Reply #6: So now I'm curious. [View All]

[Igel]

As to how "dither" went from "being irresolute" to "adjusting pixel darkness/color to avoid sharp intensity or color changes."

Is it about avoiding a sharp decision or contrast?

As for not knowing a word's meaning, I had the same reaction some have towards Wilson's lexical lacuna as I did when people misconstrued "stay the course" with "course" having some sort of navigational meaning instead of what it meant in that phrase--a preset path run during a race. (I pictured them in the stands at the local track yelling, "Change the course! Change the course! You, Earnhardt--cut through Concessions!" or "Cigar--quick, through the stands!").

Personally, I had a bit of a comeuppance when I needed to replace a fluorescent bulb and the instructions--in tortured English--said to use a bulb with a ballast. Well, I only knew the nautical meaning and assumed that the very much non-native speakers of English who produced the instructions had looked up their native vocable in a bilingual dictionary only to find that it had several translations--and unerringly chose the wrong one. I finally considered the possibility that I was, indeed, not omniscient and opted to show due humility by consulting a dictionary. There I found that a ballast is also an electrical bit for maintaining a constant current and usually getting the fluorescent bulb going in the first place.