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Dec 16, 2002

On Predictability

I’ve got to agree with Zoe Williams about people abbreviating words when sending text messages. It smacks of laziness, and besides, there’s no real need when so many new mobile phones have predictive text input. So using text abbreviations now is an affectation – and a rather droll one, at that.

There are only a handful of people who send me messages containing strange TXT shorthand – 2morrow, l8r, CU nxt wk and so on – and it bugs the shit out of me, for reasons I’m not entirely sure of.

What I do know is this – I usually take as much effort in replying to them as they have in messaging me in the first place – i.e. very little.

My other friends, however, the ones who know how to make 160 characters speak volumes, get the replies they deserve – full of care and attention and proper spelling.

While we’re on the subject, can I just point out something else about text messages that I don’t get? Those little books – The little bk of txt msgs and whatnot, which retail on cardshop counters for £1.99 and contain lots of little messages, chat up lines, insults and jokes you can put into your phone and send to all your friends.

The mind boggles. What lack of originality must a person have in order to require a book telling them what to send to their own friends?

I’m very much looking forward to seeing “The little book of postcards” for next time I go on holiday – full of such gems as “weather is here, wish you were lovely” and the like. *Yawn*

And another thing. I think I need to get myself a predictive text plugin for my boyfriend – I seem to spend an awful lot of time these last couple of weeks going:

Me: “Honey, could you get me the….the…”
Him: “The what?”
Me: “The…thingy…the…you know…the…the telly guide”
Him: [looks at me strangely] “Right. Where is it?”
Me: “It’s in the….the….”
Him: “Where? The kitchen? The living room? Where?”
Me: “…the….the bedroom! Aha!”
Him: “Sure.” [looks at me strangely]

Bless him, he’s trying so hard. I think I need a….a…you know…one of those things….a… bugger, you know what I mean…a….ah yes, I remember. A holiday.

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Category: Language, Life, Technology

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By the way, I'm female. It doesn't have much impact on what I write about, or how I write, but I thought I'd point it out because so many people who link to this site seem to assume I'm male.

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What’s all this, then?

This is a personal site, created and curated continuously since early 2000 by Meg Pickard, a creative geek, passionate photographer, anthropologist and web experience /community /social media specialist, who works for The Guardian & lives in London, UK.
 
The site includes a blog - a personal and evolving collection of links, opinions, thoughts, ideas, anecdotes and musings - as well as a variety of other projects. It is also a place to aggregate some of the author's distributed web activity, like photos, links and music.
 
More info about this site and its author.

Important note #1

This is a personal site. The contents and opinions contained within don't necessarily reflect those of my employer, family, or cat. They think for themselves (though mostly about tuna, in at least one case), and so do I.

Important note #2

Since the overwhelming majority of content on this site is historical, it should be regarded in light of the context in which it was originally published, and not as indicative or revealing of current perspectives, preferences or experience.

Important note #3

While I work and spend a lot of time thinking and talking about social media, participatory technologies and community development strategies, the vast majority of content on this site is not about that.

This personal site isn't about anything, except the perpetual unfolding of one person's experience, and the perspectives, observations and opinions that involves and inspires.

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