I heard about this term recently through the July 30 episode of NPR’s Planet Money show titled, “Summer School 4: Who are all these regulations protecting?”

In the Planet Money episode, the hosts interview business managers and economists to explore how patents specifically within intellectual property can lead to a monopoly in the one thing that they are designed to protect and invites questions on whether a patent can either promote or hinder innovation and further progress in the field.

In an interview, Professor Joan Ricard-Uget explains, “Regulatory capture is when an agency that should act in the public interest instead advances the special interests of individuals or of entities like companies that it is meant to regulate. And that’s bad because instead of fostering the interests of society at large, it fosters the interests of a particular group of people with something to protect.”

CFA Institute Research & Policy Institute: “The concept of Regulatory Capture (Reg Capture) typically refers to a phenomenon that occurs when a regulatory agency that is created to act in the public interest, instead advances the commercial or political concerns of special interest groups that dominate an industry or sector the agency is charged with regulating. When regulatory capture occurs, the interests of firms or political groups are given priority or favor over the interests of the public.”

Investopedia: “Regulatory capture is a process by which regulatory agencies may come to be dominated by the industries or interests they are charged with regulating. The result is that an agency, charged with acting in the public interest, instead acts in ways that benefit incumbent firms in the industry it is supposed to be scrutinizing.”

Georgetown Law: “Regulatory capture is a phenomenon where regulators become unduly influenced by the industries they are tasked with regulating.”

Regulators typically have specialized knowledge in the industry that they regulate, and so this necessitates the need for an economic theory to check the special interests and motivations of government agencies. “Captured” agencies may not be inherently corrupt, but there is the risk we the public must continually check and question, of course.

7.16.2025

Scientific Notation

1.

: method of writing large or small numbers in a shorter form, often used in fields such as engineering, chemistry, microbiology, physics, and astronomy.

2.

: mathematical lesson often taught to students in the 7th and 8th grade.
: a great way for a student who struggles with math to become more comfortable learning the subject. Learning the basic concepts of scientific notation is taught visually by counting the zeros like how you would count the stars when you look at the night sky.

2025.07.14

Definition: Technical Communications | tech·​ni·​cal com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​tion |  ˈtek-ni-kəl  kə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən 

Noun

1a

: type of communication that is written to detail directions or instructions ; can include mixed media such as texts, illustrations, videos, or even DIY How-To zines.

: process of conveying complex technical information to a specific audience in a clear, concise, and accurate manner and in a way that is accessible, digestible, easy-to-understand, and without judgment.

1b

: the instructions for setting up a new appliance or furniture that appears difficult to read either because of the font size or a key step is missing that could put you at a safety risk.

2a

: a career field that provides information to users who need assistance to accomplish a defined goal or task. 

: a type of writing that requires technical knowledge or a deep interest in synthesizing multiple streams of information.

: a type of writing where you feel motivated to write clearer documentation or instructions for your audiences and without missing any key steps, guaranteeing the trust and safety of your customers.

A Simple, Technical Communication on How to Write Technical Communications:

• First, set down the pen. Learn the product and, if possible, test it.
• Read all your guides and keep reviewing them while you are on assignment. Guides include the dictionary, company in-house style guides, standardized style guides (i.e. AP Style, Chicago Manual of Style), accessibility best practices, and Federal Plain Text Guidelines. Don’t forget to ask your local marketer what dictionary he/she/they prefer!
• Read the latest news and continue to keep updated on the cultural discourse (as often and as you can). Words are constantly evolving, and with that, new semantics.

Promoted: Writing technical communication also means mastering the language of grammar. Fortunately, with Grammarly AI, you can work with an AI writing partner that helps you find the words you need⁠—⁠to write that tricky email, to get your point across, to keep your work moving.

What do you think of Definition of the Day? Do you have any feedback or a new word to submit? Contact me at juliaisreading at aol dot com! I’m looking for new, creative definitions of “vacations” and “crash out” for future blog posts.

2025.07.06

Definition: birdsong | bird· song | ˈbərd-ˌsȯŋ 

noun

1.

General term

: the “song” of one or more birds.
: the melodious sound and language that we hear birds make.

In an essay for BBC Earth, Angela Saini interviews academic researchers on the sentence structure of birdsong and how oddly similar it can be to human speak.

“Syntax was considered to have uniquely evolved in humans, but our study demonstrates that it has evolved in a wild bird, too. I think many basic features of language capacity are shared between humans and non-human animals, including birds,” says Toshitaka Suzuki, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan, in an interview with Saini.

2.

Ornithological term

: the musical vocalizations of birds, typically uttered by a male songbird in characteristic bursts or phrases for territorial purposes.
: a form of animal communication by birds that is often more complex and used for decision-making purposes, such as courtship or territorial defense.

Connotations

1.
: a 1993 war novel by English author, Sebastian Faulks, part of a trilogy.
: a 2012 tv mini-series based on the Faulks novel.

2.
: a brewing company opened in 2010 and located at 1016 North Davidson Street in Charlotte, NC.

3.
: a Michelin-starred restaurant located at 1085 Mission St in San Francisco, CA and with a rich menu of seafood fare curated by Chef Christopher Bleidorn. It was opened in 2018.

4.
: name of 2018 album and an acoustic title track by Regina Spektor.

5.
: the sounds of nature that you will hear when you go outside and you shut out all other noises.

Bibliography

“Birdsong.” Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/birdsong

“Birdsong.” Michelin Guide. https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/san-francisco/restaurant/birdsong

“Birdsong.” Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birdsong

“Birdsong: Animal Communication.” Science > Biology > Life Cycle, Processes & Properties. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/birdsong-animal-communication

“Birdsong: Novel by Faulks.” Literature < Novels & Short Stories. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Birdsong-by-Faulks

Briggs, Helen, “Fossil sheds light on evolution of birdsong.” BBC News. 12 October 2016
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37618314

Mackenney, Francesca. “Birdsong, Speech and Poetry: The Origins of Art.” Cambridge University Press. 11 Nov 2022. https://cambridgeblog.org/2022/11/birdsong-speech-and-poetry-the-origins-of-art/

Saini, Angela. “The Link Between Birdsong and Language.” BBC Earth. https://www.bbcearth.com/news/the-link-between-birdsong-and-language (Web article)