Chatspeak/Textspeak

Chatspeak/Textspeak

This and other notes are available online @ smartcomputerclass.blogspot.com

Last week it came to my attention that some of us don't know chatspeak, or if we do we don't know a lot of it.  Since it's coming to the end of the term why don't we take a break from all that dense stuff and have a little fun getting to know chatspeak.  :)

Chatspeak (aka Textspeak) came into popularity around the time instant messaging (or IMing for short) was introduced to the world--but it really took off when more and more people started text messaging (or texting for short).  Chatspeak takes the first letter of commonly used phrases and makes it somewhat it's own word.  Those familiar with chatspeak are able to understand easily--but those that don't may be lost!  Since it takes time to text and also since some people aren't very fast typers chatspeak provides a quick and easy way to send out messages.  It is also the "language" of choice for avid twitterers (people who use twitter a lot...if you don't know what that is just ask and I'll explain haha...).

Okay so there's our little history lesson...now let's take a look at some chatspeak!

Just so you know this isn't a COMPLETE list...not even I know all the different chatspeak words...but these are pretty basic ones that will help out a lot.

ALSO--some of them refer to certain adult words.  For the sake of keeping this page PG I've blanked them out, but you're all smart, you'll figure it out haha...

!!THE LIST!!
(I put a * next to the most commonly used ones...or at least the ones I use the most. ** means I use it a lot.)


.... - awkward silence/pause


! - surprise


? - confusion or questioning

@ - at



A/S/L? or ASL? - Age/Sex/Location?

ALOL - Actually Laughing Out Loud (because some people type LOL and it isn't true!)


ASAP - As Soon As Possible

BBQ - Barbeque (Yum)

BC or B/C - Because

*BDay or B-Day - Birthday



BF - Boyfriend sometimes Best Friend



BFF - Best Friend Forever

BFFL - Best Friends For Life



BFFLNMW - Best Friends For Life No Matter What



*BRB - Be Right Back

BYO - Bring Your Own



BYOB - Bring Your Own Beer



*Cmon or C'mon - Come on


*Cus - Because


D/L or DL - Download or Down Low

Dunno - Don't know



Enuf - Enough


EZ - Easy


FML - F--- My Life

FYI - For Your Information


*G2G - Got to Go


GF - Girlfriend

*Gonna - Going to



GR8 - Great


H8 - Hate


HW - Homework


*IDC - I Don't Care

*IDK - I Don't Know

IH8U - I Hate you


ILU - I Love you

*ILY - I Love You



IM - Instant Message

IMAO - In My Arrogant Opinion



*IMO - In My Opinion

IMHO - In My Humble Opinion


IMNSHO - In My Not So Humble Opinion


ISLY - I Still Love You



*IRL - In Real Life


JIC - Just In Case


*JK or J/K - Just Kidding


K - Okay


L8R - Later


*LMAO - Laughing My A-- Off


LMBO - Laughing My Butt Off

**LOL - Laugh Out Loud or soemtimes used for Lots Of Love, but typically people will think you're laughing if you type this. (sometimes lolz)

MLIA - My Life Is Average 


Msg - Message


*NVM - Never Mind


**OMG - Oh My God (sometimes zOMG)


*ORLY - Oh Really

Pls/Plz - Please


PM - Private Message


POS - Parent Over Shoulder (added this one in case you're ever by your child/grandchild and you see them type this...hahaha...)


POS - alternative meaning Piece Of S--- (if it's not a kid typing then you can assume this is what they mean)


POV - Point Of View


Ppl - People


Prolly - Probably


RIP - Rest In Piece



*RLY - Really


ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing


ROFLMAO - Rolling On the Floor Laughing My A-- Off

RT - ReTweet (Twitter reference)


RU - Are you


SMH - Shaking My Head


Sry - Sorry


STFU - Shut The F--- Up

Sup - What's up


Thx - Thanks


*TMI - Too Much Information


*TTYL - Talk To You Later

*TY - Thank You


*W/ - with


W/B or WB - Welcome Back


W/E - Whatever


*W/O - Without


*WTH - What The Hell/Heck


*WTF - What The F---

XOXO - Hugs and Kisses


ZZZZ - Sleeping or Bored


Someone sent you something not on this list?  Try checking out this page for more chatspeak http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp





!!SMILEYS and OTHER STUFF!!
(I use these more than anything else)


<3 - heart


</3 - broken heart


:)  - Smiley face


:( - Frowny face


:P - Sticking tongue out


P: - Something yummy....


:D - Big smile


D: - Big Frown

:O - surprise



XD - Laughing face


DX - Crying or angry face


>:D or >:) - evil smile

D:< - Really mad face



):< - Not happy


;) - winking/flirty


:') - Happy tears


:'( - crying


:* - kiss


^_^ - smiling cheerfully


-^_^- - blushing while smiling


>^_^< - cat smiling


O_O - surprise

OuO - Wide eyed smile


OwO - Kitty smile



X_x - Dead...

>_> - shifty eyes


= _ = - exhausted


-_- - annoyed/exasperated


@_@ - Dizzy or nerd with glasses (lol)

nlm - the middle finger

(_|_) - a butt or mooning


(>'-')> - Kirby or little ghost thing...


You can take a look at this list for more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons  or ask your kids/grandkids...kids are the ones that come up with most of these anyway, haha....


Sam's Comments on Chatspeak/Textspeak:


I don't use very much chatspeak/textspeak anymore.  I used to use it a lot when I was in elementary school and high school, but when I got to college I noticed that it had started to affect my grammar and writing skills.  Because of that I have made it a point to type "longhand" as much as possible and not use too much chatspeak.  IMHO kids today both benefit and suffer from chatspeak.  Since they are learning abbreviations and "shorthand" typing before they learn how to even spell they're never really allowing themselves to learn spelling and grammar--because they don't need to in order to get their point across.


It's also important to remember that when you are online or testing the way you type becomes your voice.  Someone who uses a lot of chatspeak and abbreviations is judged differently than someone who types "longhand."  Always consider who you are sending your messages to and how you want them to perceive you.  If it's your friend or sibling or some other peer feel free to type anyway that you want.  If it's someone you don't know or an employer or someone of other importance skip the chatspeak, use spell check, grammar, and punctuation--you want to look as professional as possible.  If it's your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or some other young person make sure you really know the meaning of the chatspeak words your using before you use them, because they'll probably make fun of you if you get it wrong.  Although, they'll probably make funny of you anyway because young people are ageist.  



Anyway, now that we had a little crash course in textspeak/chatspeak it's time for our assignment for the day!


!!ASSIGNMENT!!


Part 1. Using mostly or only chatspeak/textspeak reply to this comment and write a few sentences.


Part 2. Think of phrases you like to use a lot and create your own chatspeak word.  Reply to this comment again and tell us all what it is and when you use it.




!!QUESTION REVIEW!!


1. What does LOL mean?
A. Lots Of Love
B. Laugh Out Loud
C. All of the above.


2. What does SMH mean?
A. Shaking My Head
B. So Much Homework
C. All of the Above.


3. You would use XD when....
A. Laughing really hard at something funny.
B. Talking about HTML and coding.
C. All of the Above.



4. Which one of these is the REAL chatspeak word when stating an opinion about something?
A. IMO
B. IMHO
C. IMAO
D. All of the Above.

External Hardware

External Hardware

Okay so now that we've gone over the basics of computers (mouse, keyboard, pc, and monitor) now let's take a look at how you can customize your computer and make it even more powerful.

External Hardware are electronic devices that you can connect to your computer to serve different purposes.

The most commonly used pieces of external hardware are external hard drives and memory sticks, but there are other devices you can attach to your computer as well.

Internal Hard Drive

Every computer has a hard drive built in. This is where all the memory for the computer and data is stored. However memory on an internal hard drive is limited--especially on older computers. When this memory is used up a computer will run slower, some programs will not open or run properly, large files can't be saved, and downloads will fail or load very slowly.

Memory can be used up very fast if you install large or newer programs on an older computer, if you save a lot of video files or projects on your computer, if your computer is infected with spyware or viruses, or if you download a lot of music and movies from the Internet.

When it comes to using large programs or programs that require a lot of memory the best thing to do is first buy a computer that is equipped to handle the needs of the projects you want to do or install more memory in your old computer--but this requires some patience and skill.

External hardware can be used to supplement the memory on your computer so you can use the memory on your computer just for applications and programs--if you want to.

So let's look at some different types of hardware.

External Harddrive

External Hard Drive

This device acts just like the harddrive built in to your computer except that it can easily be connected and removed from your computer and is often times portable.

You can use and external harddrive to save all of your personal files such as your documents, music, pictures, and video files. This saves a lot of space on your computer for just running and installing programs.

Another benefit to having an external harddrive is that if your computer ever breaks down your files are safe on your harddrive because it can be connected to other computers.

NOTE: files on your external will not be lost if your computer breaks down, but if your computer had a virus and a file saved on your external was infected the virus can spread if you connect your hard drive to other computers.

External harddrives are also used to back up computers daily, so if something ever did happen to your computer all your work and settings would be saved. When an external harddrive is used to backup a computer it becomes a clone of that computer--a computer Mini Me.

Memory Stick

This is much smaller and easier to carry around than an external harddrive. However memory sticks don't have as much memory on them as external harddrives. Their main purpose is to transfer files from one place to another or from one person to another.

They can also be called flash drives, USB sticks, and that stick thingie--as well as many other names.

Another little quirk about memory sticks is that they come in so many varieties. You can get them in different colors, shapes, patterns, and even ones that look like your favorite cartoon characters.

Other hardware

External hardware does not apply only to memory devices but includes many different electronics as well.

Mouse and keyboard

Yes, your mouse and keyboard can be considered external hardware.

Camera or webcam

When you connect your camera to your computer it's considered an external device.

For computers that don't have cameras built in, web cams can be purchased and connected to your computer.

Wacom Tablet

Tablets

Tablets are used by artists an designers as a way to draw easily on the computer. The pad acts as paper, the pen acts as a real pen or pencil. Some tablets also come with an additional mouse.



Printers and scanners

Printers are considered external devices.

Scanners can be used to copy images on to paper or to copy them on to your computer.

Nowadays you can easily buy all in one printer-scanner-copiers.

Wireless USB Adaptor

Wifi or bluetooth devices

For computers that don't have built in wireless or bluetooth receptors you can buy hardware (that looks like memory sticks) to connect you to wireless networks or Bluetooth.

Mp3 players

IPods and other mp3 players can be considered external hardware.

Other

USB Fan

USB Hamster runs as you type.

There are many other random things you can connect to your computer. Some things useful--some things not. For example a USB fan may be useful on a hot day--but a USB hamster running on a wheel while you type may not be the most helpful device, even if it is amusing!

Basically anything you can plug into your computer is considered and external device!





Assignment

Go online and find one piece of external hardware that we talked about today.

Once you've done that find the SAME EXACT DEVICE on two other websites and answer the following questions:

(you can write your answers or email them to me for a real challenge. My email is Rodriguez.SamanthaJ@gmail.com)

1. How much does the device cost in NEW condition on all three websites?

2. Which website sells the device NEW at the lowest cost?

3. Which website is the most expensive?

4. Do any of the websites sell it refurbished or used?

4a. If so what are the USED prices?

5. Which site has the best deal overall?

Here are some hints on how to complete this assignment:

- visit:
Www.bestbuy.com
Www.amazon.com
Www.newegg.com
Www.eBay.com
Www.circuitcity.com

Or google "external harddrive" or "camera" or whatever you want to look for.

- once you find something you like copy the name and model of the device by highlighting it, right clicking an pressing copy.

Then open a new tab, go to google, and paste the name of the device in the search bar.

When you're done with the assignment show me what you've found.


Question review

1. What is a hard drive?
A. It is where floppy go.
B. It is where computer data is stored.
C. It is the device used to read CDs.
D. It is one of those sticks that you put in the USB port.

2. Which of these is external hardware?
A. External hard drive
B. Digital camera
C. Scanner
D. All of the above.

3. What is an external hard drive used for?
A. Backing up computer settings
B. Backing up personal files
C. Saving memory on internal hard drive.
D. All of the above.

4. True or false - when a computer crashes and the files are wiped out all of the files on the external hard drive are lost too. T or F

Typing Lessons

Today we're going to go back to the computer basics by focusing some time on how to type!  I've noticed that a few of us are still struggling with how to use the keyboard, so today we'll check out some lessons and games that will help you improve your typing skills.

Start by going to this website: http://www.freetypinggame.net/free-typing-lesson.asp

This is a freeware lesson.  Freeware is a type of software developers allow you to use for free.  Sometimes it is just a demo of a bigger program you have to buy.  Sometimes it's a demo of a bigger program you can still download for free.  Since we are just trying it out, our demo will do just fine. 

If you have access to a computer at home or anywhere else you can always use your Google searching skills to find typing lessons and games online.  Just go to your Google search bar or Google.com and type in "typing games" or "typing lessons" or "free typing games" or "free typing lessons" then see if you can find a site that you like!

For your reference, here are the questions we went over today.  When we do the post test--put your notes away!

1. What keys on the keyboard do you rest your index fingers on when typing?
a. D & K
b. G & H
c. F & J
d. None of the above.

2. To capitalize a letter what key do you have to hold down first?
a. cap locks
b. control
c. delete
d. shift

3. What keys on the keyboard do you rest your pinky fingers on when typing?
a. S & L
b. A & ;
c. X & >
d. None of the above


EXTRA CREDIT!

What country is developing touchable holograms?
a. America
b. China
c. Japan
d. Switzerland

Saving Pictures and Recognizing File Extensions

Many of you know how to save wallpaper images (those are the pictures that show up on your desktop) but did you know you could save picture to your computer too?

With those pictures you can attach, send, or print if you want to.  Just remember that the quality of pictures found on the internet is not always good!

Here's how to save a picture:

1.  Find a picture you want to save.
2. Right click on the picture (only once) so that a drop down menu appears.
3. Pick "Save Picture As...." or "Save Image As..."
4. Choose the folder you want the picture to go in to.  You can also change the name of the file.
6. Click the "Save" button.

You just saved a picture!

Now what can you do with it?  Well how about we put our new saved pictures in a post?

How to post a picture on our blog:

1. Log in and start a new post.
2. Click the icon that looks like a picture.
3. Click "Choose Files..." or "Browse..." this may look different depending on the computer you're on.
4. Open the file and click on the name of the picture (or thumbnail of the picture) you want to post.
5. Click "Add Selected"

Your picture should show up in the post!

You may have noticed that when you save your picture a ".jpg" or a ".gif" showed up.  These are called file extensions.  Like the extension number on a phone, the extension on a file sorts the category of the file. 
Think of the computer as a receptionist and you, the user, are a caller.  The extension at the end of the file tells the computer which department you’re “trying to call.” Without the file extension your call is lost.

Here are some very basic file extensions and what they mean.  We can add to the list as a class if we find more.  The file extensions we'll be looking at today are highlighted.

.txt – Simple text document.

.doc or .docx – Microsoft Word file for text documents.

.jpg – or jpeg, Joint Photographic Experts Group. Image file most commonly used for still digital images. 

.gif – Graphics Interchange Format. Image file that can hold transparencies and animations.  Typically used for animated graphics and icons.

.png – Portable Network Graphics. Improved graphic extension. Smooth like .jpgs, but can hold crispness and transparencies like .gifs.  However, is not supported on older computers.

.pdf – Portable Document Format.  Used for flyers, applications, articles, printable documents. Needs Acrobat Reader to be opened.

.mp3  - Based off of Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG). Standard file format for music and audio.

.mp4 or mp4v – DVD quality audio and video, mostly used on iPods.

TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT!

Now that you know how to save pictures, how to post pictures, and what file extensions are you can complete today's assignment.

1. Grab a partner.  If you have little computer experience or are unsure, make sure your partner seems to know what they're doing and visa versa.
2. Go to Google at least one .jpg and one .gif
3. Go to the blog and post your findings, label which one is which.
4. Publish your post!

Try and pick images that reflect your mood today!

Hint: .jpgs are the easiest to find, but if you're having trouble with the .gifs try this website: http://www.animatedgif.net/
Hint: Another way to find pictures is to just google the file extension in Google Images.

Sam: Teaching how to blog

First go to: http://www.blogger.com/

Sign in!

Username: smart.computer.class2011@gmail.com

Password: **********

New Post!

Title: (start with your name)

Textbox: Type in your post!

Publish Post

What's Your Story?

Center for Digital Storytelling

Last week we talked about how the media uses visuals to send out a message about what they think is beautiful.

This week we are going to start our own media project to send out OUR message.

In class we will:
- Watch a few videos from the Story Center
- Start brainstorming our own story ideas and the message behind our stories


We may possibly have time to:
- Start storyboarding our videos
- Start searching for pictures for our videos
- Start recording our stories

Project Requirements
- Story must be about you or an experience you had.
  - You may work in pairs--and if you want you can combine your stories.
- Videos Must be 2 - 5 minutes long.
  - Pairs must have videos 5 - 7 minutes long.
- Story must have a message or a moral--it doesn't HAVE to be about beauty, it can be about anything you really care about.  Real beauty is only a suggestion.

NOTE: You do not have to use pictures of yourself if you don't want to.  Remember that we are going to post this online when we're done.  So do not put in any personal pictures you do not feel comfortable with people seeing!

Resources:
Storyboards

Stock Images
- DeviantArt
- stock.xchng
- Google NOTE: You can google "free stock images" but if you take pictures from Google Images they MUST be High Quality or they will not look good!  Ask Sam for help if you don't understand!

Evolution of Beauty

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Discussion Questions:

- How does digitalized beauty make you feel?
- What do you want to teach the next generation (your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren) about what it means to be beautiful?
- What changes (if any) would you like the media to make when it comes to their advertising?