Patent troll, flame war, and more tech lingo you need to know

By Natt Garun Published April 17, 2013

flamethrowers — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It finally feels like spring in New York City with today’s high in the 70s, so using warmth as inspiration, we’re gonna discuss some tech jargons that arise in heated situations. From electrical currents to verbal heat, we’ll go through the words that make up part of today’s Web culture.

EEG

The acronym for electroencephalography, EEG refers to the recording of electrical currents from a test subject’s head. EEG are calculated with sensors strapped around the subject’s scalp, measuring the changes in current between the neurons of the brain. Many brainwave-reading gadgets, like the Necomimi Cat Ears or Muse headband, are becoming more popular than ever, so it’s important to know that the magic lies in the EEG sensors to measure your brainwave activity.

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“The Muse headband features four EEG sensors and two ear conductors to get the most accurate read without feeling too invasive.”

Patent troll

One who enforces its patents against other companies only when it’s opportunistic to do so. Patent trolls usually appear out of nowhere and attempt to get large companies in trouble for monetizing on an idea that a person may have tried to patent a while ago but could never execute it as well as those companies could. Alternatively, patents could also be purchased by a company with no intention of developing the tech, only to file lawsuits against others seemingly violating said patents. These lawsuits are generally aggressive, suing for a large deal of money for something the company never actively pursued.

“It’s four months into 2013 and Lodys has already filed dozens of lawsuits? What a patent troll.”

Flame War

A battle, fight, or heated argument between two or more parties online. The fight usually starts from a singular topic, but ends up in the parties personally insulting each other for the last word. Flame wars are easy to start thanks to the Internet’s anonymity and plenty of GIFs or memes to hurt each other with in a hilarious (but also painful) battle.

“I was late for work today because this idiot commenter started a flame war with me on my post about 3D-printed guns. Next thing I knew, he was photoshopping my face onto Honey Boo Boo!”

Meta

A Greek word for self, when an object, news story, person, or basically any noun refers to itself, we consider it pretty meta on the Web.

“Gawker is live-blogging Gizmodo during its live blog event? That’s so meta.”

Image Credit: Flickr/matisse_enzer

Former Staff Writer

An avid gadgets and Internet culture enthusiast, Natt Garun spends her days bringing you the funniest, coolest, and strangest…

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Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts

Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Cars

Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?

jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii 4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Entertainment

Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode

Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.