Best Buy pulls plug on analog TVs

[gadgetguy]

Why waste time typing those extra letters?

I hear that about text messaging too. But kids still find a way to screw that up. Just watch those tv ads:

Mom: Who is that you're texting?
Girl: IDK My BFF Jill.

Now, why would you waste the time to type "IDK" (I don't know) when you give the answer right after? What kind of retarded crap is that?

Not that I condone this type of communication, but the question in the commercial is not "Who is that you're texting?" It is "Who have you been texting?" while Mom shakes the phone bill in the girls face. The implied extended question is "Who have you been texting that is causing the bill to be so high?" and the girls response is appropriate. She doesn't know, and then she offers a possibility in the form of a question.

(Damn, I watch too much TV.)

[edDV]

I tried to defend my use or "re" but my grade remained a B-. This was in Georgia where past wars are treated as yesterday.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Not that I condone this type of communication, but the question in the commercial is not "Who is that you're texting?" It is "Who have you been texting?" while Mom shakes the phone bill in the girls face.

Since we are all in a pedantic mood , the question should be "To whom have you been texting?"

But "whom" seems to becoming a relic....and you'd probably get duffed up/done in speaking that way.


BTW, my updated avatar should give a big clue as to where I prefer to stick my r in relation to my e! But I've been here long enough that my native language now looks odd when I read it.

It's funny to be bilingual in the same language.

[thecoalman]

It's funny to be bilingual in the same language.

Out numbered again! Oddly I don't even think I see the different spellings anymore, my brain just processes for what it is. There was an interesting page I saw where they took many letters out of words and people could still easily read it. Wish I had a link.

[valvehead]

It's funny to be bilingual in the same language.

Out numbered again! Oddly I don't even think I see the different spellings anymore, my brain just processes for what it is. There was an interesting page I saw where they took many letters out of words and people could still easily read it. Wish I had a link.

The quote below isn't missing letters but it's still quite messed up. It's an email I got from my Aunt a few months ago. See if you can read it. I can.

Subject: I'm One of the 55. Are you? Don't even think about using spell check!!!!!!!!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

[gadgetguy]

The quote below isn't missing letters but it's still quite messed up. It's an email I got from my Aunt a few months ago. See if you can read it. I can.

Subject: I'm One of the 55. Are you? Don't even think about using spell check!!!!!!!!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

That's called "typoglycemia". Click Here for more info.

[JohnnyMalaria]

It would explain why proofreading is a tedious and error prone task. A good way to ensure accuracy is to start at the end of the text and read backwards. That forces you to look at each word in isolation.

The comment on wikipedia about parallel processors is somewhat obvious and probably grossly underestimates what occurs. It also seems that you have to be processing multiple words at once.

Of course, it doesn't work for numbers!

I'm surpised, though, that it is only 55 in 100.

[gadgetguy]

I'm surpised, though, that it is only 55 in 100.

As far as I've been able to determine, that "55 in 100" figure is bogus. To my knowledge, neither Cambridge nor anyone else actually did a study to determine that type of percentage, nor did the original researcher, since this was a by-product discovery of the study he was actually conducting.

Edit: The phenomenon is real, the study is false.