While surfing various sites today I’ve come across an unusual word three times, all in totally different topics and arenas. I don’t know if I just noticed this one particular word today and with increased awareness I am noticing it more, or is today just a day when this word comes across my screen several times? It’s very weird. If this was numbers instead of a word, I’d taken them to the convenience store and buy a lottery ticket.
The word is “robust,” which is a powerfully descriptive word and I really like it. I should use it more. I first noticed it used in a comment ties to an article in the New York Times on how flip flops are allegedly harmful to feet. I suspect that study was underwritten by the manufactures of athletic shoes and disagree totally with their conclusions. Nonetheless, a fellow commenter used the word robust and I thought it was well used there.
Then a press release from Mozilla and article on Yahoo News calls the new version of Firefox to be released tomorrow, “robust.” Well, I am a Firefox fan and am very much looking forward to the new “robust” version of Firefox.
And last, there is an article on the BBC website abut the advances in medical lasers that will help the biomedical field. The new lasers reportedly have a robustness:
Dr Graeme Malcolm, of M-Squared Lasers Ltd, added: “A step change improvement in the cost, size and robustness of ultrafast lasers is needed before they can benefit biomedical applications fully.”
I’m not sure what a step change is - perhaps a steep change? Or is step change a British expression?
Anyway, the word of the day award goes to “robust.” Now we should all try to use it in a sentence during a conversation with someone tonight!
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