Showing posts with label texting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label texting. Show all posts

Saturday, June 29, 2019

Leaving notes and texting instead of speaking


Notes on doors, texts to the next room…
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Adella: The neighbor often wants to use the driveway for her visitors’ cars and repairman trucks. She used to knock on the door and politely ask permission. Now she just leaves a note taped to the front door. ‘Apologies for the inconvenience. Call me if you need the vehicle moved.’ Even when she knows I’m at home. Doesn’t even ring the doorbell.
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Janet: Presumptuous.
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Adella: Or maybe she doesn’t like to speak. Or be seen. She’s elderly and doesn’t look too good. Covers her face when she speaks.
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Janet: Maybe communication style? My daughter texts me even when she’s sitting in the next room.
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Adella: No.
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Janet: True.
_________
Voice-over
Maybe some prefer remote communication. Young people texting each other, old people leaving notes on doors.
...

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Spinal stoop and text neck

Spinal stoop
Naomi reports a pain in her neck…
Fitness Fiend: You use a computer and you text. I’ve seen you. You spend a lot of time squinting at screens. Hunching over a computer, leaning over a mobile phone. Result is the same. Pain in the neck.

Text neck
Naomi: Have to see a chiropractor to straighten things out?

Fitness Fiend: Not always. Take frequent breaks and pull your chin into your neck when at the computer. Rotate shoulders. Sit up straight and hold phone high when texting.
___________
Voice-over

If you are addicted to the chiropractor twisting your neck to make it go click as a quick fix, go ahead, pay the fee. The lower-key and more economic option is to do the preventive maintenance.
...

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Stickerese: A new texting dialect


A text exchange…

Tonight?
Studying.









Tomorrow?
Partying.




__________
Voice-over
Recently the number of texts has been declining somewhat while the number of pictures sent by texting services has been sharply rising. Pictures are breaking into genres and dialects such as photographese, sketchese and stickerese. Even movies...
...

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Bumped up

On arriving at the airport, Sergei TXTs Alexander on what happened at check in.

...

Sergei: THNX 4 seeing me off. Taxi only took 20 mins, But at check in…

Alexander: What happened?

Sergei: Unbelievable, after being waitlisted 4 months on Thai Air, finally last week getting a seat, I get to the airport & find ... What!

Alexander: Oh no! It's a code share with Biman?!

Sergei: I can hear you chortling & wheezing from the taxi as I return to town.

Alexander: Stop it! I could have a heart attack. So much mirth is more than a mere mortal can take.

Sergei: Other day they confirmed me in Seat 11A window. I get here they sorry BC full, we have to move you to Seat 1A, other class. I’ve left in a huff. I try again tomorrow.

Alexander: Hope ur huff didnt stop u picking up ur obligatory $200 compensation

Sergei: Just recalled that so've comeback, nice lady tell me 1A in 1st class so I ask $200 compo & seat 1A as well. You think all Sorbs stupid?

Alexander: Great, but to be on safe side suggest avoid the preflight polonium welcome drink. And don’t be fooled when they land at some hangar in an expanse of tundra where the sign is being freshly painted: in German Frankfurt is "Gulaggrad"

Sergei: Who cares where this all ends? FC lounge is pretty spiffy, 4 waitresses on bended knees putting tubes in both arms, Hey, what's that sign "BUMRUNGRAD HOSPICE"? They’re asking me to sign a form.

Alexander: Just sign - this the nearest you'll get to heaven. You may even be there already.

_________

Voiceover

Sergei cranks up the suspense while Alexander plays the devil.

...

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Reflexivity

Diane explains to Juanita that she rewrote her proposal.

...

Diane: I mean it’s a conference on language and when I finished the proposal I realized the whole paper was going to be about technology and I’d called it “Technical issues related to texting.”

Juanita: So you just renamed it “How texting affects how we talk”?

Diane: No, I had to throw out all the technical stuff and when I’d done that I saw there weren’t any language issues left.

Juanita: Hard.

Diane: So I designed a new study. I now have the subjects texting messages to each other.

Juanita: It’s been done.

Diane: Not this way. The messages they send have to be about problems with texting.

Juanita: Very reflexive. Texts about texting. Nice one Di.

____________

Voiceover

Reflexive, meaning to refer to oneself. Reflexive, as in reflexive pronouns like myself, herself, itself. Reflexive verbs, of which there are almost none in English (perjure [oneself]) but many in languages like French or Serbo Croatian. Reflexivity in the sciences where circular relationships can occur, as when the act of observation can influence an outcome.

In this case Juanita is offering a McLuhanesque explanation. Diana has chosen a medium whose message refers to itself.

...