The Breakroom > The Water Cooler
Are we in trouble or what?
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AdeV:

--- Quote from: lordedmond on July 12, 2012, 02:46:11 AM ---
just to site an example this post has taken 15 mins to complete


--- End quote ---

You mean "cite"  :lol:

Have you considered a speech-to-text thing? They're supposed to be much better these days, and if your average typing speed is as slow as you say, then you'll save loads of time. Of course, it still won't get "cite" and "site" right (or their, there or they're), but at least you won't have spent as long doing it!
andyf:
About ten years back, I occasionally used a speech processor when I was working. "Dragon Simply Speaking", I think. When a typed copy of a 19th century lease was needed, I read it over into Word rather than asking my secretary to copy type it. Unfolded, it was about 3 square feet and handwritten in copperplate, so would have been both unmanageable on her desk and hard to read.   

It was amazing how well the program coped with the old legalese. It seemed to correct itself occasionally on homonyms like cede and seed, according to the context. Of course, some editing was needed, but it saved loads of time.

But I don't think anyone with dyslexia should be at all embarrassed. We all have our blind spots. Mine is dancing, where I'm an embarrassment to myself and a danger to others. OK, as John S said, it is nice to read a perfect post on here, but I can't think of any occasion when someone's unconventional spelling has made the meaning unclear.

Andy
 
lordedmond:
Ade
you have me thinking the yet to be released Mountain Lion OS as dictation built it, although it sends it to Apple to compose


Stuart
Raggle:
I live in a house of correction.

I'd better put that in context. My wife is a moderator for

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/991915

and is largely concerned with proofreading submissions. I am often called upon to be final arbiter (or a shorter route than looking up a word in a dictionary) for the spelling of some words.

Spelling and English usage is probably one of my best skills and SWMBO is a very close copy of me.
We've been together for 10 years this month and I'm sure our passion for words is one reason why. 2 other people may have found us too pedantic to live with. We spend much of our time shouting at Radio 4 during the day. Considering the station is the guardian of the English language there are so many voices getting the grammar wrong  -  and we can't even see their spelling.

This can be a curse, rather like musicians who have perfect pitch being annoyed by a piece played in the wrong key.

Any website with ambitions to be taken seriously does have a need to be beyond question in using correct language and spelling. I hope if anyone touring the Geograph site finds any errors they will report them.

Spell checkers have a place but can't be relied upon to distinguish between cite, site and sight. To name just one example, a British Gas leaflet on central heating some years ago warned of inappropriate sighting of room thermostats which could lead to overhearing in other rooms.

Ok, rant over. I wish I had one tenth of Bob KRV's machining ability. I'll trade him some of my spelling for that any day.

Ray
andyf:
Hi Ray,

I'll take up the challenge, with this extract from Geograph's Terms of Use:
"....Geograph Project Ltd hereby grants You a non-exclusive, non- transferable, revocable license to view and use the Site..."
In British English, as opposed to American, "license" is a verb, not a noun.

When in pedantic mode, I share your misgivings about Radio 4. "There are three alternatives, and none of them are good"  "The critera is..." and constant confusion over collective nouns. And when did critique become a verb and start to supplant "criticise" (or criticize, if you follow the OED)?

But talk, on the radio or otherwise, is looser than the written word. I shouldn't  like to see  transcripts of any of my conversations.

Andy 
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