(Attn: No literary liberties have been taken with this piece because techno-slapdash is another lingo altogether).

BIT: One bit is the smallest piece of information for a computer and just sufficient to tell the difference between "yes" and "no": 8 bits make 1 byte.

MODEM (MOdulator-DEModulator): A device through which computers located in different places can "talk" to each other through telephone lines or leased lines. The modem converts computer digital signals into audio tones and vice versa.

CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory): Looks like the normal music CD but its enormous storage capacity of 600 megabytes -- equivalent to 250,000 pages of printed text -- and compatibility with the PCs enable it to be used for huge electronic databases.