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Brent Batten: Different worlds; new meanings

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If instant access to information from all over the world hasn’t been enough to lure you in; if the siren song of endless pornography isn’t tempting; even if you’ve no interest in sharing a fortune with the widow of a corrupt Nigerian general, you may finally have a reason to get on the Internet.

The city of Naples is offering on its Web site replays of City Council meetings.

The video is sharp and the sound is clear. A neat feature allows the viewer to skip to a segment of interest so that, for example, it isn’t necessary to sit through all 10 hours, eight minutes of the June 12 City Council workshop just to hear the discussion of the five-year capital improvement plan.

Collier County plans to offer a similar feature on its Web site within a year, according to government spokesman John Torre.

The ability to watch elected officials in action on demand may be enough to turn Naples government junkies into inveterate Web surfers.

Of course, if you are a Naples government junkie and haven’t spent much time on the Web, the potential for confusion abounds. A whole language has sprouted on the Internet. Some of the terms may be confusing to someone who has spent the past few years focused on Southwest Florida happenings.

As an aid to those who are new to the Internet, here’s a glossary of some of the online terminology you’re likely to encounter as you begin your journey into the 21st century, along with the meanings the words convey in the offline world.

Cheat Code — Online: A word that, when typed in the course of a video game, temporarily suspends some of the game’s rules. Offline: What you do when you put a few extra tables on the sidewalk outside your restaurant.

FUBAR — Online: A term, standing for Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition, used to describe a computer malfunction. Offline: A trendy new watering hole on Fifth Avenue South.

LotR — Online: Acronym for one of the techies’ favorite films, “Lord of the Rings.” Offline: What the developers will build on after LotP and LotQ.

Hard Drive — Online: The part of a computer where data are stored. Offline: Naples to Fort Myers at 5 p.m. on a Friday in season.

RotFLMBO — Online: A description of amusement standing for Rolling on the Floor Laughing My Behind Off. Offline: A trendy new eatery on Fifth Avenue South.

SOSO — Online: Chat room shorthand for Same Old, Same Old. Offline: Collier County’s FCAT scores.

Remote Access — Online: The ability to access a computer from a remote location. Offline: What husbands and wives fight about.

Sup — Online: An abbreviated version of the greeting, “What’s up?” Offline: What one does at RotFLMBO.

Debugger — Online: Programs that help software developers find and eliminate bugs. Offline: Truly Nolen.

MySpace — Online: A Web-based community that allows friends to keep in touch and meet new people. Offline: What people in the “no-growth” faction figure they already have.

Newsgroup — Online: An Internet-based discussion about a particular topic. Offline: The Naples Daily News, Bonita Daily News, Marco Eagle, Studio 55, etc.

Resolution — Online: A term to describe how many pixels a monitor can display. Offline: What City Council passes at its meetings. Just get online and see for yourself.

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E-mail Brent Batten at bebatten@naplesnews.com.

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