Word: dampener
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Maybe the idea here was to dampen the economic insecurity induced by Deep Blue. During the Kasparov match, there were many references to John Henry, who in legend died trying to defend his job against the incessant march of technology--in his case, the steam-powered drill. After pondering that outcome, and Deep Blue's triumph, people naturally find it reassuring to be reminded that chess is an artificial endeavor, hardly central to our lives or our livelihoods, and that computers still can't make meaningful small talk...
...hands, bookbags, and/or arms; luring them with the promise of food and friends, or fervently repeating the all-important mantra, "You know you want to join." Although the eager recruiters realize that the majority of flyers will eventually end up in the trash bin, it doesn't seem to dampen their spirit or enthusiasm one bit. Aah, such is the strength of newly gained faith...
Some neurotransmitters induce other neurons to fire; others dampen neuron activity. In either case, once the chemical locks on to the receptor, it sets in motion a cascade of chemical events in the receiving cell. This ongoing dance of neurotransmitters and receptors is the intricate code that brain cells use to communicate with one another...
...unemployment figure that is supposed to trigger inflation through demands for higher wages, according to the standard view. This view fails to take into account the forces of global competition. American workers no longer compete for jobs only with one another, but with workers worldwide, and that tends to dampen wage demands at home. Wage inflation is not a real threat, but we keep treating it as such...
...ordered the sale of about 12 million bbl. of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Though a sale totaling $277 million was mandated by Congress in the budget agreement two weeks ago, the Administration's move to do so last week was a dramatic gesture that officials hoped would dampen the upward price spiral. The President's order, said White House spokesman Mike McCurry, is a "precise, prudent and modest step, designed to move the market in the right direction...