Learning to be '133+?

[unixronin]

Goose checked out a book from the library today that, as far as I can tell from every glance I've gotten at it, appears to be composed entirely of simulated AIM transcripts.  It's even laid out so each page looks like the author's idea of an AIM window.  I have a creeping dread that by the time she finishes this "book" -- I hesitate to even call it that -- she'll be attempting to communicate entirely in acronyms and emoticons.

Comments

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

Kevin said he was going to have to learn the abbreviations and use them so he could communicate with his daughter. I begged him not to. It annoys me to no end that people will type u which is only two letters shorter than you and r which is only two letters shorter than are.

I understand using BRB, BTW, WRT, LOL, and IIRR (IOW, phrases :-) but abbreviating a word to one letter bothers me.

Emoticons are shortcuts and as such have their places. It's like when someone asks if you are having fun and instead of saying yes you turn around and flash them a quick smile/grin.

[bbullock.livejournal.com]

The only time I abbreviate words is when I'm sending a phone text message to my wife; it's a pain to tap a key three times to get the word you want (and word-projection programs are useless).

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Not to mention up to four times to get each LETTER ...

[bbullock.livejournal.com]

Pardon; that's actually what I meant: "Lets see... 'a,' 'b'... now, 'r' and... shoot, backspace, backspace..."

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

This is one thing that tempts me about the Treo -- you can get it with a small, but real, QWERTY keyboard.