Problem: People take speling way too seriously
Solution: A plug-in to put in a predetermed number of mistaken spellings and homonyms.
There is a pernicious cycle in communications that shows an unstable balance of form versus function. The written letter is formal, with attention paid to titles, calligraphy, careful phrasing. It takes time, and should say something of import.
Still, life needs to go one, so someone invented the ‘note’. A scrap of parchment could hold the informal information without effort. Grab a scrap, write “Whiterest art thy going this Saturday?’ and get it delivered. Ettiquitte emerged, and titles and closings were added. The scrap should be squared off. Over time, it evolved into needing to be squared off, signed, and stuck in an envelope. Too much effort for a short thought.
Several generations later, email came along. You could just send “Where are you going Saturday?”. The opening and signature were technical artifacts, and no one cared if the spelling were off. Then came etiquette. Then came IRC. Then came etiquetee. Then came IM.
Last seen, we were texting. Some companies are considering archiving your text messages forever. Someone will auto-expand LOL, UR, etc. Soon we will need spell checkers.
Now we have it within our technical measn to add as many typos and misspellings as are in this article. And by forcing people to hit an accuracy bar exactly, rather than just exceed a minimum, we may be able to use a commmunications medium for more than a few years.
What are you doing Saturday?
*-*-*-*-*-*-* Update 8/14/2007
John Maeda made one! It’s available here. Way to go, John!