BS: Worst autocorrect?

Subject: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: DMcG
Date: 19 Jun 15 - 01:15 PM

I really must proofread my messages better. My phone, especially, delights in correcting my text ..

A moment ago I send my daughter a text that said we were meeting "Gennette and the other Gibbs". The phone knew better: it said we were meeting "Gennette and the other gibbons."

What has yours done to 'assist' you?

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jun 15 - 06:25 PM

Spoilsports

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 20 Jun 15 - 09:40 AM

Nothing. I won't tolerate a program that, out of its ignorance, tries to "correct" me. I'll either reset the program never to "correct" what
I wrote or (if it can't be reset) get and use other software. Or hardware.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 Jun 15 - 10:44 AM

my colleague of Italian descent - Devenis became devilish

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 20 Jun 15 - 02:33 PM

A friend of mine sent a text after visiting Juliette' s balcony in Verona.
It read

" been to visit Kylies balcony".

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: BobL
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 04:25 AM

See also http://www.bermant.com/chaim/articles/computeryiddish.php!.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: DMcG
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 04:49 AM

Good one, BobL: mixed languages like that must be a nightmare.

In my example I think there's a layer of logic missing - the software should not only look at the best fit word, but also needs to pass some threshold of commonality. Apart from vets and zoologists who could add the word to some dictionary, how often do gibbons come up in everyday conversation?

I had a similar fight with an older phone. "Mom" may be the common American form, but "mum" is common in the UK. Not on my old phone: it substituted "nun" every time and there seemed no way of persuading it otherwise. Do people really talk about nuns more often than mothers?

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: Mr Red
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 07:09 AM

not to mention fuax amis!

Try putting "smirnoff" into predictive text on phones. In most early non-smart phones it comes out "poisoned".

You wait till Artificial Intelligence discovers Freudian Slips!

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 07:40 AM

"All they will have to do is punch symptoms into their computer for it to come up immediately with a diagnosis" says the funny article linked by BobL two posts back. Reminded of the story in early IT days of the doctor who proudly installed a computer into which he programmed all symptoms reported by patients; only to receive the invariable printout ---





"There's a lot of it about."

≈M≈

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: gnu
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 08:13 AM

I have no experience with it but I hear a lot of people complain about autocorrect shirt.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: GUEST,A discookied Musket
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 08:24 AM

Not so much autocorrect as mental block. I have to write, and am published in Dept of Health information and medical periodicals on the subject of alert organisms.

Sadly or wishfully, I often type alert orgasms.

On two occasions, this has been published as comms dept proof readers don't always pick it up...

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: gnu
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 09:46 AM

Freudian slop?

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: GUEST,Me
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 09:58 AM

Dunno. It just keeps cummin'

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 12:54 PM

Not having a smart phone, I don't have to deal with anything except my mediocre typing skills... but to deal with that I have a program that monitors my spelling as I type.

If I use a phrase or word it doesn't know, it offers me a choice of possible 'correct' ones. If it is one I intend to use often, I can add it to my approved list and not be bothered again. I often spell 'through' as 'thru' ... and the program did not recognize 'internet' as a valid term until I told it what *I* wish.

I use http://www.tinyspell.com/ but there may be others that do essentially the same thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Jun 15 - 10:59 PM

My newspaper had a column about a parent who meant to send the chidren a text saying "We're going to Disneyland," but instead the phone sent "We're going to divorce." Caused quite a furore.

Unless that family lived close to D'land and went rather often, the DH and I wondered why in the world somebody would text such a message, rather than give it in person and watch the reactions. Not every kid is thrilled by Disneyland.

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: GUEST,bernieandred
Date: 22 Jun 15 - 12:51 AM

I was sending an email to my French friend Jaques. Spellcheck suggested "jackass".

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Jun 15 - 05:08 AM

Spellcheck alert!

is auto-correct, correct
or
autocorrect?

call me a pedant but the former would be my choice.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
(didn't anyone question spellcheck?)

Subject: RE: BS: Worst autocorrect?
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Jun 15 - 09:18 AM

Not all of us pedants agree on specifics about pedantry.

I would also prefer auto-correct, as 'autocorrect' sounds like a vehicular piece of hardware... or something....

These days, the very complex nature of technology is feeding an upsurge in new phrases to refer to aspects OF the new technology. Then, the perceived need to shorten one's typing patterns in order to make a point leads many to resort to weird, non-grammatical forms.

Auto-correct is fighting a losing battle.