Interchangeability of terms

[MNicolai]

The podium/lectern one is the one that bothers me more than most because enough companies that sell these products often mislabel them as the opposite one.

West/east-coasting is another bad one. I've known people who have done one or the other for over a decade who can't agree on which is which. Often leads to a great argument after a long night when someone starts shouting at the guy who's striking the soft goods who thinks he's doing exactly what he was told to.

People like calling a pipe a "bar," but one of my old bosses used to remind anyone caught saying that that a bar is something you sit at.

Batton

And [user]WooferHound[/user], I believe the term you were looking for was batten.

Other great ones are DMX/XLR (for that matter, that people think that DMX cables actually exist), twist-lock/Speakon/Neutrik connectors, CAT5/CAT5E/CAT6, winch/wench, scissor/boom/vertical-mast/Genie lift, and one that causes lots of confusion when building a new facility, Telex/Clear Com system.

 

[JChenault]

I feel some may be missing the point of this thread--which is NON-synonymous terms used interchangeably.

Sure, call it a lamp/globe/bulb/bottle/bubble, but don't confuse podium with lectern.

Derek - I'm not parsing your comment.
bulb = the clear envelope part of a lamp.
Lamp = the bulb plus base plus filament etc.
globe / blub / bottle - may be the different names for the same thing - but lamp is (IMHO) something completely different.

 

[derekleffew]

... that bothers me more than most because enough companies that sell these products often mislabel them as the opposite one.

Oh, that just reminded me of another. I think both Altman and Lycian (and Wybron)use "dowser" when they mean "douser". On a slightly different note, I once asked a theatrical drapery (or maybe it was a curtain [Van]) manufacturer the correct spelling of traveler. He told me no one in the company could agree.
-----

Derek - I'm not parsing your comment.
bulb = the clear envelope part of a lamp.
Lamp = the bulb plus base plus filament etc.
globe / blub / bottle - may be the different names for the same thing - but lamp is (IMHO) something completely different.

Hence the "fun" part of this thread. Each must draw his own line in the sand, and pick his own battles. I don't mind calling a lamp something else (and might argue that globe/bottle/bubble are legitimate British terms), but misuse of base/socket really gets my goat (and you know who you are).

Just thought of another: porcelain/ceramic when referring to a MEP (GX16d) socket in a parcan. Or is it PAR can, or PARcan?

 

[David Ashton]

Pipe and tube, but pipe is measured i.d. and tube is o.d., so when 50mm pipe is specified it completely stuffs up a job.
"Conventional" and "generic" really annoys me, to me conventional means standard incandescent units, while generic means "no name" [Chinese] manufacturer, so when someone mentions generic lighting do they mean standard theatre lights or movers made by Great Wall of China lighting company.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Other great ones are DMX/XLR (for that matter, that people think that DMX cables actually exist),.

DMX cables exist, "DMX Connectors" are really 5 pin XLR's.

 

[xander]

DMX cables exist, "DMX Connectors" are really 5 pin XLR's.

I'm not sure, but his point might have been that DMX isn't the cable, that would be Belden #### or Cat5 or whatever you are using, DMX is the protocol. But yes, people saying "DMX connector" when they mean "5 pin XLR" really bugs me.

-Tim

 

[xander]

I feel some may be missing the point of this thread--which is NON-synonymous terms used interchangeably.

Sure, call it a lamp/globe/bulb/bottle/bubble, but don't confuse podium with lectern.

Maybe, as part of the response, one should explicitly state what the difference between the two "NON-synonymous terms" actually is. Like, perhaps Derek would like to explain the difference between lectern and podium because I actually don't know and it is easier (read, "more entertaining") to ask you than actually use a dictionary

-Tim

 

[porkchop]

Moving Head Fixture/Vari-lite. I get this a lot with older union hands that don't do electrics that often and it makes me cringe every time.

 

[MNicolai]

I'm not sure, but his point might have been that DMX isn't the cable, that would be Belden #### or Cat5 or whatever you are using, DMX is the protocol. But yes, people saying "DMX connector" when they mean "5 pin XLR" really bugs me.

-Tim

Correct. It's not any different than people saying "microphone cable," but in that case, people are usually smarter than to assume there's a "mic connector."

DMX-quality data cables are marketed in a very weird way. A lot of places sell "DMX cables," that don't even meet the DMX protocol standard. Either they're not a data-quality cable, don't have XLR5 connectors, or don't specify whether or not the cable contains a second twisted pair. (And as Doug Fleenor says, they're really data-quality cables capable of transmitting signals based on the DMX protocol)

I don't particularly mind people saying CAT5, CAT5e, or CAT6 cables, but don't use one term to mean any of the other terms. They're not all the same, and while a lot of time whatever you use will be compatible, you don't want several hundred feet to just have been installed in your facility only to find out you used something that isn't compatible with the application you're using it for.

This is a very picky discussion, but in practice I'm not bothered when people say "DMX cable," but when they tell me that's what their gear uses, I'll show up with a data cable with XLR5 connectors and won't show a lot mercy when you look at it and note that your gear uses XLR3 connectors ("You know, like on a mic cable," they'll say, which clues me in that they probably aren't even using data-quality cables for DMX signals anyways.) XLR3 is specifically not allowed as per the DMX standard. If you ask for a DMX cable and don't specify the connectors, I'll rightfully presume you need XLR5 connectors. "How this works" pages like this one make me resent the XLR3 connectors for the purpose of DMX transmission even more.

 

[derekleffew]

... Like, perhaps Derek would like to explain the difference between lectern and podium because I actually don't know and it is easier (read, "more entertaining") to ask you than actually use a dictionary

If only this site had a way of distinguishing terms that may not be familiar to all. Then one could simply click on the words lectern or podium to be taken to the definition. The entire discussion could be elevated.

/sarcasm

 

[cdcarter]

If only this site had a way of distinguishing terms that may not be familiar to all. Then one could simply click on the words lectern or podium to be taken to the definition. The entire discussion could be elevated.

/sarcasm

Unfortunately, this doesn't always help out. See the Act Curtain vs. Main rag pages. It's noted that there is a minor difference, but I still have no idea what it is.

 

[derekleffew]

Unfortunately, this doesn't always help out. See the Act Curtain vs. Main rag pages. It's noted that there is a minor difference, but I still have no idea what it is.

You're right--that was a lousy definition, and I have attempted to improve it.

 

[ColbyAtTroy]

Oh, intelligent lights/OBEDIENT LIGHTS. (No lights are "intelligent").

Automated lights are pretty intelligent to me.

On the topic, however, Scrollers and intelligent fixtures. Mostly talking about scrollers as intelligent lights.

 

[ColbyAtTroy]

What about Drill Driver vs. Screw gun? My entire High School career, it was a drill driver. However, now it's a Screw gun. I prefer the term 'driver' in reference to a 'gun'.

 

[museav]

Safety ground/signal ground
Electrical Engineer/Electrician
Speaker/loudspeaker (the speaker talks and is reproduced through the loudspeaker)
Line array/curvilinear array/constant curvature array/multiple loudspeakers mounted vertically
Camera/projector (amazing how many people ask for a camera to display video and graphics)
Input/channel and output/bus (digital consoles make these an important distinction)
Choir mic/hanging mic (there are other ways to mic a choir)
VGA/VGA (actual 640x480 VGA or video/graphics on an HD15 connector)
CAT5/CAT5e/CAT6 and UTP/STP (how many people use "CAT5" generically?)
RJ11/RJ45/8P2C/8P8C

 

[gafftapegreenia]

1/8" - 3.5mm - mini

jack/plug

Often used to mean the same thing, such as in the wikipedia article - Filehoto-audiojacks.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, the jack is the "female", and the plug the "male".

 

[mstaylor]

What about Drill Driver vs. Screw gun? My entire High School career, it was a drill driver. However, now it's a Screw gun. I prefer the term 'driver' in reference to a 'gun'.

It depends on what it is, they are different tools. A drill/driver does both things and can be either corded or cordless. A screw gun is does only drive screws and is usualy corded. I don't know that I have seen a cordless version. Screw guns are usually used to drive large volumes of screws as in a drywall contractor.
It sounds like your HS had it right and where you are now is using the wrong term.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

This is a very picky discussion, but in practice I'm not bothered when people say "DMX cable," but when they tell me that's what their gear uses, I'll show up with a data cable with XLR5 connectors and won't show a lot mercy when you look at it and note that your gear uses XLR3 connectors ("You know, like on a mic cable," they'll say, which clues me in that they probably aren't even using data-quality cables for DMX signals anyways.) XLR3 is specifically not allowed as per the DMX standard. If you ask for a DMX cable and don't specify the connectors, I'll rightfully presume you need XLR5 connectors. "How this works" pages like this one make me resent the XLR3 connectors for the purpose of DMX transmission even more.

And this is, I think, at the heart of this discussion. We work in an industry dominated by people that use terms incorrectly, often because of a simple lack of knowledge. As professional entertainment technicans, it is our job to know the proper terms, know what they apply to, know the standard "generic" or slang usage of such terms, know the local meanings of such terms, know the assumed or implied meanings of such terms, be able to remember to always ask plenty of questions to decode what the client wants instead of just assuming, AND have enough resources and foresight to be able to cover when the client walks up to you during a set up and asks "I want X".

With these terminology discussion, I think it's my own personal goal, and the goal of most of the CB team, to not always insist that one term is right or proper (althought some are certainly more concrete than others) since we can never seem to agree on some terms, but rather, our goal is to widen the base of knowledge concerning terminology and its usage by discussing both intended and proper use, as well as all other usages. Perhaps we can do our part to help foster correct and proper terminology usage, but really, that dream is still a ways away, and till that day, we will all have to know the slang.

Also, if you really want to know what annoys me, its the equation of "anything pre Source 4 = junk"

 

[Grog12]

Just thought of another: porcelain/ceramic when referring to a MEP (GX16d) socket in a parcan. Or is it PAR can, or PARcan?

Everyone knows its a Parabolic Aluminized Reflector Can...silly.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Open white/no color/clear