Comics Legends And Lore - Details

A recent article in the New Yorker by Louis Menand"Thumbspeak" and a recent disagreement with a family member turned my thoughts back to the topic of text messaging. A few weeks ago I raised the subject inYou wouldn't get any with just an"I luv u".In that post I mentioned that teens and young adults don't even say"I love you" anymore.  Romantic niceties have been dumbed-down to"I luv u" in a text message. Even a voice message, with the cracking of the voice and the slight hesitation between"I" and"love" has a stronger romantic context.

In"Thumbspeak" Menand references a work by David Crystal,"Txting: The Gr8 Db8". Crystal is a linguist who has written over one hundred books. Parents and teachers who believe that texting is a contributing factor, if not the final death knell, to the demise of our language can take a small sigh of relief. The trillion text messages sent by the three billion human beings who own cell phones"appear as no more than a few ripples on the surface of the sea of language." He considers texting a natural side track in the evolution of communication. It succeeds despite the fact that as communication devices become smaller our thumbs remain the same size. It succeeds because it is basically a game, and the rules of the game ensure its success:

• Rule number one - always have your phone in your possession
• Rule number two - always have your phone turned on
• Rule number three - always respond instantly
• Rule number three and a half - always respond, even if you have nothing to say

Instant gratification is the key to success. Norman Silver the author of"Laugh Out Loud :D" states that the Fourth Commandment of text messaging is:"u shall b prepard@all times 2tXt& 2recv" It succeeds despite the fact that the cell phone key pad is a primitive tool of communication. Texters are like the prisoners in their cells tapping on the walls. So, who's texting, and why text?

My friend (this was an angry, heated conversation) told me"everyone" texts, and that I was one of the few people on the planet who did not text. There is no question that a lot of text messages are generated each day...in addition to the thousands of text messages I was being asked to pay for! In the second quarter of 2008, the typical subscriber sent or received 357 text messages, compared with 204 phone calls, according to Nielsen Mobile. That's a boon for carriers, which generally make a lot more money from text messages than they do from voice calls. It's much less expensive for them to transmit text messages, which come in smaller packets of data.

According to CTIA, The International Wireless Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry, text message sending and receiving jumped from 14.4 million in 2000 to 363 billion in 2007, with a monthly average of about 48 billion. In the first quarter of 2008, Verizon Wireless alone delivered nearly 58 billion text messages from coast to coast.

As a recovering alcoholic I know that much of the alcohol consumed at an event is consumed by a small percent of the attendees. According to the New York Times, a recent poll performed by Ipsos says that,"82 percent of cellphone owners said that they never used text messaging, 3 percent said that they used it monthly or less, and 15 percent said that they used it every week or even more." In other words just 15%, or 45 million people, are contributing the vast majority of the text messages being sent each month. “If they’reusing it, they’re using it frequently,” said Donna Wallace, a vicepresident at Ipsos.

AT&T recently conducted a survey to see how text messaging is affecting the modern dating realm, and the results are complex.  At least forty percent of texters between the ages of 18-55 who are dating or in relationships believe that text messaging plays a significant or very significant role in their relationships, and not all of it necessarily positive."People have discovered that there are moments when just the right text, sent at just the right time, can go a long way to keeping romance alive," said Alecia Bridgwater, director of Messaging for AT&T Wireless. "We wanted to understand more deeply how our customers were using text messaging in this way, and our study turned up some interesting insights."While AT&T conducted the study for marketing purposes, they acknowledge the results aren't entirely in their favor.  It found that in some ways text messaging provides an easier approach to making--and sometimes keeping--a love connection.  One 26-year-old who participated  said,"I spend a ton of time texting every day.  I think it's much easier to flirt via text message than in person because you have a moment to think of a cute, flirty, creative response without being embarrassed about what the other person will think."

According to the survey, roughly sixty-eight percent of texters admitted to sending a"love note" or"flirty" message.  Twenty-eight percent indicated that they text at least three times a day with a significant other.  Both of which suggest a great deal of people send out"sweet nothings" on their cell phones just about whenever the mood strikes.

Also found was that twenty-six percent agreed that someone would be more likely to accept a first date with them if they have exchanged text messages first.  Thirty-four percent agreed they would feel more comfortable if they received a text from a romantic interest shortly prior to the first date.

The inverse of these findings, however, show that texting can create a great deal of uncertainty and frustration.  Eighty-four percent agreed that text messages can sometimes be misunderstood by a date or suitor.  Twenty-four percent said the biggest turnoff when texting with a date is a slow response; however, eighty-two percent said they answer a text message immediately or as quickly as possible.  As common as the cell phone may seem as a"tool of love," about a third of texters who are dating or in relationships said they would get upset if their romantic interest would respond to a wireless call while on a date, although forty-four percent admitted to answering their cell phones while on a date.

Age played a huge role in the findings as well.  Thirty-seven percent of respondents who are 18-35 years old said they text at least three times a day with their significant other compared with twenty-two percent of those who are 36-55.  Seventy-four percent of those surveyed who are 18-35 have flirted via text messaging compared with sixty percent of those who are 36-55.

Text messaging is still a recent phenomenon in human evolution.  While it is certainly changing how relationships and dating function today, at this point texting still hasn't replaced the basic human need to communicate directly as much as possible.  Eighty-four percent of cell phone users agree that text messages can be misunderstood, and just under the majority (forty percent) say text messages play a role in their relationships.  Where these numbers will be in ten years from now will be very fascinating to see.

I believe that we have become an addictive societyIf you hang out in a barbershop long enough, eventually you're gonna get a haircut.  Addictions and compulsions are destructive behaviors that an individual acquires as a method of coping with the pressures of life. There is clear evidence that young teens and young adults are turning to text messaging as a way to avoid the awkward moments associated with human contact. This also makes small fortunes for cell phone executives. The beer and tobacco companies were the big winners of my generation. It took several decades for society to deal with the"corporate drug pushers". Texting is the drug of choice today.

"K". Translation: I have nothing more to say, but God forbid that you should think that I am ignoring your message.

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TheSilver Surfer(Norrin Radd) is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in the comic book Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the first of a three-issue arc fans and historians call"The Galactus Trilogy".

Originally a young astronomer of the planet Zenn-La, in order to save his home-world from destruction by a fearsome cosmic entity known as Galactus, Norrin Radd made a bargain with the being, pledging himself to serve as his herald. Imbued in return with a tiny portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic, Radd acquired great powers and a silvery appearance. Galactus also created for Radd a surfboard-like craft — modeled after a childhood fantasy of his — on which he would travel at speeds beyond that of light. Known from then on as the Silver Surfer, Radd began to roam the cosmos searching for new planets for Galactus to consume. When his travels finally took him to Earth, the Surfer came face-to-face with the Fantastic Four, a team of powerful superheroes that helped him to rediscover his nobility of spirit. Betraying Galactus, the Surfer saved Earth but was punished in return with everlasting exile there.

Stan Lee enjoyed the character and decided to feature him in his own individual title in 1968. John Buscema was penciller for the first 17 issues of the series, with Kirby returning for the eighteenth and final issue. The first seven issues, which included anthological"Tales of the Watcher" backup stories, were 72-page (with advertising), 25-cent"giants", as opposed to typical 36-page, 12-cent comics of the time. Thematically, the stories dealt with the Surfer's exile on Earth and the inhumanity of man as observed by this noble yet fallen hero. The Silver Surfer comic book series became known as one of Lee's most thoughtful and introspective works. Englehart writes that Buscema and Lee were"pouring their souls into the series".

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.

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