You Are What You Write

[narrowgauge]

I have read through this thread and while I agree somewhat with the essence of the subject discussed, I find I must also agree with the post by Martin. Illiteracy is not infectious, deal with posts kindly. We are interacting with juveniles, people with mental and physical difficulties and more likely, young people whose poor grammatical abilities are the result of the current education system.

We take our abilities for granted, we have come from a culture before computers and book reading was one of our entertainments and learning sources. Now, children see poor grammar and misspelling on the internet, and this is reflected in their correspndence. They know no better. Even spell checkers do not provide the answer when as an example 'sight, site, cite' are treated as interchangeable words and appear regularly in newspapers.

Peter

 

[bl4882]

Ah, alea iacta est. :hehe:

Greetings from cloudy Amsterdam,

Jan

"God does not play dice with the Trainz forums." Albert Einstein. (Well, he could have said it. :hehe

Bernie

 

[itareus]

...Who would have thought that participation in a Trainz forum would require an education. To those who frequent other forums, do they also go on about these language details?..

..I have read through this thread and while I agree somewhat with the essence of the subject discussed, I find I must also agree with the post by Martin. Illiteracy is not infectious, deal with posts kindly. We are interacting with juveniles, people with mental and physical difficulties and more likely, young people whose poor grammatical abilities are the result of the current education system...

Thank you gentlemen, very perceptive remarks. Language is, after all, a medium of communication and whilst I fully agree with with the OP and others who have commented in this thread that good spelling and grammar are important, communication of the intended message is, or at least should be, the primary consideration. So "My Trainz, unfortunately, does not work properly" whilst correct is a failure in commuinication wheras, "TS10 doesent lod jus sez invarlid xxx, pls help" may not be pleasing to us older guys in terms of grammatical structure or spelling but it does communicate the problem.

The world is changing, I'm old, but I hope I'm not too old to change with it :wave: !

Chris

 

[RoysTrainz]

Luctor et emergo

I cannot resist but I support Dave coz the lack of discipline n whatever.......:wave:
Yes I use the u and n ONLY and coz ONLY coz I hate the Ipad touch screen typing so much it's driving me nuts. Last month I bought yet another keyboard made in China but it has a delay when typing worse then apple's ipad..Touchscreen... What can I say further then

CARPE DIEM:wave:

Ning n Roy

 

[JCitron]

I agree too with everyone else here on this subject. Some of the posts are quite painful to read due to the blatant spelling and grammatical errors. I like, many of us here in this thread in particular, go through great lengths to ensure my posts are written well and are understandable. There is no reason to just let the text fly and not bother to proof before the submit button is pressed.

As I've said before I perform help desk support duties for close to 700 people in my company. This job is similar to what I do here on the forums except at work I also do local hardware support. I hate to say it but lately I've been skipping over many of the help requests here after giving them a quick read. Trying to fathom out what the user is trying to say is too painful for my very tired brain. If the user had spent 20 seconds longer ensuring their post was clearly written, they would have received help a lot sooner. Sadly the errors make helping these users nearly impossible!

In my very distant past, I worked in the printing industry as a typesetter and later a desktop publisher. Spell checking was mandatory. We usually had multiple people proof a job especially if it was a fairly large one because if a typographical error went through to press, we had to eat the print job meaning we had to redo everything for free. I always went the extra step to ensure that there were as few errors as possibly before the proofing was done. This was all done, by the way, without automatic spell checkers.

Now after saying all this no one is perfect. We all make typographical errors. I have made many here and elsewhere. If I catch them, I will go back and edit my posts because I don't want anyone to think of me as a slob. Today we're lucky we have spell and grammar checkers. This is also the reason why we should spend that extra 20 seconds or less to ensure what we type not only reflects what we really want to say, but it is also enures what we say is understandable. This extra step goes a long way for providing expeditious help for the their technical support needs.

John

 

[RoysTrainz]

@jcitron,

John you are on Our close buddy trainz friends list in our mind and heart which is the essence of having a virtual list!
Well written clear and easy to read, for sure you not use an ipad touchscreen or atached mini keyboard.
Imagine each time you write a little bit faster like on a normal keyboard pc you see the glitch a leter missing a space missing and you have to go back correct it by touching the screen close behind the word wrong is the best you can get, than backspace all the way to the error zone....well yes and type again slowly one letter of the alphabet per second......arrrrgh you call this progress its a complete atack on any normal living person used to a normal pc.
Other than the typing horror a samsung tablet anything other than apple related will do for me in the future to be mobile.

Have a great day John

Ning n Roy

 

[dragonharh]

Something to read for interest sake and no harm meant guys.

N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.
Only great minds can read this. This is weird, but interesting!
If you can raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid, too.
Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseaethe huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this forwrad it
Even if you are not old, you will find this interesting...

Short Neurological Test
1- Find the C below.. Please do not use any cursor help.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ?O
2- If you already found the C, now find the 6 below.
999999999999999999999999999999 ? 99999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999 ? 99999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999 ? 99999999999999999
699999999999999999999999999999 ? 99999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999 ? 99999999999999999
999999999999999999999999999999 ? 99999999999999999
3 - Now find the N below.. It's a little more difficult.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNM ?M
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ?M
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ?M
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ?M
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ?M
This is NOT a joke. If you were able to pass these 3 tests, you can cancel your annual visit to your neurologist.
Your brain is great and you're far from having a close relationship with Alzheimer..

Hmm I can read this but I'll never say what it says it was not really hard to read ones you see the driffents.

Note to add so in other words ppl like my self are stuped and can't do anything I have nothing to prove.

 

[itareus]

...CARPE DIEM :wave:.../QUOTE]

Today (this day, as distinct from yesterday or tomorrow), I (Used to refer to oneself as speaker or writer.) have (To come into possession of; acquire) seized ( possess oneself of something) it (Used to refer to that one previously mentioned. Used of a nonhuman entity; an animate being whose sex is unspecified, unknown, or irrelevant; a group of objects or individuals; an action; or an abstraction ).

So you know Latin, that's good, but you will need a degree in English to post on the forums !

!

C

 

[JCitron]

@jcitron,

John you are on Our close buddy trainz friends list in our mind and heart which is the essence of having a virtual list!
Well written clear and easy to read, for sure you not use an ipad touchscreen or atached mini keyboard.
Imagine each time you write a little bit faster like on a normal keyboard pc you see the glitch a leter missing a space missing and you have to go back correct it by touching the screen close behind the word wrong is the best you can get, than backspace all the way to the error zone....well yes and type again slowly one letter of the alphabet per second......arrrrgh you call this progress its a complete atack on any normal living person used to a normal pc.
Other than the typing horror a samsung tablet anything other than apple related will do for me in the future to be mobile.

Have a great day John

Ning n Roy

Roy,

You are very kind and you summed this up perfectly. I agree with you on the step backward. I have one of those Asus 'Droid tablets and yes I had the same issue and this is why I invested in a keyboard for mine. I am a touch-typist and had to keep hitting backspace for every other word or character I typed! The little keyboard is also a nice little battery pack that gives me 18 hours of juice for the tablet.

For the majority of my typing, I use a real computer with a real keyboard.

I hope you and Ning are healthy and everything is going well for you.

John

 

[dragonharh]

Reading this I may as well quit the fourm with out looking back.

 

[RoysTrainz]

hi John,

I hope we not highjack this thread but yes all well here we take our monthly break from trainz work and drove south to BKK for a few days. winter started as temps dropped daytime to 26-28 C night and wind coming from the north out of the mountains behind us perfect to end the 3 month monsoon and looking forward to perfect dry cold winterweather for the next 8-9 month in the NE Thailand.
John what can be done on the touchscreen to sync toggle/typing a normal letter word prhraze whatever....?
You think all tablets are out of think when typing???

@Dragonharh what is you problem/conclusion to this strange post make you so upset?

Roy

 

[itareus]

...Reading this I may as well quit the fourm with out looking back...

Don't worry mate, we're just a bunch of old gits having a good moan about nobody and nothing in particular, keep on Trainzin !

Cheers

Chris

PS: "fourm" is spelt "forum" - but, I knew exactly what you meant !

:wave: C

 

[RoysTrainz]

Je maintiendrai

dear Itareus,

i reach soon in November the blessed age of 64 in very good health,state of mind and lifestyle.
What I have achieved in life I only can be proud off and using the english language which happens to be number 3 language out of 6,5 languages, I manage to handle them well to more than proficient or even with local slang is much more than one can ask for.
Yes one can improve which I strive every day but not anymore on a professional level but more as a hobby since I retired already in 1998 and all work I do Is ever sinced classified as a personal hobby so is trainz.

Have a nice day,


Roy

...CARPE DIEM :wave:.../QUOTE]

Today (this day, as distinct from yesterday or tomorrow), I (Used to refer to oneself as speaker or writer.) have (To come into possession of; acquire) seized ( possess oneself of something) it (Used to refer to that one previously mentioned. Used of a nonhuman entity; an animate being whose sex is unspecified, unknown, or irrelevant; a group of objects or individuals; an action; or an abstraction ).

So you know Latin, that's good, but you will need a degree in English to post on the forums !

!

C

 

[RRSignal]

Hmm I can read this but I'll never say what it says it was not really hard to read ones you see the driffents.

Note to add so in other words ppl like my self are stuped and can't do anything I have nothing to prove.

Nobody said you're stupid. In fact, some of the smartest people I've ever met are just poor communicators, that's all. Hang out a lot with scientists, engineers, programmers, even some professors - you'll see what I mean. I've even had them as teachers! You do need to develop a thicker skin, especially if you plan to create payware content, but nobody said you're dumb and you may well be the farthest thing from that.

 

[Scottbe8]

I confess I have a tendency to regard bad spelling and grammar with contempt. Perhaps it's because I've come to appreciate my own attention to proper English that not only do I expect it from others at the same level, I also struggle to understand what people are saying when their language use fails to meet my own standards, and that annoys me like nothing else does. When I see a message in a thread to which I am subscribed, which employs inadequate spelling and grammar, I needlessly spend extra time trying to decipher what it is the person is saying, and in the end the message's meaning is lost in the wind. As such, I find it necessary to suggest to these people that they try to fix their spelling and grammar to make their message more clear. So if I call you out for having poor spelling and grammar, it's not a personal attack on you, so please do not take offense. It's simply my way of ensuring that I can understand what it is you are trying to say.

If I am what I type, I must be an obnoxious stuck-up bastard. Not quite the image I was going for.

 

[Mick_Berg]

Reading this I may as well quit the fourm with out looking back.

No, dragonharth, do whatever it takes to ensure that your posts are properly presented. When I initially write a post, it often has many spelling mistakes. I go over it several times to make sure that it is completely error-free before submitting it.

Mick Berg.

 

[deadpoolmx55]

Good for you guys putting your foot down against the evil's of bad grammar and poor spelling!
you are making a difference in the world and are my heroes! Where would we all be with out you?

 

[ray_whiley]

The, “and”, which immediately follows the comma, is clearly not being used as a coordinating conjunction. In such a case the use of a comma would, or course, have been entirely correct.

Therefore, to the best of my knowledge, that only leaves its possible use as a serial comma, but has it been appropriately used?

This is often known as the 'Oxford comma' and can be used to separate elements in a list of three or more items. It has been used in this way for more than a century by the Oxford University Press (source: Oxford Style Manual page 121). Its use, although unusual, is not incorrect and it is a convention used also by other publishers.

Ray

 

[ray_whiley]

De gustibus non est disputandum.

Quot homines, tot sententiae.

Ray

 

[itareus]

Ray,

Google transferendum opera pro Latina quoque et putavi lingua mortua ! (it does not translate very well, but you will get my gist).

In Latin I never got beyond Amo, Amas, Amat .

Cheers

Chris