The other day a friend from long ago sent me a text message, and I did what I do when I get those things: I panicked. I don't speak this language. I am without a single clue about what to do. Nevertheless, for the sake of an old friend, I tried.
I was literally all thumbs as I stepped into that strange world where words aren't what I think they are but what they look like, which is pretty much nothing.
I was a texting failure, I admit. I wrote in complete, punctuated sentences. I gasped my last after two terse sentences, and died a humble death with: "Text is nuts."
I suppose smoke signals, one-if-by-land-two-if-by-sea were, and Morse Code were nuts in their day, too. So I figured I might as well stretch a bit and learn something. Here's the total of my knowledge of text:
1. Atlingo2word.com, translates a message from text to plain English.
2. Netlingo.com is an extensive list of text terms. Netlingo brought me the following.
3. Who know this @TEOTD could be as poetic as it is--"at the end of the day."
4. I would not have imagined this combination of letters could express impatience and a bit of condescension: AWGTHTGTHA--"are we going to have to go through this again?"
5. @TEOTD we can ATWD --agree that we disagree--and put to rest the question AWGTHTGTHA.
6. BARB is nobody I know and nothing I understand--Buy Abroad But Rent in Britain. Can anyone out there help this naive child?
7. BHIMBGO--bloody hell I must be getting old--is one I can relate to now and again.
8. How about the ever so casual BTWITIAILW/U--by the way, I think I am in love with you? Does that thrill your heart? It made me think of some Patridge Family songs from the early days of cable TV.
9. Sometimes context counts, as with BYOW--Build Your Own Website or Bring Your Own Wine.
10. WWJD is of course What Would Jesus Do? But not everybody goes that road, for some the question is
11. WWSD--What Would Satan Do?
12. For all the cranky text words, there are plenty of lovely ones: WUWHIMA--wish you were here in my arms. (Although it seems you could walk to your beloved and be there by the time you're done typing.)
13. That's enough for now, so GTGLYS--Got To Go Love Ya So.
(P.S. Check out this YouTube video clip from a Jay Leno show--Morse beats text! Thanks to Paul for the heads up on that one.)
More at Thursday Thirteen
I was literally all thumbs as I stepped into that strange world where words aren't what I think they are but what they look like, which is pretty much nothing.
I was a texting failure, I admit. I wrote in complete, punctuated sentences. I gasped my last after two terse sentences, and died a humble death with: "Text is nuts."
I suppose smoke signals, one-if-by-land-two-if-by-sea were, and Morse Code were nuts in their day, too. So I figured I might as well stretch a bit and learn something. Here's the total of my knowledge of text:
1. Atlingo2word.com, translates a message from text to plain English.
2. Netlingo.com is an extensive list of text terms. Netlingo brought me the following.
3. Who know this @TEOTD could be as poetic as it is--"at the end of the day."
4. I would not have imagined this combination of letters could express impatience and a bit of condescension: AWGTHTGTHA--"are we going to have to go through this again?"
5. @TEOTD we can ATWD --agree that we disagree--and put to rest the question AWGTHTGTHA.
6. BARB is nobody I know and nothing I understand--Buy Abroad But Rent in Britain. Can anyone out there help this naive child?
7. BHIMBGO--bloody hell I must be getting old--is one I can relate to now and again.
8. How about the ever so casual BTWITIAILW/U--by the way, I think I am in love with you? Does that thrill your heart? It made me think of some Patridge Family songs from the early days of cable TV.
9. Sometimes context counts, as with BYOW--Build Your Own Website or Bring Your Own Wine.
10. WWJD is of course What Would Jesus Do? But not everybody goes that road, for some the question is
11. WWSD--What Would Satan Do?
12. For all the cranky text words, there are plenty of lovely ones: WUWHIMA--wish you were here in my arms. (Although it seems you could walk to your beloved and be there by the time you're done typing.)
13. That's enough for now, so GTGLYS--Got To Go Love Ya So.
(P.S. Check out this YouTube video clip from a Jay Leno show--Morse beats text! Thanks to Paul for the heads up on that one.)
More at Thursday Thirteen
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