creator of the animated GIF,

正文

Stephen Wilhite, creator of the animated GIF, dies at 74

GIF 动图发明者史蒂夫·威尔海特去世，享年 74 岁

Stephen E. Wilhite, a computer programmer who was best known for inventing the GIF, the looping animations that became a universal language for conveying humor, sarcasm and angst on social media and in instant messages, died in Cincinnati on March 14. He was 74.

3 月 14 日，史蒂夫·威尔海特在辛辛那提去世，享年 74 岁。他是一位计算机程序员，因发明 GIF 而闻名于世，这种循环动画在社交媒体和即时信息中，成为传达幽默、讽刺和烦恼的通用语言。

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In 1987, while Stephen Wilhite was working for CompuServe, the nation's first online service, he led a team of engineers who revolutionized how people could share video clips on the internet.

1987 年，当史蒂夫·威尔海特为 CompuServe（美国第一家在线服务供应商）工作时，他带领一个程序员团队，彻底改变了人们在互联网上分享视频片段的方式。

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They called the format they created a GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, a type of compressed image file with an ease of use that made it enduring.

他们把这个自己创造出来的文件格式称为 GIF（即图像互换格式的简称），这是一种压缩了的图像文件，易于使用，经久不衰。

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"I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started programming," Wilhite told The New York Times in 2013.

2013 年，威尔海特告诉《纽约时报》：“我在脑海中看到了我想要的格式，然后就开始写代码。”

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That year, Wilhite, who was also a former chief architect for America Online, received a lifetime achievement honor at the Webby Awards.

也是在那一年，曾担任美国在线（公司）首席架构师的威尔海特，在韦比奖上获得了终身成就奖。

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Tributes to Wilhite spread online after his death was reported, many of them, fittingly, in the form of GIFs.***

当威尔海特去世的消息传出后，网上到处都是对他的悼念，其中很多是以 GIF 的形式出现的，十分应景。

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In 2012, Oxford American Dictionaries recognized GIF as its "word of the year".

2012 年，《牛津美语词典》将 GIF 认定为“年度词汇”。

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While the usefulness of Wilhite's innovation was undisputed, the pronunciation of "GIF" was a frequent subject of debate — and even the subject of a "Final Jeopardy!" answer. Was it pronounced with a hard G sound or a soft one?

虽然威尔海特这项创新的实用价值无可厚非，但 GIF 的发音却是一个经常引发争论的话题，它甚至曾是《终极危险边缘》（节目）某期的题目。它开头的发音是 hard G（/g/）还是 soft G（/dʒ/）？

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"The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations," Wilhite told the Times in 2013. "They are wrong. It is a soft G, pronounced 'jif.' End of story."

威尔海特在 2013 年告诉《纽约时报》：“《牛津英语词典》认为两种发音都对，但他们是错的。它是一个 soft G（/dʒ/），发音是‘jif’。就是这样。”

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主编：Luni

品控：XP

审核：Jack

重点词汇

loop

/luːp/

v. 循环；缠绕，弯曲

搭配短语：looping animation

例句：Loop the rope over the bar.

词性拓展：loop（n. 圆圈，环形；循环，或者一种循环状态）

例句：The playlist runs in a continuous loop.

convey

/kənˈveɪ/

v. 传达，表达；运送，运输

例句：His poetry conveys a great sense of homesickness.

搭配短语：convey sth. to sb.

例句：I tried to convey my thoughts to my parents.

例句：The goods are usually conveyed by rail.

近义词：transport, carry（运送，运输）

sarcasm

/ˈsɑːr.kæz.əm/

n. 讽刺，嘲笑，挖苦

例句：There was a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

派生词：sarcastic（adj. 讽刺的）

例句：Are you being sarcastic?

angst

/ɑːŋst/

n. 焦虑，烦扰

英文释义：a mixed feeling of anxiety and worry

例句：I'm suffering from angst about nothing in particular.

instant

/ˈɪn.stənt/

adj. 立即的，即刻的；快餐的，方便的，速溶的

搭配短语：instant message

例句：The film was an instant success.

搭配短语：instant noodle

搭配短语：instant coffee

revolutionize

/ˌrev.əˈluː.ʃən.aɪz/

v. 使……发生巨大变革

例句：Newton's discoveries revolutionized physics.

相关词汇：revolution（n. 革命；巨大的变革）

搭配短语：technological revolution

graphic

/ˈɡræf.ɪk/

n. （电脑上的）图形图像

词性拓展：graphic（adj. 图像的）

compressed

/kəmˈprest/

adj. 压缩的

搭配短语：compressed air

搭配短语：compressed image file

相关词汇：compress（v. 压缩；压实，压紧）

例句：I managed to compress ten pages of notes into two paragraphs.

例句：Firmly compress the soil in the pot.

搭配短语：to compress files

ease of use

易用性，易于使用

英文释义：how easily users can use a product

相关词汇：ease（n. 简单）

搭配短语：ease of learning

搭配短语：ease of mind

enduring

/ɪnˈdʊr.ɪŋ/

adj. 持续的，持久的

相关词汇：endure（v. 忍耐，忍受；持续，持久）

例句：We had to endure a nine-hour delay at the airport.

搭配短语：a building that has endured for centuries

tribute

/ˈtrɪb.juːt/

n. （尤指在正式场合表达敬意的）颂词，礼物

英文释义：something that you say, write, or give to show respect and admiration for someone

fittingly

/ˈfɪt̬.ɪŋli/

adv. 恰当地，恰如其分地，恰到好处地

相关词汇：fit（v. 合适，适合）

例句：These shoes fit me well.

相关词汇：fitting（n. 试衣；adj. 恰当的，恰如其分的）

搭配短语：fitting room

搭配短语：a fitting end

undisputed

/ˌʌn.dɪˈspjuː.t̬ɪd/

adj. 毫无争议的，不容置疑的

词根词缀：un-（表示否定）

搭配短语：an undisputed fact

相关词汇：dispute（v. 对……有异议，不赞同某事）

英文释义：to argue or disagree with sth.

例句：The topic has been hotly disputed.

相关词汇：disputed（adj. 有争议的）

搭配短语：a disputed border

近义词：controversial

a subject of debate

有争议的话题

英文释义：a disputed or controversial subject

相关词汇：a matter of debate（容易引起争议的事情）