A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

[dsadsadsa]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

I used to type in the way that you decribe a baffoon. I like to sound smart, though, so I switched over. Meh, I still use lol, lol.

[RandomPscho]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

What would you do if somebody started using "l33t sp34k" on these boards?

It is the one thing I absolutely cannot stand.

[MixMasterLar]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

What would you do if somebody started using "l33t sp34k" on these boards?

It is the one thing I absolutely cannot stand.

Thankfully, I never had to read leet speak.

Laharl, I hear you, your right, I'll try to do better on keyboads. I'm sorry about my stab at you.

but I'm still typing 'lol', come on, this is for fun, right?

[howplayddr]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

Z0/\/\GZ 1337 i r c0073r 7|-|4|\| y0|_|

haha, but yeah 1337 5p33k pisses me off too. Also grammer and proper spelling on a keyboard, you might as well learn to type properly now because I'm pretty sure in about 10 years your going to need a computer for almost every job. Well unless you like manual labor or saying "Would you like fries with that?".

[Squeek]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

wtf guido its the word stupid has double meaning like bitch can mean female dog or ........... a bitchass ho lol

Disregarding the pointless words you put together to form a sentence...

Why did you end in "lol" as opposed to punctuation?

Before you answer (if you even do), I'll tell you. It's because the Internet has tainted you so much that you think a "lol" is an acceptable way to end a sentence, and to hide behind your words so people go "I wonder if I should take him seriously or not."

This is your aim, but to me, it says "Golly I don't know how to end my sentences so instead of trying to learn, I'll just throw in some random expression into my sentence."

Remember, acronyms are acronyms. Putting "lol" at the end of your sentences means you can substitute it for "laughing out loud" and it will still make sense. In your case, it does not.

Therefore, STOP DOING IT.

[Kilgamayan]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

Why does it matter? Let people type how they want, it'll be their problem to deal with later in life and not yours.

If you can't read posts that aren't something you'd see in the newspaper's daily Jumble, then that's a problem on your end. If you can read them, then there's no problem.

[Squeek]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

It's not that I can't read them.

I choose not to.

Typing like that has a message all of its own to tell me. It says "Squeek, don't read this post. If this idiot can't even take the time to spell out words, whatever he's trying to say is obviously not worth reading."

[Megmo]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

I don't get why people substitute 4 for A and 3 for E.

[Cavernio]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

I use acronyms. I use lol when I actually want to point out that I'm actually laughing. I use rofl or lmao on the rare occasion I get the giggles bad from what someone said. I use heh, heehee, or hehe when something makes me smile or laugh just a little bit, or I sorta make that sound. lmao and lol aren't supposed to be part of regular speech or talking. They were originally used to convey ACTIONS, the action of laughing out loud, or laughing my ass off.
Why on earth should we limit ourselves to using only the words we use in speech, in conversation that takes place in text? We use smileys. Most people don't complain about them in conversation, unless they abound or something. Its the same thing, essentially.
When we converse in RL, there're nuances gallore beyond the words that're actually spoken. No one complains that those are stupid. An attempt to develop the same type of thing in a different (but still very similar) modality of communication shouldn't be seen as low-class.

There are already plenty of added color that are accepted in textual writings, actually. Bold, underlining italics to name a few. So what happens when you don't want to code those into your post or aren't capable? You make up for it by adding extra punctuation, using all caps, etc. There's a difference b/w 'Really?' and 'Really?????!", and again, that difference conveys a difference of emotional state. If you don't get that and don't want to convey more information in your text by adding things like that, then it's a loss of information IMO.

Onto another counter-point, why do we use contractions? Wait, we use them to shorten things! That's the main argument that people have used here for shortening words, (when indeed the words ARE actually being shortened). Contractions are accepted almost everywhere (in speech and in text) except formal writing. When we're posting or talking to friends, we're not into the whole formality thing. Everyone accepts and uses contractions. Using short form for words is the exact same thing. I use 'u' and 'r' when I type sometimes, even though I type fairly fast and even though I know it bugs most of the people I chat with.

I'm not talking about leet speek, or adding letters to make things look different. That's something else, more of a 'I'm this type of person who's cool, lookit me!' I think. I dunno, I never got into that, but then again, I'm not one to try and look cool. But also, that's adding nuance again. Hmmmm, its kinda like your outfit. Nothing wrong with expressing yourself, is there? But people make fun of people who do things like that though, like teenage guys who wear their pants constantly falling off their ass. Older women make fun of that all the time.

Everyone's comments on this thread besides Kilga's are just plain elitist. (excluding my own, obviously :-p)

[Squeek]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

Note to you:

I write as if I am speaking aloud. That is to say, if you were to say this sentence out loud, it would sound exactly like it was as I "spoke" it to myself in my head while I type it out.

If I use a smiley, well, that's because in reality, I CAN make that face while in conversation, and I am expressing that in my post. A smiley was intended to accurately represent what I would look like if you were to see me reading this sentence in person.

Now, let's return to acronyms. You know, they aren't a problem on their own. Yes, they're annoying, but I don't have a problem with a "lol" that isn't part of a sentence. Once that "lol" enters a sentence, I have a problem with it.

"wtf r u tlaking about lol"

translates to:

"What the ** are you talking about laughing out loud"

See where my problem lies now?

[GuidoHunter]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

wtf guido its the word stupid has double meaning like bitch can mean female dog or ........... a bitchass ho lol

This is what poor orthography gets you: I had to read your post at least five times before I understood what you were saying. "It is the word stupid has double meaning." It must be clear that this phrase doesn't make a lick of sense.

It wasn't until I went back and read your earlier post that I got your original point (again lost in bad style and grammar).

I thought you meant that acting stupid was considered cool, when you actually meant that the word "stupid" can mean "cool" in certain circles; that is, the words are interchangeable, not the meanings.

You're a freshman in high school, dude, so are you bothered by the fact that you can't construct a meaningful sentence in your native language?

@duhh: You don't have to hunt for a shift key. It's not like they're lost in a sea of other very similar-looking keys, because they are the biggest keys on the keyboard, save the spacebar. There are TWO of them for your convenience, so while you hunt for the letter you want, some finger could be gravitating to the nearest shift key.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[thyraxicmole]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

Disregarding the pointless words you put together to form a sentence...

Why did you end in "lol" as opposed to punctuation?

Before you answer (if you even do), I'll tell you. It's because the Internet has tainted you so much that you think a "lol" is an acceptable way to end a sentence, and to hide behind your words so people go "I wonder if I should take him seriously or not."

This is your aim, but to me, it says "Golly I don't know how to end my sentences so instead of trying to learn, I'll just throw in some random expression into my sentence."

Remember, acronyms are acronyms. Putting "lol" at the end of your sentences means you can substitute it for "laughing out loud" and it will still make sense. In your case, it does not.

Therefore, STOP DOING IT.

Listen up, ESqueek. You're a real bitch. A foolish, pretentious bitch. The best part about it is you have no reason to be so full of yourself. You think you're HOT **** because you can express your thoughts 'flawlessly' through keyboard and mouse. News flash: as if any sentence did, the final sentence of a forum post does not require a closing punctuation to make sense. "Lol," also, functions in the same way as an emoticon. If I were to say "Hello, I'm a bitch that posts on an internet forum under varations of the alias 'ESqueek' " that translates to "Hello, I'm a bitch that posts on an internet forum under varations of the alias 'ESqueek' mister green." See where your logic fails? You treat the meaning of the acronym "lol" as an actual functioning part of the sentence structure, which is not the case. And, for some strange reason, you choose not to treat an emoticon like that. You see it as a picture, a representation of what would happen if you were talking in person. That's exactly what "lol" serves to accomplish. You should picture them laughing. Laughing out loud. You silly little ginger****.
Also, in my case, "lol" was a perfectly valid ending to the post, especially given its content.

Ah, I forgot to add the point to me posting this. Do NOT assume that you are better than someone just because they don't set the same typing standards for themselves as you set for your own self. That's just being silly. A silly little ginger****. And let the censor block it - you get the intent of the post.

[GuidoHunter]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

That's just being silly. A silly little ginger****. And let the censor block it - you get the intent of the post.

Yeah, I do get the intent.

thyraxicmole: take two days off for flaming in CT.

Also, considering I probably hold the same views as Squeek on the matter, it's not that I think I'm hot **** for being able to use proper English, it's that anyone who doesn't is (for lack of a better word) stupid for not doing so.

Using proper English is the norm, here. The datum, if you will. This is what's expected of users of a language and is, for the most part, executed. There is nothing special about doing so.

But when you fall under that datum, you should expect to be ridiculed for not being up to standard.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[Krazl]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

On forums the use of that shorthand nonsense is completely annoying. It doesn't take that much longer to type it out and it makes you look just that much more professional/mature/good with grammar/intelligent to everyone else on the fourms. I admit that when using instant messengers I change into the 'u' and 'r' scenario, mainly because I'm only on my messengers for a short amount of time or I'm talking to many people and trying to keep up with all of them at the same time.

I think originally that the '3' replacing 'e' in words came from accidently hitting one key too high. The 'z' replacing the 's' came from moving one row down and slightly to the left.

I think a lot of people are really speaking the truth when they say that it helps them type that much faster. If they don't use home row, and still use hunt and peck instead, it is much easier to type 'u' instead of 'you'.

For those that want to increase your typing speed: Use the home row. Learn to type with both hands. Learn to type without looking at the keyboard.

Unless you really want to learn how to type quickly and accurately, most people can't just do this on their own. My first motivation to learn how to type quickly was when I played Everquest...7?ish years ago. Running around and slaying monsters is all fine and dandy, but when you are trying to carry on a conversation with the rest of your group and possibly give directions, the ability to type quickly and remain in control of your character becomes a necessary survival skill.

[GuidoHunter]

Re: A CT thread for those that aren't Critical Thinkers

For those that want to increase your typing speed: Use the home row. Learn to type with both hands. Learn to type without looking at the keyboard.

If, for no other reason, so that everyone takes you seriously and you don't look like a moron to other people.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com