Computer science is full of acronyms and initialisms, so it may be difficult to remember what they all stand for. The suggestions made in this issue's puzzle are very wrong. For example, given the suggestion "This type of media tells you the author of A Tale of Two Cities limits his own studying to periodicals," the proper response would be "No, CD-ROM doesn't stand for Charles Dickens Reads Only Magazines." Can you respond appropriately to the suggestions below? Bonus credit if you know what the acronym/initialism actually stands for.

1. This AI technique refers to a slogan possibly used by the current U.S. President in 1972.
2. This aspect of software development reminds you that college-student zoo employees give medicine to certain large African animals.
3. This character sequence implies that the comic who infamously hosted the 2022 Oscars enjoys cod.
4. This chip design process helps you remember that the main characters of What We Do In The Shadows really hate where they live.
5. This collection means that young women require parasols.
6. This crucial web acronym describes a conversation one might hear on TV between a man and his sister-in-law.
7. This database term refers to the complete list of royal residences under the domain of Copenhagen's ruler.
8. This file type lets you know that I have an animal in the family that I can use to mow the lawn.
9. This 4-letter kind of communication system implies that the main character in Death of a Salesman pretends like nothing untoward is going on.
10. This 4-letter networking algorithm lists three positions in baseball.
11. This organization's acronym implies that irritated bovines are making noise.
12. This programming language gives advice to a young Daniel Radcliffe.
13. This part of a secondary storage system tells you to shoot the director of Pulp Fiction.
14. This section of some websites also tells you to shoot the director of Pulp Fiction.
15. This term from language theory refers to products like Extra or Bazooka that give zero energy.
16. This security check indicates that Steve Rogers gladly gives Black Panther paper money for the second time.

Answers to the Alphabet Soup Puzzle will be in the December 2024 issue of ACM INROADS.

Contest!

Come up with your own incorrect explanation of what a computing initialism or acronym stands for. Submit it via email to [email protected] by December 1, 2024. Entries will be judged for humor, appropriateness, and smoothness of expression. Winners will be announced in a future issue of Inroads.

Author

Scott Weiss, Back Page Editor
Mount St. Mary's University
16300 Old Emmitsburg Road
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
[email protected]

Copyright held by author.

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