All three of these usages existed in the lexicon, of course — it’s just that they exist a whole lot more commonly now. The “super” one really interests me; the first time I heard an exec say “super important”, I promised myself I would never fall into the trap of changing my language to sound like an exec — it hasn’t been super easy, but I’ve been firm. Nobody other than me seems to notice how common it’s become, though, so I just accept the way things have changed.
So let me be the first to predict the next one. “Lit”, or “light up”. Again, common enough in the general lexicon, but about to become a whole lot more common on the lips of computer people. I can’t find who is the secret puppet master injecting this meme into the language, and it may just be coincidence, but I can sense it happening.
Incidentally, if you haven’t noticed by now, Microsoft has a love affair with visual metaphors in product names and marketing. There was a short tryst with biology (ecosystem, DNA, nervous system), but visual is back with a vengeance. As far as I can see, Vista is all about big open windows and light streaming in. I get the impression that Vista is all about light, or letting light in. In that spirit, I have a proposal for the official Vista launch music (comparable to the Rolling Stones song for Windows 95). How about “Two Months Off” by Underworld? It’s a nice contemporary dance bit, with lyrics that match the image:
you bring light in…
to a dark place
walking in light
glowing walking in light
gold ring around you
the hues of you
the golden sunlight of you
you bring light in…
cool wind following
following after you
rising for you
your skin beautiful
everything comes natural
fantastic fan
rocking rocking floating
Of course, I have no official connection to Vista marketing, so it would be all the more interesting if I guessed the song right. If I didn’t guess it right, they should change it. I like Underworld.