This is topic Tihs Is Stil No Ecxuse For Por Speling in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.


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Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
 
My brother sent this to me:

The order doesn't matter!

aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh
uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the
wrod as a wlohe.

Crazy, huh?

[This message has been edited by Kolona (edited September 17, 2003).]
 


Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
 
While I'm at it -- and with apologies to Kathleen (although maybe someone could use something like this to identify the aliens in their story) -- he also sent this:

When nobody is around... (and this is because you will look a bit silly)

While sitting at your desk, make clockwise circles with your right foot.

While doing this, use your RIGHT hand to draw the number "6" in the air.

Your foot will change direction.



 


Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
 
Yeah, I got that e-mail too. I responded with the message, "There are a lot of spelling errors in this message."

I tried the foot hing....my foot kept going the right way. Oh well.
 


Posted by Goober (Member # 506) on :
 
Am I the only one impressed by the fact that this seems to be TRUE?!

I had absolutely no trouble reading this post at all. It is also true that I have a profound interest in stuff like this, and am a big fan of trying to read "incomprehensible" texts and messages. Not so much "codes" as just either really sloppy, or barely visible. I find I am good at inferring text from only bits of letters, as in I can read all of this having only the bottom few pixels, and the rest I can figure out based on context and usage.

Very interesting!
 


Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 1198) on :
 
Yaeh, tlel taht to snooeme taths dyiexslc.

And it olny wkros wtih sroht wdros, if at all.

Try enemhsilbatst, or ttanenointscanrl.

That would be "establishment" and "transcontinental."
 


Posted by firemeboy (Member # 1742) on :
 
Thrre are splelign erorrs in the frist post? Where?
 
Posted by Narvi (Member # 1376) on :
 
Yes, it generally only works with short words, and only in the reader's native dialect, but it's still very impressive. If the text were full of british or scientific usages, I'd have trouble, and I couldn't do this for spanish (which I can usually read in unmangled form).
 
Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
 
It's all about expectations. We see a first letter and a last letter and we are aware of contesxt and we expect to see the word that is there. With words we do not know or almost never see it will not work at all.
 
Posted by srhowen (Member # 462) on :
 
this also explains why we don't see our own spelling errors very well--esp after 12 drafts or so.

Shawn
 


Posted by Phanto (Member # 1619) on :
 
I think that this is an exception; most times it would be near impossible to read such scrambelled garbage.

Still nifty, though.
 


Posted by SiliGurl (Member # 922) on :
 
That was wild... I had NO problem whatsoever reading the post. Didn't stumble over the words at all. Bizarre!


 


Posted by mags (Member # 1570) on :
 
the question is: which way are you drawing the 6? because drawing it from the inside (so the circle first) then up to stem of the 6 is much easier to keep the foot going the same way than starting at the top and then doing the curly que.

and I did get "establishment", I just couldn't figure out the other... guess I don't use it enough.
 


Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
 
Christine is either doing her sixes with the circle first the way Mags mentioned, or else she’s an alien. (Or is that ?)

That's a good point, Shawn.

 


Posted by srhowen (Member # 462) on :
 
Ok, I did the foot thing. I tried the six both ways--my foot doesn't change directions either.

Question--I am ambidextrous and dyslexic, wonder if there is a connection?

Shawn
 


Posted by Marianne (Member # 1546) on :
 
I heard that the government is using the exact same test to ferret out aliens living secretly on our planet
 
Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
 
Oh no! Kolona must be working for the government! All these years of careful planning and my disguise is blown...all because of the internet.

But you won't catch me. The mother ship is waiting, we'll come up with a new disguise and I'll be back within the week, working toward the conquest of you puny planet! Just try to trip me up with foolish foot circles then.
 


Posted by srhowen (Member # 462) on :
 
we knew it couldn't last.

Shawn
 


Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
 
And so Earth sighs in safety as another alien plot is foiled. (We don't call it the InterNET for nothing.) But we in the government cannot rest in the face of renewed threats. Let's see...foot circles are out...how about rub tummy...pat head...chew gum and walk...
 
Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :
 
I saw a page debunking that spelling thing. There is no such research going on, at least nothing that anybody will admit to. Nobody has been able to find a source for it. It seems to be just another urban myth.

One thing to note though: it does work for long words if you limit the length you move a letter by to two or three places from where it started. Eg:

dsiucisonss

anyone have trouble with that?

 


Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
 
dsiucisonss:

I did have a time with this word, actually. I think too many of the letters were flipped around, Another troubling thing was that there was no context.

On the other hand...I've already admitted that I'm not human so maybe it's just me.

[This message has been edited by Christine (edited September 19, 2003).]
 


Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
 
Of course, no one in the government will admit to anything....
 
Posted by Phanto (Member # 1619) on :
 
So, do you know any more places where I could find such interesting mind numbers, like the circle trick?
 
Posted by Kolona (Member # 1438) on :
 
What? And give away government secrets?

(If I come across any, I'll let you know. )
 


Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
 
We had a discussion about a sort of directed word association thing a while back...I was trying so hard to get the "normal" response that I gave a totally silly and off target answer...but hey, that's just me. It might actually still be around here.
 
Posted by loggrad98 (Member # 1724) on :
 
!niaga sekirts cixelsyd dam ehT

!!!ah-ah-ah-ah-aw-uB
 


Posted by momcitrus (Member # 1780) on :
 
My 15 year old daughter saw me trying the rotate your foot thing while writing the number 6 in the air. Her comment was, "HA! I tried that- it only works on the weak-minded!!" Kind of disturbing to realize I've experienced some serious mental erosion in the last 15 years.......oh well, all for a good cause.
 


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