Monday, January 29, 2007

Predictions

As part of the cell phone generation, I'm a fairly active text message user. I'm not quite as addicted to it as some of my college students at church, or possessors of the ultimate PDA/Blackberry that provides a full-blown keyboard, but I can hold my own.

When I first started text messaging, I had no idea what predictive text was. I just did it the old-fashioned way. Three punches of the number 2 for the letter C, two punches of the number 2 for the letter A...and so on. Antiquated, yes, I know. Predictive text is a mobile phone technology that does a little thinking for you so it takes less keystrokes to enter commonly-used words. I tried figuring out predictive text, but somehow never did, and got very frustrated in the process. I don't think there was anything in the owner's manual...if I even knew where that was at that moment. So, I continued to struggle along.

Then, one day, my friend, Ashley, whose husband works for Verizon, was patient enough to take my phone and figure out how the predictive text worked to show me. I couldn't believe it! Text messaging accomplished in half the time...genius!

As with all technologies, we're never happy...always wanting more. Big screen TV isn't enough, it has to be high definition. Cable isn't good enough, it has to be DirectTV. And, can't catch all your shows? You obviously aren't a member of the TiVO Generation. Even though my predictive text was great, it wasn't perfect, and many words I commonly use aren't in the predictive brain of my cellular phone.

This weekend, I discovered that my phone is getting smarter. I'm a fan of Qdoba Mexican Restaurant. I'm convinced that when I get to Heaven, along the streets of gold will be an unlimited number of Qdoba restaurants....and replete with Starbucks at every heavenly corner. So, I text the word "qdoba" frequently when making plans with friends and, because we're never technologically happy, I get frustrated at having to spell out Qdoba. Well, after a few uses of it this past weekend, it miraculously became part of the predictive text dictionary. Life is good.

...Now, if I can just text message my order ahead and avoid those long lines at Qdoba...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shoo Wee! You are way over my head. I am glad I am too old and too sassy to try and figure all that out. So if you want me you will have to call me.

Alisa said...

Ive not gotn nu fone (tho I need 2) bcuz I no how 2 text on it & im scared of a nu fone! Old dogs and all that (wink).

SheThinker said...

I know I'm young and hip and all that crap, but I still can't figure out predictive text. Luckily my phone I have right now doesn't have it, so I have an excuse to do it the old fashioned way. Although I am pretty fast with the old fashioned way. One of these days I'm going to get a Palm Pilot phone, with a QWERTY keypad, and then my texting will be about 10 times as fast.

Here's the way I think Heaven ought to be. Qdoba, Starbucks, and Krispy Kreme. I was thinking Saturday morning, while standing in line at KK, that if KK and Starbucks would have a few stores that merged--oh my Lord! I would be there so much! A Krispy Kreme chocolate iced glazed doughnut and some Starbucks hot chocolate would be better than anything I've ever experienced in my 20 3/4 years on this earth.

RosieBoo said...

Sandy,
Nobody is too old ;)

Alisa,
Don't be scared, jump on into the world of predictive text...

Rebekah,
KK and Starbucks!! Omiword, that would be the bomb!! I'll add that to my visual of Heaven...ahhh...