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"What are cursive exercises?" I hear the young ones asking?

Well they were exercises supposedly designed to teach you the basic moves of making joined-up writing -- or script as it's more accurately referred to.

What's script?

Well that's the old-fashioned form of writing where all the letters within a word are joined together -- you know, like those old parchment manuscripts you sometimes see on TV.

Okay, perhaps I overstate the case -- but I've noticed that kids today simply don't use joined-up writing any more, and I must admit that I don't either.

I wonder if this is just another example of how computers and technology have changed the way we communicate?

Script was often the preferred method of writing because it was fast, much faster than printing. This speed was achieved mainly because the pen only need be lifted from the paper at the end of each word.

These days, it appears, we seldom need to write quickly with pen and paper -- and those who do (secretaries, reporters, etc) simply use a shorthand notation anyway. As a result, it seems that schools no longer teach kids to do joined-up writing.

The arrival of low-cost keyboard-equipped technology, however, has meant that regular folks like you and I have effectively replaced script with typing.

I can type at around 95 words per minute -- there's no way I could write at that speed no matter how hard I tried. Keyboarding is simply more efficient than writing.

Then there's the cellphone. TXTing has created a whole new dialect of cryptic prose that today's kids can tap out on the keypad of a mobile phone faster than many of us can actually read it.

However there are still some technologies that simply haven't fulfilled their promise.

Voice to text is probably the most obvious one. Sure, there are a thousand and one vendors who'll sell you software that claims to convert the spoken word to text with better than 99% accuracy -- but the very fact we don't see such systems in common use speaks volumes for their real efficiency.

Unfortunately, accurately interpreting the spoken word involves a whole lot more than just some basic pattern matching. Indeed, it relies heavily on such things as *understanding* what's being said, the context in which it's said, etc. -- something that computers are still way under-powered to do effectively.

Need an example?

If I said "sex sells" could a computer be sure that I didn't actually say "sex-cells". It wouldn't know for sure unless it could determine whether I was talking about marketing or S&M fetishes.

So will joined-up writing be relegated to the history books within a decade or two?

I believe so -- even though I had thought for a moment that the need to be able to sign one's name might be the last bastion of script. I then realised however, that thanks to such technologies as PINs and biometrics, we probably won't even need to sign things soon.

Lighten Up
It's a well known fact that the life-expectancy of men is lower than that of women. Have you ever wondered why that is?.

With Air NZ cutting back on the frills associated with its flights and other budget airlines muscling into the market, I have to wonder whether this is really a parody -- or perhaps just a statement of fact.

Wouldn't you know it.. as soon as Arnie got elected to the position of Governor out their in California, people start making fun of him

Next Week
Right now I'm waiting to hear back from Jim Anderton's office on a matter that will probably be one of the most important columns I've ever published here.

Is the government (and Anderton's office) really interested in growing NZ's knowledge economy? Are they really interested in creating new hi-tech jobs? Are they really interested in boosting export earnings?

Is the government focused on creating strong growth and protecting the best interests of taxpayers -- or are they simply supporting a bureaucracy free to engage in petty vindictiveness at the public's expense?

The answer may (or may not) surprise you.

If any Aardvark readers want to share an opinion on today's column or add something, you're invited to chip in and have your say in The Aardvark Forums or, if you prefer, you can contact me directly.

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