The Ghost in the Machine

[Boneman]

I know about viruses, but for some time now have been concerned about the gremlin or imp that lurks inside my laptop. I know I didn't type the word 'the' twice in a row, but it occasionally appears, highlighted as an error by the programme. I'm sure there's no timeslip involved, or where my body is taken over by a visiting Alien trying to learn the English language, so where's it coming from?

I will freely admit to not being able to type the word 'something', without it coming out as 'somehting', every time (had to go back and edit the first one) and I accept it's the way my two finger typing skills fall apart, but where does the extra 'the' come from? I've become more aware of it in the last year or so, and it's starting to worry me...

 

[Mouse]

It's when you write a completely different word to the one that you meant that you need to worry. (For example, I just wrote 'fiddler' instead of 'different'. I mean... eh?!)

 

[sloweye]

MS word boneman? mine dose this as well.

I love typing a message out on my iphone and not correcting its auto corrctions, you get some really funny texts

 

[Boneman]

MS word boneman? mine dose this as well.

I love typing a message out on my iphone and not correcting its auto corrctions, you get some really funny texts

It is Ms word... you mean the ghost comes from them? That's even creepier... I have a friend called Rhiannon, called Rhi for short - have to be careful with predictive text on my phone, or I greet her "Hi Pig"...

 

[sloweye]

Indeed, the ghost of one of Bill Gates brain cells

 

[Nik]

Uh, I know my fingers stumble over each other, and my highlight/drag editing often requires hasty undos...

By any chance, do you have a wireless keyboard and/or mouse ?? Given the way WiFi and Bluetooth go everywhere but wanted, I would not be surprised if you you are getting cross-talk...

Um, yes, my fingers have just stumbled: Left in as evidence...

 

[HoopyFrood]

MS word boneman? mine dose this as well.

I love typing a message out on my iphone and not correcting its auto corrctions, you get some really funny texts

Check out Damn You Autocorrect (a little rude at times, so beware) for some absolutely...absolutely hilarious automatically corrected messages.

One problem I have in the hardwiring of my brain is if I'm writing by hand, I tend to shove 'with the' together to make withe. A lot.

 

[sloweye]

One problem I have in the hardwiring of my brain is if I'm writing by hand, I tend to shove 'with the' together to make withe. A lot.

Thats one of my dyslexia things, adding 'e' on the end of words where there is none. I was always getting told off at school for putting an 'e' on with.

Also spelling things phonetically (which i just asked google to correct that for me or i would have typed it as 'feneticly') but my biggest down fall is words with scilent letters.... why? why would you put letters in a word that arn't there? Damn you brainy people!

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

I know about viruses, but for some time now have been concerned about the gremlin or imp that lurks inside my laptop. I know I didn't type the word 'the' twice in a row, but it occasionally appears, highlighted as an error by the programme. I'm sure there's no timeslip involved, or where my body is taken over by a visiting Alien trying to learn the English language, so where's it coming from?

I will freely admit to not being able to type the word 'something', without it coming out as 'somehting', every time (had to go back and edit the first one) and I accept it's the way my two finger typing skills fall apart, but where does the extra 'the' come from? I've become more aware of it in the last year or so, and it's starting to worry me...

Something I've noticed with the faster machines like the Ipod. You can get ahead of it's predictive text feature. such that say in your example you type the 'th' and a little [the] appears. If you noticed you could press the space bar and low the the would be completed. If however you don't spot it and continue, thrusting manfully forward, with the 'e' and then the [space], the poor old technology could lag and it would stick the the space with the the you the'ed in the text.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

Check out Damn You Autocorrect (a little rude at times, so beware) for some absolutely...absolutely hilarious automatically corrected messages.

One problem I have in the hardwiring of my brain is if I'm writing by hand, I tend to shove 'with the' together to make withe. A lot.

Check out tomorrow's Dilbert on that subject! (I have a newspaper job, not a time machine.)