When I see people slaughtering English, this is what I think of.
A horrendously fat 43 year old man. Unemployed, unshowered, unmoving. Living in his parents' garage. Moldy pizza boxes stacked everywhere. The only light in the garage is the eerie blue glow of a monitor; the only sound the clacking of keys. The man is pretending to be a 16-year old girl in a racy AOL "adults only" chat room.
And then he decides that seventeen keystrokes can be shortened to three. "Laughing out Loud" becomes "LOL". Newspeak for the electronic age.
Next time you feel lazy, think of that man. He's still sitting there, finding newer and better ways to squeeze the life out of your language. Think of him, and type seventeen characters instead of three. You'll get carpal tunnel sooner, but at least you won't be "that" guy.
Slashdot Mirror
When I see people slaughtering English, this is what I think of. A horrendously fat 43 year old man. Unemployed, unshowered, unmoving. Living in his parents' garage. Moldy pizza boxes stacked everywhere. The only light in the garage is the eerie blue glow of a monitor; the only sound the clacking of keys. The man is pretending to be a 16-year old girl in a racy AOL "adults only" chat room. And then he decides that seventeen keystrokes can be shortened to three. "Laughing out Loud" becomes "LOL". Newspeak for the electronic age. Next time you feel lazy, think of that man. He's still sitting there, finding newer and better ways to squeeze the life out of your language. Think of him, and type seventeen characters instead of three. You'll get carpal tunnel sooner, but at least you won't be "that" guy.