Cell phones have been shrinking in size over time, but I guess there is a practical limit to that unless an alternative to texting by keypad is developed.I avoided owning a cell phone because I did not want to be "trackable" by anyone, at any time, at any place. But during Hurricane Ike, my husband's cell phone became invaluable. I learned to text, as for weeks it was often the only way to communicate with family, friends, and co-workers. It wasn't pretty to watch, as I learned everything the hard way (no YouTube available at the time!). I kept grabbing people and asking questions like "How do I type a number? Get a capital? Correct [MANY] mistakes?" I am a little better now, but still not very fast.
Now, I find it is often the only good way to get my son's attention. E-mail is too "old-fashioned" for him. He seems to think that if he can't get it in seconds over his phone, it is not worth reading. I still don't have my own cell phone, but I am precariously leaning in that direction.
I appreciated learning about the http://www.txt2day.com/ website that I can use to send text messages from my computer. I used to be able to do this through the website of my son's cell phone provider, but they removed this service a while ago. I tested http://www.txt2day.com/ just now, and got a reply back within a minute.
Do you use text lingo? Did Lingo 2 Word help?
Text lingo is about the same as the shorthand that developed earlier for Instant Messaging. Recently I enjoyed reading the book "TTYL" by Lauren Myracle that chronicles, in IM format, the day-to-day experiences of three girlfriends as they begin tenth grade. The Lingo2Word site would have helped me decipher many of the phrases like OMG, WTF, TTFN that I found in that book.
I enjoyed playing the 60-Second Challenge in Lingo2Word to see if I could translate five text messages in less than a minute. The most I ever got was 2 out of 5. I learned a lot by playing, though! The challenge also includes some "real language" shorthand (TGIF) and some of the "pre-text" computer shorthand (GIGO). Those I knew! The Lingo2Word site could come in handy in the future. I think it would be especially helpful for anyone who texts with young people. Kind of a "teenspeak" translator.
Finally, what are your thoughts on the texting and driving after reading the New York Times article?
Listen to yo' mama: Don't even THINK about texting and driving! Talking on the cell phone is almost as bad, but at least your eyes can be on the road, even if your brain is not fully engaged.
