A Little Poem Regarding Spell Checkers

[Shelly Renzelman]

This has been around for a long time, but with all the talk of checking spelling lately I thought you all might enjoy it!

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Shelly

[Ed Fuqua]

That was crewel.

Although you may be more on than you know...

[Steve Killingsworth]

Better be careful-you may damage the fragile self-esteem of some folks.

or should I say

Bet her bee care full-ewe may dam age the frag isle selfish steam of sum folks.

[TroyK]

You know, personally, I think we need to ease up on grading each other's papers on this forum. There is no spell check on the internet, so what you're really asking people to do is type their post in a word processing program and paste it into the browser, which I've done before, but don't always have time for.

More importantly, it's the internet. People from all corners of the world come here to be part of a bass community. You don't know when you're talking to some with dyslexia or for whom English might not be their first language. If you can't read what they posted, you won't reply. If you can, why hassle them about it?

This post was funny, I'm not cracking on that, it's the in-line sniping that I don't always follow the motive for.

Just my opinion, of course.

[Ed Fuqua]

Originally Posted by keykendrick

You know, personally, I think we need to ease up on grading each other's papers on this forum.

Byte me?

[TroyK]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Byte me?

Now THAT's funny.

[Ed Fuqua]

I exist but to serve.

[anonymous0726]

Originally Posted by keykendrick

You know, personally, I think we need to ease up on grading each other's papers on this forum.

I don't think that we're anywhere near that.

Originally Posted by keykendrick

There is no spell check on the internet...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

Originally Posted by keykendrick

You don't know when you're talking to some with dyslexia or for whom English might not be their first language...

I think folks are pretty accommodating here on these topics. Filling out one's profile let's everyone know where you're from. If you have dyslexia alla that you hafta do is say so.

Originally Posted by keykendrick

If you can't read what they posted, you won't reply. If you can, why hassle them about it?

Because we actually do give a hill-a-beans, at least most of us.

I do think, however, that it's a matter of decorum and consideration to do one's best to get one's idea across clearly. Text is a funny medium of expression and so liable to misinterpretation, why would one want to waste everyone's time and energy by introducing noise instead of input?

.

[TroyK]

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

I don't think that we're anywhere near that.

There are times when I feel like we are pretty hard on people for things that didn't need to offend anyone.

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

I'll check that out.

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

Filling out one's profile let's everyone know where you're from. If you have dyslexia alla that you hafta do is say so.

I agree about the profile. I can imagine that if someone had dyslexia, they may want to try to keep that out of their profile. Or perhaps, maybe the don't know. Sniping at them for it doesn't make it not so.

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

Because we actually do give a hill-a-beans, at least most of us.

Not sure what you're getting at here. I certainly invest a lot of time in this forum and care about it. Hence my comment that I think it's not always constructive to critique spelling, grammar and punctuation when someone is asking a question about strings or something.

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

I do think, however, that it's a matter of decorum and consideration to do one's best to get one's idea across clearly. Text is a funny medium of expression and so liable to misinterpretation, why would one want to waste everyone's time and energy by introducing noise instead of input?

Not sure which side you're taking here. I could see it applying to either. I guess at the core of my initial comment was that I don't think it is always the case that when someone submits a typo or uses a word incorrectly, they did so out of disrespect for others. Maybe everything they type looks like that. Maybe it's a source of pain for them in their life. If they have relevant things to contribute on the subject of doublebass, I don't want to alienate their participation.

Don't mean to argue with you, Ray and Ed. You guys are great members in my book.

[Shelly Renzelman]

Uh-oh. I really wasn't trying to start anything here, guys! It was just for fun because all of the references to spell checking the past couple of days reminded me of this poem that I keep in my classroom. I use it to remind my students not to depend 100% upon their spell checkers, but to also use their eyes.

I do agree that people are not as careful as they should be when posting on the Internet and that we all need to be aware that our words do not always come off as we intended so.... I really don't want you guys to think that I was just trying to stir things up! I was just for FUN!

Shelly

[anonymous0726]

Naw, everything is good. KeyKendrick raised a number of points all in one post and I was just addressing them.

In short, my position is: It's just good manners to get your point across clearly. If you're not a native English speaker, don't sweat it. If you're disabled in some way, then a 'mea culpa' will earn you some patience, but a 'how bout you shut up' will have everyone sharpening their barbs. Our sort (musicians) tend to be on the brighter end of the human scale, so let us 'represent'.

You dig?

[kovachian]

Thuh big ist praw blemish is most pee pull neh verpade uh tent chin ins cool. Tho stipes deh servall the riddick ule they gett.

[jallenbass]

Originally Posted by keykendrick

There is no spell check on the internet, so what you're really asking people to do is type their post in a word processing program and paste it into the browser, which I've done before, but don't always have time for.

Talkbass makes a spell checker available for download. Look at the upper right hand corner when you reply to a thread.

[TroyK]

Shelly: You didn't start anything. I just picked your thread to vent about something that's been bugging me. It was funny.

Ray: I dig.

Kovachian: No idea what you're trying to say. Use the fu*&% spellchecker, for Christsakes!

[Marcus Johnson]

Really?... lord help me, I understood it perfectly on the first pass....

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Ray Parker

... but a 'how bout you shut up' will have everyone sharpening their barbs. Our sort (musicians) tend to be on the brighter end of the human scale, so let us 'represent'.

You dig?

I agree entirely - so one of the great joys of going to Jazz Summerschool each year, is socialising every night with people who aren't just interested in celebrity gossip and who don't find reading the tabloid press, to be the summit of their intellectual ambitions!!

[Steve Killingsworth]

Originally Posted by keykendrick

You know, personally, I think we need to ease up on grading each other's papers on this forum. . .

More importantly, it's the internet. People from all corners of the world come here to be part of a bass community. You don't know when you're talking to some with dyslexia or for whom English might not be their first language. If you can't read what they posted, you won't reply. If you can, why hassle them about it?

I don't completely disagree with the first part of your statement. Everyone occasionally misspells a word-some more often than others. In that instance, why point it out? I read a post a few days ago where the poster spelled laser as "lazer" and someone corrected it. That might be going a little too far.

I have also noticed that most of our non-English speakers preface their posts with a disclaimer and I can't recall seeing them hassled about it.

However, these things are totally different from someone who refuses to use punctuation, capitals, and makes no effort to correctly spell even simple words.

I believe much of this has grown from a poster who has recently discovered TB and made dozens of posts over a relatively short period. The poster actually commented that he was "too lazy" to use spellcheck. Is this poster an accomplished bassist? Maybe. Does he know what he is talking about? Maybe. Can he make meaningful contributions to the forum? Maybe. Can he be taken seriously given his postings? That is difficult--especially in the short term.

It may not be fair but people judge by appearances, accents, manners, etc. Unfortunately, on the 'net none of that is as "visible." The thing here is the ability to clearly communicate. I don't mean to imply that we should all sound like Shakespeare but I do agree with Ray that it is just good manners to try to be as clear as possible.

[Bruce Lindfield]

I think there is something to be said for the fact that music is all about communicating...

When I listen to a Mahler Symphony, I feel most strongly that Mahler had something to say that he could only communicate in that way - and he was very precise in how his music should be peformed - this is a huge part of what made him such a great musician.

A great vision, communicated precisely through music.

Poor communication - to me, means poor musician...

[godoze]

Manners Schmanners...

Bruce, I was about to respond to your post but then thought better of it...

maybe we should all start writing in Middle English on TBDB...now THAT would be fun!

[Bruce Lindfield]

But that wouldn't necessarily be good communication would it...?

I think that good communication is using the tools you have, to the best effect - so using a language that is archaic and esoteric is not necessarily doing this - but using a language that is well-known and widely taught - like English - within all its rules and as concisely as possible - is all we can ask!

Expressing your meaning is of course the ultimate aim - but how you express yourself, also tells others something about you and will define how you are viewed.

Write in Middle English and you may be understood by a few - but you will also be telling the majority, that you don't care about them and giving them every reason not to care about you!