At some time in 1981, my Dad took me into his office/lab thing in Sheffield to show me the new Apple Computer they had just had "installed" in the computer room (as in the room that housed THE computer...) anyhow...my Dad being a bit of a card, had discovered the spell checker function on the word processing software and had spent a blissful afternoon typing in his mates names and seeing how the spell checker coped...accordingly his recommended alternative name was suggested as "Deviant Mauler" and one of his buddies..."Richer Pomposity"...how we laughed.....
Ever since, I've been marginally intrigued with spell checkers...not least because I'm a hopeless speller. But just who is it who decides what alternative words are suggested - which words go in the dictionary....are there some social truths hidden in the computer programme...? For example...I always thought it a bit weird that Microsoft Word didn't have "internet" in its spell checker for years....you had to write "the Internet"...(ok like wot eva)...Noika handsets with predictive txt (spell checkers for the new generation..) are great so long as you never want to swear or use rude words..."fucker" is predicted as "ducker"...."penis" is translated to "remis"...I was texting the guy who is doing some decorating in my place the otherday....tapped in "paint" - Noika turned it into "saint"....is there really a part of the world where "saint" is used more than "paint"?
May be - who knows/cares
OK - I'll go out and get a life now
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