meaning of phage
1. phage A program that modifies other programs or databases in unauthorised ways; especially one that propagates a virus or Trojan horse. See also worm, mockingbird. The analogy, of course, is with phage viruses in biology. [Jargon File] phase 1. The offset of ones waking-sleeping schedule with respect to the standard 24-hour cycle; a useful concept among people who often work at night and/or according to no fixed schedule. It is not uncommon to change ones phase by as much as 6 hours per day on a regular basis. "Whats your phase?" "Ive been getting in about 8 P. M. lately, but Im going to wrap around to the day schedule by Friday. " A person who is roughly 12 hours out of phase is sometimes said to be in "night mode". The term "day mode" is also but less frequently used, meaning youre working 9 to 5 or, more likely, 10 to 6. The act of altering ones cycle is called "changing phase"; "phase shifting" has also been recently reported from Caltech. 2. "change phase the hard way": To stay awake for a very long time in order to get into a different phase. 3. "change phase the easy way": To stay asleep, etc. However, some claim that either staying awake longer or sleeping longer is easy, and that it is *shortening* your day or night that is really hard see wrap around. The "jet lag" that afflicts travelers who cross many time-zone boundaries may be attributed to two distinct causes: the strain of travel per se, and the strain of changing phase. Hackers who suddenly find that they must change phase drastically in a short period of time, particularly the hard way, experience something very like jet lag without travelling. phase alternating line
2. a virus that is parasitic in bacteria; it uses the bacteriums machinery and energy to produce more phage until the bacterium is destroyed and phage is released to invade surrounding bacteria
Related Words
phage | phagedena | phagedenic | phagedenical | phagedenous |
