Tuesday, September 13, 2005

404 (haven't a clue)



When I got my first online capable computer back in 1997 the only thing I knew about the internet was that there were chat rooms where you could have conversations with people around the world by typing what you had to say. This sounded wayyyyyy cool to me so soon enough I was plugged in, plugged up, and made my first attempt at communication, Chat Style.

It only took me about 15 minutes (what can I say, I'm slow) to realize that, in order to carry on a conversation in this way, I was going to have to learn the language of Chat Abbreviations. I would see LOL, and BRB a lot and was wondering WTF was going on. I quickly learned the best way for me to reply to the question
a/s/l? was to respond with "old as dirt/sometimes/LA" since I figured this was a polite way of letting them know that not all of my business was to be shared. This also gave those folks that were always sending these requests for PMs to back off.

Back in those days there were only a few abbreviations to learn in order to be able to carry on a half-assed intelligent conversation (although sometimes I had my doubts there too). It's not so these days, the abbreviation list grows and my memory shortens so I rarely venture into a chat room anymore.

ADN chat abbreviations could be declared a new language, right along with Ebonics and redneckese. It would be a short-hand language for communication where you'd just have to know your ABCs and be able to memorize a list of abbreviations to replace whole sentences of the English language. Long gone would be the days when you not only had to learn how to read, but learn how to spell. Dick and Jane would never be the same.

CDR (See Dick run.)

CJR (See Jane run.)

CSRw/D&J (See Spot run with Dick and Jane.)

BWTHDIK? (But what the hell do I know?)

CUL8ER!!!!

12 comments:

Holly said...

ah.. the good old days of chatrooms...

what will they be replaced with? holographic sims of what you wish you looked like?

hey brenda, u gotta pic?

*giggle*

Anonymous said...

ROFLMAO!!!!

Sally said...

Okay, I understood SOME of that - what did Mary Lou just say? :)

Brenda said...

She said, Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off!!!! (grin)

me said...

I still remember asking someone what LOL meant. Now I watch Mitch typing to the other players in his online game, and I don't always know what he's saying. Of course, they talk about Orks and other nonsense in the game, so it's okay.

Anonymous said...

'LOL' is something I have always hated, for some reason.

I very rarely use abbreviations, partly because I think it's lazy.

I think it's getting worse too - the number of text messages I received on my mobile, where practically the whole message is abbreviated has increased exponentially in recent times.

And it's really interesting looking at the messages/comments left on messageboards/forums where some (especially the young!) seem incapable of writing a message in plain english. In fact, I've even seen notices from moderators informing people that message boards are not mobile phones and that if they can't leave a message in plain english that they will be banned.

And we wonder why the younger generation can't spell?

/rant

David said...

Got me on the floor WTH is that last one?

Anonymous said...

Brenda, it looks great now! Maybe it's my computer, since no one else mentioned it. But thanks for doing whatever you did. *wink*

Hope you're having a GREAT WEDNESDAY!!! xoxoxoxo

Brenda said...

"See you later" David.

and thank you Miz CJ.

wanda said...

Don't forget, dykwim/ykwis (do you know what i mean/you know what im sayin).
I'm with Piggy on this one, it's the text messages on my phone that drive me nuts.

Ahh the chat rooms. Met some wonderful people there. But it was the message boards that brought me the best rewards. I met people there that will forever be held in the cockles of my heart.
Fortunately none of them was ever named plumber butt.
Hey David, remember Sandy?

Anonymous said...

LMAO & Mary Lou!!! And I thought the first time I went into chat and was sitting there trying to figure out how the damn thing worked, when suddenly one of those "PM" windows pop up. It's from someone named ENORMOUS GENITALS and I started laughing so hard, I had to click myself out of the room and off the computer. Your Plumber-Butt and that Enormous Genitals would make a great movie, huh? *snickers wildly*

Coming Soon to a theater near you... Plumber Butt with Enormous Genitals. LMAO, LMAO, LMAO!

**Plumber-Butt... I love it! ROFLMAOWTIME - (Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off With Tears In My Eyes).

Karen said...

imho the abbreviations are confusing i do often find myself lmao when i realize what some of them mean....

just thought I would stop in and say hi ttyl xxx

now I want to go find a film so I can rotflmfao