teen line

[cinemagirl]

I don't like to be one of those old people who starts sentences with "In my day, we didn't have (blank)" if only because I know all too well that if (blank) had existed, we most certainly would have wanted it. Like cell phones. Actually, in my day they did exist--but few teenagers outside of Bayside High or 90210 had them. Now, every teenager has

Comments

[surrey_sucks]

I love saying, "Back in my day..." :)

I agree with what you said. Did the parents just say, "Don't text," or actually give a reason? But regardless, 10,000 texts-crazy! I am so bad at texting, so I hate sending texts. It takes me at least 30 seconds to type up something like, "Yes" or "No"!

[cinemagirl]

That's 300 texts a day. My text limit is 100 outgoing texts a month, and that's plenty for me. But then, I only really text one person regularly. However, in the weekend I chipped my tooth, I was texting like crazy, updating friends, managers and coworkers. And most of those people use text as a primary mode of communication, so I can see how someone with a lot of contacts could rack up 10,000 texts.

I just started texting a few months ago, so my skills are still pretty rudimentary. I only recently learned how to switch words and letters in T9word by using the 0 key! No more switching between T9word and abc for me!

[surrey_sucks]

I only recently learned how to switch words and letters in T9word by using the 0 key! No more switching between T9word and abc for me!

I don't even understand what that means!

[cinemagirl]

Well, when I text or write notes on my phone, I can do so using four different types of input. The two most useful ones are T9word, a program that guesses what word you mean when you hit the keys on your keypad, and abc, which makes you hit a key many times before settling on the letter or number you want. Let's say we wanted to text the word 'cat' to somebody. Using T9word, you'd enter 228, which might either result in 'cat' or in 'act'. Using abc, you'd hit 2 three times to get the c, then 2 once again to get the a, then 8 once to get the t. If it weren't for the possibility of getting 'act,' T9word seems like the obvious input choice.

The other day, I learned that if I got 'act' when I really wanted 'cat,' all I had to do is hit the 0 key and I could rotate through all the possible words using starting with that 228 keypunch combo. So now, I never have to use abc again.

[nicosian]

Yargh, texting. Hate it.

People come to my till, clicking away on the phone with one hand, and can't put the phone down for half a second, to do a transaction. They don't even look up, clickity click, texting away like fiends.

I'd have made the kid pay every penny of that bill. Good gods.

[cinemagirl]

Never had the texting at the till. People here still do that ordering while talking on the phone thing. They will point at things, and I will have to guess what they're pointing at. Try to talk to them and they will get so pissed off, like how dare you interrupt them. Ugh.

I'd much rather have texters on the bus, though, than people talking loudly into their phone about things you probably shouldn't discuss in a public venue.

And yeah, that kid would be working so much to pay that off that she wouldn't even have time or energy to text. Not just because she texted a lot, either--but because she did it during school time. Sure the parents probably should have explained that texting costs money and texting a lot costs a lot of money, but come on, now! She knew she was doing wrong.