| Word | Description |
| Literacy | Literacy has traditionally been the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to read, write, listen, and speak. Recently, literacy also means reading and writing at a level adequate for communication, or at a level that lets one understand and communicate ideas in a literate society. |
| Lock in | Lock-in is a term that describes how systems self-organize toward certain ends. Once these ends are established, it would be difficult or imprudent to reorganize toward different ends. Examples of lock-in are the QWERTY keyboard, the common clock, Beta vs.VHS and the internal combustion engine. Each of these items came about because of many complex factors, having little to do with which “design” was best. At the nanoscale level, the patterns we recognize are often susceptible to lock-in. We have recognized certain patterns for so long, they become locked-in to our consciousness and the potential of “seeing” something new or different is lost. |