This is entirely true.
I was trying to compose a text message on my phone yesterday, and I tapped in the word 'mercy', but the machine refused to spell it. 'Mercy' was not in its lexicon. Instead, it spelt out 'mercenary'.
Checking the options it has again now, I find that it provides 'merchandise', 'Nescafe', even 'Nepal', but it has no 'mercy'.
Basically, I had to spell the word manually, since for the predictive text thingy, it didn’t exist.
It’s a mercy you got it right in the end. I presume you used a paper dictionary. :p
The old ways are often the best ways :left:They remind us that we are not, yet, cyborgs with predictive text reasoning. :left:
I will infer (I am ever the optimist) by your silence that you do not disagree.
Your inference is correct. Found a good quote recently, I wonder if you can name its source without resorting to Google:”Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”
It may have been from The Matrix script. I say this because I kept faith with your request not to resort to Google. Hence my desperate (and pathetic) stab at an answer.
I think if you had Googled it, you’d have found it quickly enough. It’s Dune.
I would have guessed Brave New World or Orwell.
Originally posted by quentinscrisp:I think if you had Googled it, you’d have found it quickly enough. It’s Dune.I agree. But I could not name the source without resorting to Google and since I didn’t want (on this occasion due to your implied condition) to take the easy way out I took a wild guess. The quote you gave reminded me of the narrative voice-over in Animatrix. That animation, as you will probably know was based on Matrix.As to Dune? … it was poorly acted, badly lit, melodramatic, and it had Sting in it. I am not using that word to describe, for me, any sense of being stung with excitement when I watched the movie. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner added nothing to an overlong and very pretentious production.The novel was far better.
Hello quentinscrisp & everyone! (Hi, John :D) How do you do? :)Originally posted by quentinscrisp:This is entirely true. I was trying to compose a text message on my phone yesterday, and I tapped in the word ‘mercy’, but the machine refused to spell it. ‘Mercy’ was not in its lexicon. Instead, it spelt out ‘mercenary’.[/color]I believe you, quentinscrisp. However when I did it in my phone right now the machine spelt correctly ‘mercy’. Nonetheless I know, every case is supposed to be different: the my phone’s joystick isn’t working very well lately, failing now and then, thus right now the machine refuses to spell out a different word from ‘mercy’. It has -I have?, no option according to my machine. Just I have available ‘mercy’ only. See. So I think the next time you get a phone you should check it out if it has ‘mercy’ as an option previously. :happy:
Yes, I’ll have to compile a list of desirable words to spell out for the next time I buy a phone.
Ah, well, that’s better. Hopeful!’Mercy’ will be heading the list I suppose. :happy:
It will. There have been some other strange ones that my phone couldn’t spell recently, but I can’t remember what they were now.
However you don’t need a new phone, I think your must have a ‘spell word’ option in your current phone for inserting new word and adding it to ‘My words’ file. But I think you know all of that or… am I wrong? :eyes:
I didn’t know that – I’ll check my phone for that option.
Sage advice from my good friend Teresa (hi Tere!)
Hey John, how’s trick? :pOriginally posted by quentinscrisp:I’ll check my phone for that option.[/color]OK, Quentin, just give me a shout when you need to*, I :heart: to help! :yes:(*)Usually you’d need some time to feel how your phone works but that’s a well worthy waste of time. 😀
Originally posted by tdjmd1:Hey John, how’s trick? :p Hey Tere, Tricks is fine and so am I :p 😀
Would you believe I actually once had a job testing mobile phone software? I should know all about the functions, but I think in areas of technology I soon forget what I’ve learnt.
Originally posted by John:about technology and science.[/color]I’m a newbie in that but contrawise to Quentin, I :love: them. Originally posted by Jack:and so there are now four constants.[/color]Hey, Jack… wondering (I’m so curious you know that yet! :p)Tech, science &… what else, if I may ask. :oOriginally posted by Quentin:Would you believe I actually once had a job testing mobile phone software?[/color]Certainly I believe you. No prob, that’s nothing to me. It’s, usually between people over forty. 😆 Sorry, are you over it, Quentin? :eyes: 😆 Just kidding! :heart:
Originally posted by quentincrisp: ..but I think in areas of technology I soon forget what I’ve learntHello Quentin,- why am I not surprised when you say this? .. It’s because I have learned over the years, through discourse here, your feelings about technology and science. In a way there is something reassuring about your stance regarding technology. It joins the other two constants, plus a third I added in, and so there are now four constants. You can’t see my body language or my facial expression and so I need to also say that I am only joking with you (about the constant) and here’s a symbol to show my feelings —-> :jester:
Originally posted by lokutus-prime:Hey Tere, Tricks is fine and so am I I know it dear… Actually I was reading your comment in my No-post. :p
Originally posted by tdjmd1:Hey, Jack… wondering (I’m so curious you know that yet! :p)Tech, science &… what else, if I may ask. Hey Tere.. there are the original two constants… these have been defined as “Death & Taxes”There’s a third that I added several years ago in one of my essays (but I’m sure others have also, coincidentally, thought of this one) “Human Nature”. Then there was the fourth constant… that I playfully added (but I jest of course! and it is discounted as a result) to describe Quentin’s constant feeling about Science & Technology. :)Thus: you now know the three constants :DLive long and prosper, Tere.:spock:
Tere, we’ll celebrate all of this. I’ll make us a :coffee: :up:
Good call! I’m partial to cuppa tea. The quality of water has an effect on the end result, so I use good quality water for my :coffee: and for my tea. I have not asked Quentin what his taste in beverage is, but we shall keep a cup by, in the not unreasonable expectation that he will sit a while after his madcap busy day 🙂 and partake of the amber liquid with us (I shall add a splash of milk to mine). 😀
A cuppa tea perhaps? 😀
The Four Unbearable Things:1) Death 2) Taxes3) Human Nature -our imperfectness I suppose.+ 1… Tech & Science.I Gotcha, Jack! :up:
Ah, well… the water or milk as you choose, please also took care that there should be coffee -we don’t know if Quentin prefers such a beverage, 💡 Oh, Jackdear please don’t forget the cookies either. :heart: It’s my guess we have nothing more to wish. 😮
Originally posted by lokutus-prime: I have not asked Quentin what his taste in beverage is, but we shall keep a cup by, in the not unreasonable expectation that he will sit a while after his madcap busy day and partake of the amber liquid with us (I shall add a splash of milk to mine). Thank you. Tea will do admirably well. There are teas for all occasions, more or less.
Originally posted by tdjmd1:Ah, well… the water or milk as you choose, please also took care that there should be coffee -we don’t know if Quentin prefers such a beverage, 💡 Oh, Jackdear please don’t forget the cookies either. :heart: It’s my guess we have nothing more to wish. :oTere,We now do know Quentin’s preference, as you can see 🙂 Let me also say that the majority of folk in England now use tea bags and pour boiling water onto these in their cups (or even teapots) and then add cold milk to suit their tastes, as little or as much as they prefer. I say this is what they do as an informed guess, being aware of our traditions over here, but of course I can only speak with absolute certainty for myself. My favorite non-specialist tea is black tea, perhaps it’s more reddish than blackish, known as Assam tea, from the region that gives it its name. But my favorite specialist or exotic tea is Oolong tea ( see my poem about that at http://my.opera.com/lokutus-prime/blog/2011/03/05/she-was-a-schooner-her-name-was-rangitikei ) but it’s somewhat expensive and not so readily available although it can be obtained at Harrods and some other exotic teas shops in London, from my experience.As to cookies…. that sounds good! I hope you made some? :DIf so we cannot wish for anything more than these exquisite moments supping tea and munching cookies. Jackdear :up:
Originally posted by quentinscrisp:Thank you. Tea will do admirably well. There are teas for all occasions, more or less. Hello Quentin, your wish is our command :up:
Originally posted by John AKA Jack:our traditions over hereI know very well your tradition my very British friend. On the contrary for over here, when we speak about drinking tea we’re making reference to a herb infusion. When I visite a Chinese restaurant I prefer tea as beverage, I love his strong taste but at home or in others sites I prefer Jamaica Flower, lemmon grass, ginger or cammomila infusion. But never coffe, never! :)Well, we all agree… we’re gonna have a tea perty then. PD: do you prefer homemade cookies, but I prefer cookies from Harrods instead. :DHmmm… if you bring me some ones from there and I promise to cook some ones for you, J. :heart: (Mr. Crisp didn’t tell us if he like cookies with his tea though. :p)