Akademik

n.

An aura or mystique, either inherent or generated by charm, enthusiasm, or salesmanship, that prevents something from being seen as it really is.

"I told him straight off that his first mistake was allowing his boss to go to Comdex, especially unaccompanied. I assumed that the boss was nontechnical and therefore especially susceptible to the reality distortion field that surrounds any new product."

— Bill Machrone, "Win CE Boxes Already Causing IS Grief," PC Week