When I graduated college ten years ago, I had classmates that thought long and hard about which job offer to accept. Some were out for the biggest bucks. Some were looking to work on cool projects. Some where looking for a specific domain within the industry (Mac programming, embedded software, Unix hacking, etc.).
I remember a few guys who had a tough decision to make: take a lower paying, possibly lower level job with a company that has internet connectivity from every desk, or take a job with more money and give up usenet and internet email at work. It was easy to spend a lot of time in the lab and get used to being online about 5-10 hours a day (with just Usenet, mind you!).
Fast forward ten years, and third graders aren't learning cursive writing because they're spending too much time IM'ing and emailing each other. Go figure.
Why, yes, I have. I have recieved emails at varying times that have produced elation, despair, anger, and everything in between."The letters you write to people are beautiful, and they'll cherish them forever. Have any of you ever received an e-mail that you cherished?"
Maybe the kids don't care about anything, and perhaps it's because they're doing archaic busywork at the command of a nostalgic prison guard like Ed Boell. Maybe they've not lived long enough to care much about these things yet, so it doesn't really matter. And maybe you're wasting their time, Ed.The students eagerly shout, "No!" and return to loops and curves.
And somehow they all manage to communicate. Wonders! Whatever could they be using? Perhaps phones are the problem -- that's it! Phones let people communicate over long distances with their voice. How insane. Won't their writing muscles suffer because they speak instead of write?Michael Sull, a 54-year-old artist in Overland Park, Kan., says today's third graders have not developed proper forearm and hand musculature, seated posture or mental discipline. The former president of the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting says keyboards, joysticks and cell phone touch pads have ruined kids' ability to hold a pencil properly, let alone write legibly.
Archaic dipshits. It's sad that people's time is being wasted by them, but there is consolation in the notion that these people probably couldn't change a tire to save their life. Literally.
It angers me greatly that the most productive innovation in writing -- that of being freed from penmanship -- is looked at as heresy by instructors.
Re:Sigh
pudge on 2003-06-27T06:54:45
Who ever said that writing with our HANDS was the best method of communication, or even a good one?
Re:Sigh
chaoticset on 2003-06-27T12:47:24
It's the fastest at this point. When neural interfaces are perfected, I'll switch to those as soon as I can.:)
