The origins of 8 high-tech names

Mental Floss breaks down the background behind 8 high-tech names and what they mean, including TiVo, Hulu, and BlackBerry.

Hulu means many things to many people. To some, it's a great online resource for watching their favorite TV shows and movies. But to a native Hawaiian, it means "hair." To someone who speaks Swahili, it means "cease." To an Indonesian, it means "butt." While these translations are accurate, the folks behind naming hulu.com were inspired by a couple of Mandarin Chinese definitions instead - "interactive recording" and "a hollowed-out gourd used to hold precious things." Despite this often misunderstood word, the website is rapidly becoming one of the biggest names in streaming video.