mindmap
root((TECHNI/TECHNO))
technocrat
A scientist or technical expert with power in politics or industry.
🌱The new president, a great fan of science, had surrounded himself with an impressive team of technocrats. 🌳In 1919 W. H. Smyth coined the term technocracy to mean basically "management of society by technical experts." Technocracy grew into a movement during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when politicians and financial institutions were being blamed for the economic disaster, and fans of technocracy claimed that letting technical experts manage the country would be a great improvement. （They also suggested that dollars could be replaced by "energy certificates" representing energy units called ergs.） Today technocrat and technocratic are still popular words for experts with a highly rational and scientific approach to public policy issues. But these experts aren't always the best politicians, and when a terrific technological solution to a problem is opposed by a powerful group or industry, lawmakers find it easier to just ignore it. technophobe One who fears or dislikes advanced technology or complex devices and especially computers.
🌱The new employee was a middle-aged technophobe, who seemed startled every time a new page popped up on her computer screen. 🌳The condition known as technophobia got its name around 1965 （though its synonym Luddite had been around for a long time）, and since then we've been flooded with electronic gadgetry. But even today few people actually understand any electrical technology more complicated than a lightbulb, so there's still plenty of technophobia around. And it isn't limited to computer users. The explosion of the atomic bomb made technophobes out of millions of people; and since human-caused climate change has been a result of technology, it's not surprising that it too has produced a technophobic response. But if technology turns out to be part of a solution, maybe that will change. technophile One who loves technology.
🌱Back in my day, the high-school technophiles subscribed to Popular Mechanics, built ham radios, and were always taking apart the engines of their clunkers. 🌳The word technophile came along soon after technophobe, which seemed to need an antonym. Its own synonyms include geek, gearhead, and propeller-head （for the characters in 1950s comic books who wore propeller beanies to indicate that they were sci-fi fans）. Even before American inventors began amazing the world with their "Yankee ingenuity" in the 19th century, most Americans could be described as technology lovers. Today, American technophilia may be seen most vividly when a new version of a popular video game sells millions of copies to young buyers on the day of its release. pyrotechnic Of or relating to fireworks.
🌱Her astonishing, pyrotechnic performance in the concerto left the audience dazed. 🌳You've read about funeral pyres, and you may even have survived a pyromaniac （"insane fire-starting"） stage in your youth, so you might have guessed that pyr means "fire" in Greek. Pyrotechnic refers literally to fireworks, but always seems to be used for something else—something just as exciting, explosive, dazzling, sparkling, or brilliant. The performances of sports stars and dancers are often described as pyrotechnic, and a critic may describe the pyrotechnics of a rock guitarist's licks or a film's camerawork. A pyrotechnic performance is always impressive, but the word occasionally suggests something more like "flashy" or "flamboyant."
🌱The new president, a great fan of science, had surrounded himself with an impressive team of technocrats. 🌳In 1919 W. H. Smyth coined the term technocracy to mean basically "management of society by technical experts." Technocracy grew into a movement during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when politicians and financial institutions were being blamed for the economic disaster, and fans of technocracy claimed that letting technical experts manage the country would be a great improvement. （They also suggested that dollars could be replaced by "energy certificates" representing energy units called ergs.） Today technocrat and technocratic are still popular words for experts with a highly rational and scientific approach to public policy issues. But these experts aren't always the best politicians, and when a terrific technological solution to a problem is opposed by a powerful group or industry, lawmakers find it easier to just ignore it. technophobe One who fears or dislikes advanced technology or complex devices and especially computers.
🌱The new employee was a middle-aged technophobe, who seemed startled every time a new page popped up on her computer screen. 🌳The condition known as technophobia got its name around 1965 （though its synonym Luddite had been around for a long time）, and since then we've been flooded with electronic gadgetry. But even today few people actually understand any electrical technology more complicated than a lightbulb, so there's still plenty of technophobia around. And it isn't limited to computer users. The explosion of the atomic bomb made technophobes out of millions of people; and since human-caused climate change has been a result of technology, it's not surprising that it too has produced a technophobic response. But if technology turns out to be part of a solution, maybe that will change. technophile One who loves technology.
🌱Back in my day, the high-school technophiles subscribed to Popular Mechanics, built ham radios, and were always taking apart the engines of their clunkers. 🌳The word technophile came along soon after technophobe, which seemed to need an antonym. Its own synonyms include geek, gearhead, and propeller-head （for the characters in 1950s comic books who wore propeller beanies to indicate that they were sci-fi fans）. Even before American inventors began amazing the world with their "Yankee ingenuity" in the 19th century, most Americans could be described as technology lovers. Today, American technophilia may be seen most vividly when a new version of a popular video game sells millions of copies to young buyers on the day of its release. pyrotechnic Of or relating to fireworks.
🌱Her astonishing, pyrotechnic performance in the concerto left the audience dazed. 🌳You've read about funeral pyres, and you may even have survived a pyromaniac （"insane fire-starting"） stage in your youth, so you might have guessed that pyr means "fire" in Greek. Pyrotechnic refers literally to fireworks, but always seems to be used for something else—something just as exciting, explosive, dazzling, sparkling, or brilliant. The performances of sports stars and dancers are often described as pyrotechnic, and a critic may describe the pyrotechnics of a rock guitarist's licks or a film's camerawork. A pyrotechnic performance is always impressive, but the word occasionally suggests something more like "flashy" or "flamboyant."
TECHNI/TECHNO comes from the Greek techne, meaning "art, craft, skill," and shows up in dozens of English words. Some, such as technical, technology, and technique, have long been familiar. Others, such as techno-thriller, were only coined in the current computer age, which has also seen the new cut-down terms techno (for techno-pop, the electronic dance music) and tech (for technician or technology).🌸