Encyclopedia

Backfeeding Backfeeding is when electric power flows in the opposite direction that it typically flows. An alternating current power station typically delivers power to the power grid by inducing a current to flow into the power grid when the voltage is positive, and inducing it to flow out of the power grid when the voltage is negative, and a typical power grid load (e.
Backfired Backfired is track number 5 and first single release from the 1981 debut album Koo Koo by Debbie Harry. The album and song was much anticipated, as it was the first solo release from Debbie Harry, but was a big let down.
Backflip (song) Backflip is a song by American singer Raven-Symoné, taken from her 2004 album, This Is My Time. Although the track failed to generate much of an audience in the adult urban community, the song became popular in a more juvenile circle due to the popularity of Raven-Symoné's television series at the time, That's So Raven.
Backflow prevention device A backflow prevention device is used to protect water supplies from contamination. Many types of backflow devices also have ports so that they can be tested or examined to ensure that they are functioning properly.
Backgammon Backgammon is a board game for two players in which pieces are moved according to the roll of dice and the winner is the first to remove all his pieces from the board. Many variants have developed throughout the world, but most share the same common elements.
Backgammon chouette The backgammon chouette is a variant of backgammon for three or more players. Traditionally played in person, today, the internet allows this form of backgammon to be played across different countries and various platforms.
Backgammon notation Backgammon notation is a means for recording backgammon games, developed by Paul Magriel in the 1970s. The common way of describing the movement of checkers involves numbering the points around the board from 24 to 1:
Backgammon opening theory The first moves of a backgammon game are the opening moves, collectively referred to as the opening, and studied in the backgammon opening theory. Compared to the widely studied opening theory in chess, the backgammon opening theory is not developed in as much detail.
Background (album) Background was the influential first LP released by Lifetime, and is to this day seen as one of the greatest released in the punk and hardcore music genres. It was remixed and remastered on Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey.
Background artist A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can either be through traditional painting or by digital media such as Adobe Photoshop.
Background history of the September 11, 2001 attacks The background history of the September 11, 2001 attacks includes US foreign policy with regard to predominantly Muslim countries and Israel in the latter part of the Cold War, the growth of radical Islamism, and prior terrorist attacks on the United States.
Background check Background check is a generic term for the process of acquiring information on an individual through third-party services, government organizations and private individuals in the hopes of making a determination on the future actions of an individual based on past actions. While the information can include potentially anything about the individual's employment, credit, or past history, the most common usage refers to criminal records.
Background independence Background independence is a condition in theoretical physics, especially in quantum gravity, that requires the defining equations of a theory to be independent of the actual shape of the spacetime and the value of various fields within the spacetime, and in particular to not refer to a specific coordinate system or metric. The different configurations (or backgrounds) should be obtained as different solutions of the underlying equations.
Background Intelligent Transfer Service Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is a component of modern Microsoft Windows operating systems that facilitates the transfer of files between machines. It is most commonly used by recent versions of Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services, and Systems Management Server to deliver software updates to clients, and is also used by Microsoft's instant messaging products to transfer files.
Background Notes The Background Notes series is a collection of works by the United States Department of State. These publications include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty.
Background to Danger Background to Danger is a 1943 film starring George Raft, Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. Based on the novel of the same title by Eric Ambler and set in Turkey (an atmospheric studio version), the screenplay was credited to W.
Background to the Vietnam War Most historians view the background of the Vietnam War, and the nature of the war itself, as rooted in the history of French colonial French Indochina, and the growing ethnic, political, and economic division between Catholic and Buddhist Vietnamese. Vietnamese society at all levels was politically and economically divided at the end of French rule.
Backhand The backhand in tennis is a stroke hit by swinging the racquet away from one's body in the direction of where the player wants the ball to go. For a right-handed player, a backhand begins on the left side of his body, continues across his body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the right side of his body.
Backhanded compliment A backhanded compliment or left-handed compliment is an insult disguised as a compliment. It is generally used to belittle or condescend, or often one uses a backhanded compliment when one wants to insult someone in a subtle way.
Backhaul (TV industry) In the context of broadcast television, backhaul refers to program content that is transmitted to a television station or receiving entity where it will be integrated into a finished show. The term is independent of the medium being used to send the backhaul, but satellite transmission is very common.
Backhoe A backhoe, also called a rear actor, back actor or JCB, is a piece of excavating equipment consisting of a digging bucket on the end of an articulated arm (also called a stick or dipper). Modern backhoes are powered by hydraulics.
Backhoe fade Backhoe fade or JCB fade is a humorous term referring to the accidental severing of telecommunications cables by a backhoe. (These diggers are commonly called "JCBs" in the UK and Ireland after their largest manufacturer, J.
Backhoe loader Backhoe loader, also called a Loader backhoe, is an engineering vehicle, which consists of a tractor, front shovel/bucket and small backhoe in the rear. Due to its (relatively) small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are very common in urban engineering and small construction projects (such as building a small house, fixing city roads etc).
Backhousia Backhousia is a small genus of five species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to the rainforests of eastern Australia. They are aromatic shrubs or trees growing to 5-25 m tall, with evergreen leaves 3-12 cm long and 1-6 cm broad, arranged opposite on the shoots.
Backhousia citriodora Lemon scented Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to the semi-temperate rainforests of eastern Australia. It is often mistakenly called "lemon ironbark", which is actually Eucalyptus staigeriana.
BackHome Magazine BackHome Magazine was created in 1990 as a competitor to Mother Earth News after the latter was taken over by a major publisher (and then, ultimately, Ogden Publications). Following the earlier, simpler, style of Mother Earth News it has become a strong competitor in the homesteading and simple living tutorial and instructional print market.
Backchannel Backchannel is the practice of using networked computers to maintain a real-time online conversation alongside live spoken remarks. The term was coined in the field of Linguistics to describe listeners' behaviours during verbal communication, Victor Yngve 1970.
Backchat Backchat was a half-hour television show on FX which ran through the mid 1990s right after the network's inception. Hosted by Jeff Probst, the show consisted of him and two designated letter-readers reading viewer letters and responding on air.
Backing board A backing board (or backer board) is a comic book- or magazine-sized piece of cardboard designed to keep comic books flat during shipment or storage. Backing boards became popular during the Comics Boom of the 1990s, when more collectors became interested in the storage and preservation of their comic books with the goal of future financial gain.
Backjumping In backtracking algorithms, backjumping is a technique that reduce search, therefore increasing efficiency. While backtracking always goes up one level in the search tree when all values for a variables has been tested, backjumping may go up more levels.
Backlash (1956 film) Backlash is a 1956 film, released by Universal-International Pictures. It was directed by John Sturges (with whom Widmark would also make another western The Law and Jake Wade), and unfolds in the vein of the psychological Western (a sub-genre that has yielded many films, e.
Backlash (gear) Backlash is the amount of clearance between mated gear teeth in a gear pair. While backlash is generally undesirable, some backlash is required to allow for lubrication, manufacturing errors, deflection under load and differential expansion between the gears and the housing .
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women is the title of a 1991 nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize winner Susan Faludi, which argues for the existence of a media driven "backlash" against the feminist advances of the 1970's. Faludi argues that this backlash posits the women's liberation movement as the source of many of the problems alleged to be plaguing women in the late 1980's.
Backlighting (lighting design) In the context of lighting design, backlighting refers to the process of illuminating the subject from the back. In other words, the lighting instrument and the viewer are facing towards each other, with the subject in between.
Backlog (album) Backlog is a joint compilation album between by electronica musicians Leftfield and Djum Djum, released in 1992. It contained mixes of Leftfield's first two releases Not Forgotten and More Than I Know from between 1990 and 1991 and two mixes by Neil Barnes of the Djum Djum track Difference.
Backmasking Backmasking (also incorrectly known as backward masking) is an audio technique in which sounds are recorded backwards onto a track that is meant to be played forwards. Backmasking is a deliberate process, whereas a backward message may be unintentional.
Backnang Backnang is a town in Germany, in the Bundesland of Baden-WĂĽrttemberg (formerly the kingdom of WĂĽrttemberg), roughly 30 kilometers northeast of Stuttgart. Its population has increased greatly over the past century or so, from 7,650 (1900) to 35,761 (2005).
Backorder Backorder is a distribution term that refers to the status of items on a purchase order in the event that some or all of the inventory required to fulfill the order is out of stock. This differs from a forward order where stock is available but delivery is postponed for another reason.
Backpack Boy Backpack Boy (played by Kendre Berry) is a fictional character on the Nickelodeon kid's sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide who has a crush on Claire Sawyer and carries around a backpack that's so heavy, it usually causes him to fall to the ground. He has two lockers, both on top of each other, both of which lead to a room full of backpacks that no one but he or Ned probably know about (the school staff doesn't).
Backpack helicopter A backpack helicopter or helibackpack is a helicopter motor and rotor and controls assembly that can be strapped to a person's back, so that they can walk about on the ground wearing it, and can use it to fly. Its harness, like a parachute harness should have a strap between the legs, so that the pilot does not fall out of the harness during flight.
Backpacker (magazine) Backpacker Magazine is a national publication in the US providing readers with information on wilderness hiking and adventure. With 2006 marking its 33rd year of publication, Backpacker magazine is part of the Rodale Press, which also owns the titles Men’s Health, Bicycling, and Runner’s World, and is based in Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
Backpacker murders The Backpacker Murders is a name given to a serial killing case that occurred in New South Wales, Australia during the 1990s. The bodies of seven missing young people were discovered partly buried in the Belanglo State Forest, 15 kilometres south west of the town of Berrima, New South Wales.
Backpackers Express Backpackers Express is a proposed airline based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in December 2003 and is a long-haul, low-fares start-up that plans to launch operations using two dry-leased Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
Backpacking (travel) Backpacking is a term used to denote a form of low-cost independent international travel, differentiating it from other forms of tourism notably by the following typical attributes: minimal budget use, longer duration traveling, use of public transport and multipliable destinations/countries. The origin of the name comes from the backpacks that budget travelers generally carry in the interests of mobility and flexibility.
Backpacking (wilderness) Backpacking (also tramping or trekking or bushwalking in some countries) combines hiking and camping in a single trip. A backpacker hikes into the backcountry to spend one or more nights there, and carries supplies and equipment to satisfy sleeping and eating needs.
Backpacking Light Magazine Backpacking Light Magazine was founded in early 2001 by modern-day ultralight backpacking evangelist Ryan Jordan (Hiker), author of Lightweight Backpacking and CampingJordan, Ryan (Editor). Lightweight Backpacking and Camping: A Field Guide to Wilderness Equipment, Technique, and Style Beartooth Mountain Press (2005).
Backplane A backplane is a circuit board (usually a printed circuit board) that connects several connectors in parallel to each other, so that each pin of each connector is linked to the same relative pin of all the other connectors, forming a computer bus. It is used as a backbone to connect several printed circuit board cards together to make up a complete computer system.
Backplane system In Computing, a Backplane System is a generic term for a printed circuit board whose purpose is to interconnect other circuit boards. A backplane will typically contain various sockets into which the daughter circuit boards will be plugged in.
Backporch Revolution Backporch Revolution is an independent record label, netlabel, and artists' collective from New Orleans, Louisiana, probably most noted for releasing material by Chef Menteur, potpie, and other New Orleans underground artists. In 2006, Backporch Revolution released the compilation Proud To Swim Home: A Backporch Revolution Compilation for New Orleans, a benefit disc for groups assisting New Orleans' recovery after Hurricane Katrina.
Backporting Backporting is the action of taking a certain software modification (patch) and applying it to an older version of the software than it was initially created for. It is part of the maintenance step in a software development process.
Backronym A backronym or bacronym is a type of acronym that begins as an ordinary word, and is later interpreted as an acronym. The word "backronym" is a portmanteau of back (see back-formation) and acronym, and was coined in 1983.
Backsaw A Backsaw is any of several types of hand saws used in woodworking which have a stiffening rib on the edge opposite the cutting edge, allowing for better control and more precise cutting than with other types of saws. Backsaws are normally used for precise work, such as cutting dovetails, mitres, or tenons in cabinetry and joinery.
Backscatter X-ray In contrast to the traditional X-ray machine, which detects hard and soft materials by the variation in transmission through the target, backscatter X-ray is a newer imaging system which detects the radiation which comes back from the target.
Backscratcher A backscratcher (occasionally known as a scratch-back or magonote) is a tool used, as the name would suggest, for relieving itches for areas that cannot easily be reached just by one's own hands, typically the back.
Backscreen A back-screen is a basketball maneuver involving two players, a cutter and a screener. The screener remains stationary on the court while the cutter moves toward the basket and attempts to use the screener to separate himself from his defender.
Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars is an episode of the television series Invader Zim, originally produced as episode 21. While not airing on Nickelodeon in the US, it aired on the Nicktoons Network in the US on June 10, 2006.
Backside bus In computer microprocessor architecture, a backside bus is a bus dedicated to the purpose of connecting the processor to an off-chip bank of cache memory. This is an improvement over the older practice of accessing the cache over the frontside bus (FSB) because it reduces the usage of the FSB, which is typically a severe bottleneck in most modern systems.
Backside stall A backside stall is a trick that can be done on aggressive skates, which is a stall done on the grind area, or h-block of the skates on the coping of a halfpipe. The skater will approach the coping, and when he reaches the top, he will jump and do a half-turn (one-eighty) in the air and land with both of his grind areas on the coping.
Backspace Backspace is the keyboard key that originally pushed the typewriter carriage one position backwards, and in modern computer displays moves the cursor one position backwards, deletes the preceding character, and shifts back the text after it by one position.
Backspin In racquet sports, backspin (or underspin), is a shot such that the ball rotates backwards (as though rolling back towards the player) after it is hit. The trajectory of the shot involves an upward force that lifts the ball (see Magnus effect).
Backstaff The backstaff, or back-quadrant, is a navigational tool that was used to determine latitude. It worked the same way as the cross staff and astrolabe except instead of looking at the sun, users kept the sun to their back (hence the name) which prevented damage to their eyes.
Backstage salon The Backstage Salon Group, (BSTG) is a luxury salon network in ConstanĹŁa, Romania; Kiev, Ukraine; New York City, USA; and Paris, France. A member of Capri Group, Backstage operates with three related brands: All in the Family Salons, GENT Salons, and Purple Piggy Salons.
Backstairs at the White House (miniseries) Backstairs at the White House is a 1979 NBC television miniseries based on the book My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks (with Frances Spatz Leighton). The series, produced by Ed Friendly Productions, is the story of behind-the-scenes workings of the White House and the relationship between the staff and the First Families.
Backstamp A backstamp, in philately, is a postmark on the back of a cover (almost invariably an envelope), showing a post office or station through which the cover passed in transit. The office of delivery may also backstamp a cover and this type of mark is also known as a receiving mark.
Backstay On a sailing vessel, a backstay is a piece of standing rigging which runs from the mast to the transom of the boat, counteracting the forestay and jib. The backstay is an important sail trim control and has a direct effect on the shape of the mainsail and the headsail.
Backstitch Back stitch is a simple embroidery line stitch most commonly used in Cross stitch to outline an area of stitching or to add detail to an embroidered picture but it also has many uses in other types of embroidery and general sewing.
Backstop resources The theory of "backstop resources" is used by economic optimists to downplay fears about resource shortages, especially energy resources (see Peak oil). The essential argument is that as a limited resources become expensive, others will become cheap by comparison and therefore economically viable.
Backstretch The Backstretch is used to describe the area in a horse racetrack where horses are stabled and the training and daily work of maintaining the horses occurs. In many race tracks it will be found directly across the track from the grandstands and may also be called "the other side of the track.
Backstroke Backstroke also sometimes called back crawl is one of the three swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of not seeing where the swimmer is heading to.
Backtaxi Backtaxi is a term used in aviation circles, to describe the process of turning an aircraft around by 180 degrees, usually at the end of a runway. An aircraft will usually backtaxi if it has to taxi normally along a runway to reach the end, rather than using a taxiway.
Backtuck Practiced in Gymnastics, Tricking, and various other activities, the tuckback is a move in which the person executing the move jumps from two feet, rotates backwards in the air, and lands on their feet again, without needing to touch the floor with their hands. This move is also commonly executed after a roundoff (a cartwheel landing with both feet together), but can also be done from a standing position or after another move such as a back flic.
Backup In the field of information technology, backup refers to the copying of data so that these additional copies may be restored after a data loss event. Backups are useful primarily for two purposes: to restore a computer to an operational state following a disaster (called disaster recovery) and to restore small numbers of files after they have been accidentally deleted or corrupted.
Backup Domain Controller In Windows NT 4 server domains, the Backup Domain Controller (BDC) is a computer that has a copy of the user accounts database. Unlike the accounts database on the Primary Domain Controller (PDC), the BDC database is a read only copy.
Backup validation Backup validation is the process whereby owners of computer data may examine how their data was backed up in order to understand what their risk of data loss might be. It also speaks to optimization of such processes, charging for them as well as estimating future requirements, sometimes called capacity planning.
Backup&Recovery (Software) The Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general election, 2005 are the activities that were undertaken by the candidates and their political parties in the lead up to the United Kingdom general election, 2005.
BackupHDDVD BackupHDDVD is a free, open source utility available in both command line and GUI-based versions which aids in the decryption of copy-protected commercial HD DVD disks, presumably for the purpose of backing up a film the user has purchased.
BackupPC BackupPC is a free backup software suite with a web-based frontend. It runs on "A linux, solaris, or unix based server with a substantial amount of free disk space," according to the BackupPC documentation.
Backus Mill Heritage and Conservation Centre The Backus Heritage Conservation Area is a place where children and adults can re-enact life in Norfolk County in the mid 19th century. Education programs include a War of 1812 day where students are able to experience the life of a soldier.
Backus–Naur form The Backus–Naur form (also known as BNF, the Backus–Naur formalism, Backus normal form, or Panini–Backus Form) is a metasyntax used to express context-free grammars: that is, a formal way to describe formal languages.
Backward compatibility In technology, especially computing, a product is said to be backward compatible (or downward compatible) when it is able to take the place of an older product, by interoperating with other products that were designed for the older product.
Backward conditioning In classical conditioning, backward conditioning occurs when a conditioned stimulus immediately follows an unconditioned stimulus. Unlike with traditional conditioning models, in which the conditioned stimulus precedes the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response tends to be inhibitory.
Backward Castes Backward Castes people are generally a group of people in India who generally live off income derived from self employment on caste-dependent skills assignment.They typically constitute the Dalits, the Scheduled Castes and the Other Backward Classes (OBC's).
Backward channel In a data circuit a backward channel is the channel that passes data in a direction opposite to that of its associated forward channel. The backward channel is usually used for transmission of request, supervisory, acknowledgement, or error-control signals.
Backward induction In game theory, backward induction is one of dynamic programming algorithms used to compute subgame perfect equilibria in sequential games. The process proceeds by first looking at the last possible action, determine what the last player will do in each situation (i.
Backward running Backward running, also known as backwards running, running backwards, retro running, or retro locomotion is the act of running in reverse, so that one travels in the direction one's back is facing rather than one's front. It is classed as a retro movement, the reverse of any normal movement.
Backward wave oscillator A backward wave oscillator (BWO), also called carcinotron or backward wave tube, is a device that is used to generate microwaves and terahertz radiation. It consists of a vacuum tube that provides 1 mW to 50 mW of power.
Backwardation Backwardation, sometimes incorrectly referred to as "backwardization," is the situation where futures contracts closer to expiration trade at higher prices than those that are far from expiration. This is the case of a convenience yield that is greater than the risk free rate.
Backwardness The backwardness model is a theory of economic growth created by Alexander Gerschenkron. The model postulates that the more backward an economy is at the outset of economic development, the more likely certain conditions are to occur.
Backwards demo Backwards was a studio bootleg recording by Coil. The origin of the source of "Backwards" is believed to have been a leak of the studio demo, in the form of a cassetteHowever, the entire demo was broadcast when Dutch Radio4, a radio station in Amsterdam], had Coil as in studio guests to coincide with a live performance on the date of 2001 June 01.
Backwash (The Wire episode) "Backwash" is the seventh episode of the second season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by Rafael Alvarez from a story by David Simon & Rafael Alvarez and was directed by Thomas J.
Backwash squeeze Backwash squeeze is a rare squeeze which involves squeezing an opponent which lies behind declarer's menace. It was first attested by famous bridge theorist GĂ©za Ottlik in an article in The Bridge World in 1974, as well as in his famous book Adventures in Card Play, co-authored with Hugh Kelsey.
Backwell School Backwell School is a comprehensive school in Backwell, North Somerset, England, part of England's state education system. The school includes a sixth form and as such takes pupils from the age of 11 (Year 7) to the age of 18 (Year 13).
Backyard breeder The term backyard breeder refers to people who breed dogs, but are ignorant of selective breeding goals and techniques, and are not familiar with the breed standard of their chosen breed of dog. Others are focused exclusively on a standard and do little genetic screening or Co-efficent of Inbreeding calculations.
Backyard Baseball Backyard Baseball is a series of video games for the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube and the PC. Currently all the games in the series have been developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Atari.
Backyard Burial <B>Backyard Burial</B> are a grindcore/death metal band from Wellington, New Zealand. They've accompanied some of New Zealand's finest metal bands onstage and have a reputation for being the most deservingly popular Kiwi grindcore band.
Backyard cricket Backyard cricket, beach cricket or garden cricket is an informal ad hoc variant of the game of cricket, played by people of both sexes and all ages in gardens, back yards, on the street, in parks, carparks, beaches and any area not specifically intended for the purpose.
Backyard furnace Backyard steel furnaces were used by the people of China during the Great Leap Forward (1958-62) when Mao stated that he wanted to double steel output and catch up with the UK in terms of steel output in 15 years. These small steel furnaces were constructed in the back yards of the communes hence their names.
Backyard railroad A backyard railroad is a privately owned, outdoor railroad, most often in miniature, but large enough for one or several persons to ride on. The rail gauge can be anything from 2-1/2" (63 mm) to 7-1/2" (190 mm) or more.
Backyard Soccer (game) Backyard Soccer was the second game to debut in the Backyard Sports Series and the first game in the Backyard Soccer series. Its sequel was the 2001 game Backyard Soccer MLS Edition which contain pro soccer teams and pro soccer players.
Backyard wrestling Backyard wrestling (or BYW), also used interchangeably with "backyarding", is a loose term used to describe the controversial practice of professional wrestling as performed by untrained fans (usually adolescent males) in an unsanctioned, non-professional environment. Though backyard wrestling was not unheard of prior to the 1990s, the modern backyard wrestling "craze" lasted from roughly 1998 to 2001, during a time when televised professional wrestling was enjoying a period of unparalleled popularity (see 1990s wrestling boom).

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