Has Google lost its mojo?
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2009-04-04 06:28 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Reader question:

What does this headline – Has Google lost its mojo? – mean? What is mojo?

My comments:

That headline asks: Has Google lost its entrepreneurial magic? Or has Google's pioneering tricks stopped working?

In other words it questions whether Google is beginning to lose its luster1, whether it has ceased to be effective, or using another parable2, whether it has lost its magic wand.

A mojo is a charm, it's the thing hidden in the bag of a voodoo magician, which is either African-American or American-Indian in origin. Voodoo is originally a word for folk beliefs involving charms and spells. Nowadays it stands for anything superstitious3 and unscientific, such as voodoo economics. A mojo can be a spear, a spike4, a nail, a stick, a stone, a pin, a needle (I find myself humming to the tune5 of the Waters of March) or any other object that, like the magic wand, somehow lends the voodoo master mystical powers.

This reminds me of another similar saying: don't lose your marble. Take marble as being the little round glass ball children play with in games. Imagine a boy engaging in heated and exciting battle and all of a sudden he can't find his little glass ball. Well, as a young boy playing marble, I've had it happen to me a number of times – I would get distracted for the slightest moment by something and lo, and behold6, the little round ball had rolled out of my sight and nowhere to be found. And what happens when you lose your marble? You're agitated7 and begin to act crazy and strange.

Now you can imagine how a voodoo master feels when he opens his bag and his mojo isn't there!

Alright, here are media examples of people losing their mojo:

1. John Key outlined his party's three major themes of economy, education and environment in his first speech to a regional conference as National's leader.

Mr Key says Helen Clark has "lost her mojo, Labour has lost the pulse of the people and National has fresh ideas and will win the next election".

- John Key: Helen has 'lost her mojo', 3news.co.nz, April 28, 2007.

2. He once made grown men cry – or at least tremble at the mere8 sight of his name anywhere within a 6-iron of the top of the leaderboard on a Saturday or a Sunday. No more. Tiger Woods is no longer The Intimidator9.

Time was, Woods was still in the hunt even when he was four, five or even six strokes off the lead. This was partly due to his magical gifts, but also because the rest of the field knew he was still in the hunt and played as if they were all shooting for second place. It's hard to swing a club when your knees are knocking and you're looking back over your shoulder.

Woods has, quite frankly10, lost his mojo.

-- Tiger Woods has lost his mojo - and his mastery, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, August 15, 2003.

3. I'm trying not to be alarmed, but I think I might have lost my mojo. There might be some of you out there unsure as to what mojo is, and I'd have to admit that I don't know exactly either. It seems to be one of those words of rock'n'roll origin that describes the 'stuff' inside a person that gives them that extra bit of fizz and sparkle and swagger to get through life.

Other ways of describing 'mojo' would be 'soul' or 'chutzpah'. And it's important, this mojo thing, because it gives a person a subtle but exhilarating sense of confidence and momentum11. A bit like when you're riding a bicycle and you know you're going to get up the second hill because you're coming down the first hill so fast that nothing could ever stop you.

Anyway, whatever mojo is, I think I've lost it, maybe for good. I am mojo-less. I am sans mojo. You can tell by my 'sense of style'. I popped out to the shops the other day in a T-shirt I'd slept in with a jumper slung12 over the top, torn trousers trailing in the dirt, skidding13 a bit because my boots needed re-heeling. Shuffling14 along, with my bed hair, I looked like a junkie in search of their morning bag of skag, and you know what's really scary? I didn't even care.

I think this sort of thing happens every so often, especially with mums. They should have a section in parenting books after the stuff about sleepless15 nights and potty training - Beware of Losing Your Mojo. I believe they call it 'letting yourself go', but it's a bit more important than that. People who've 'let themselves go' tend to stand screaming in front of the mirror, seemingly shocked to the core that Halle Berry isn't staring back at them. Deluded16 they might be, but there's still some energy there, some fight left in them.

Women who've lost their mojo are different - if they ever look in the mirror it's with this kind of dead-eyed sarcasm17, this kind of 'Yeah, so?' attitude.

- Mum's mojo, by Barbara Ellen, The Observer, April 17 2005. 



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 luster n82z0     
n.光辉;光泽,光亮;荣誉
参考例句:
  • His great books have added luster to the university where he teaches.他的巨著给他任教的大学增了光。
  • Mercerization enhances dyeability and luster of cotton materials.丝光处理扩大棉纤维的染色能力,增加纤维的光泽。
2 parable R4hzI     
n.寓言,比喻
参考例句:
  • This is an ancient parable.这是一个古老的寓言。
  • The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.牧师讲道时用了亡羊的比喻。
3 superstitious BHEzf     
adj.迷信的
参考例句:
  • They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
  • These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。
4 spike lTNzO     
n.长钉,钉鞋;v.以大钉钉牢,使...失效
参考例句:
  • The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
  • They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。
5 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
6 behold jQKy9     
v.看,注视,看到
参考例句:
  • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
  • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。
7 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的,不安的
参考例句:
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
8 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
9 intimidator 089f9f9d966bd086bcc99d64abc5117e     
n.威吓者,胁迫者
参考例句:
10 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
11 momentum DjZy8     
n.动力,冲力,势头;动量
参考例句:
  • We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
  • The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。
12 slung slung     
抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往
参考例句:
  • He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩,挎在肩上。
  • He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。
13 skidding 55f6e4e45ac9f4df8de84c8a09e4fdc3     
n.曳出,集材v.(通常指车辆) 侧滑( skid的现在分词 );打滑;滑行;(住在)贫民区
参考例句:
  • All the wheels of the truck were tied up with iron chains to avoid skidding on the ice road. 大卡车的所有轮子上都捆上了铁链,以防止在结冰的路面上打滑。 来自《用法词典》
  • I saw the motorcycle skidding and its rider spilling in dust. 我看到摩托车打滑,骑车人跌落在地。 来自互联网
14 shuffling 03b785186d0322e5a1a31c105fc534ee     
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • Don't go shuffling along as if you were dead. 别像个死人似地拖着脚走。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • Some one was shuffling by on the sidewalk. 外面的人行道上有人拖着脚走过。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
15 sleepless oiBzGN     
adj.不睡眠的,睡不著的,不休息的
参考例句:
  • The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
  • One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上,我听说了一个传闻,把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。
16 deluded 7cff2ff368bbd8757f3c8daaf8eafd7f     
v.欺骗,哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Don't be deluded into thinking that we are out of danger yet. 不要误以为我们已脱离危险。
  • She deluded everyone into following her. 她骗得每个人都听信她的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 sarcasm 1CLzI     
n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic)
参考例句:
  • His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
  • She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。
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