The death of handwriting

Guardian Unlimited ^ | Feb 14, 2006 | Stuart Jeffries r

[Psycho_Bunny]

I must confess that my spelling has gotten worse since using Word.

That's interesting.  Programs with real-time spell check have vastly improved my spelling. 

It's become something of a low-key video game for me:  if the red line appears under a word when I space-bar away from it, I "lose a point".

 

[libstripper]

Several years ago there was a wonderful little New Yorker cartoon. These two guys were standing in front of a book store window and marveling at a copy of Tolstoy's War and Peace. One of them said to the other, "Imagine, he did it all without a word processor." Good luck with your book. I hope it's a best seller.

[linda_22003]

I do so little handwriting now that what used to be a readable hand has really deteriorated.

Has anyone else noticed what I have? The "writer's bump" that used to be very prominent on my right middle finger, where the pen rested, has almost entirely disappeared now.

[Larry Lucido]

Yep. And solid state circuitry was the death, alas, of elevator operators.

[Larry Lucido]

One may as well lament the lack of people able to accurately press cuneiform into clay tablets.

Yep, I remember. And it's been downhill ever since. :-)

[Terabitten]

Yep, I remember. And it's been downhill ever since. :-)

And don't EVEN get me started on the Buggywhip and Candlemaker's unions! LOL....

[Terabitten]

The point of handwriting was to communicate without physically present, and electronic communication fills that task admirably.

Correction:

The point of handwriting was to communicate without BEING physically present, and electronic communication fills that task admirably.

Alas, spell check won't catch a word that isn't there.

[ßuddaßudd]

Lucky for me I learned to print well in middle school, but have a hard time reading others people's crap.

[R. Scott]

Good luck with your book. I hope it's a best seller.

Thanks – but I’m no Steven King.
Now I’m being bugged to try fiction. Once again, thank God for the word processor.

[TexasRepublic]

If handwriting is dying, the use of fountain pens is even more so. I can count on one hand the number of people that I know who use a fountain pen, and all are older people. I have found only two stores in Houston that cater to fountain pen enthusiasts. However, nothing writes any better than an inexpensive Parker Vectra.

[Quilla]

My father had beautiful penmanship. When I was quite young and admiring his handwriting, he suggested that I practice making pages of consistently shaped, connected ovals on lined paper. Amazingly, it worked and I now write identical to the way he did.

Using a fountain pen accentuates my acquired talent; however, I can't seem to find one that works for more than a week. I bought a Waterman a few months ago, it's full of ink, but simply won't write. It's infuriating to say the least.

[TexasRepublic]

That isn't normal. The capillary action is not working. Is the pen clogged? Try another pen or clean the pen and try a different ink. My $5.00 Parker Vectra filled with Schaeffer Script ink is still working fine after 10 years use.

[TChad]

Learning to write in Russian cursive Cyrillic long ago destroyed my ability to write in English. My hand soft of freezes -- I tell it to write an English "t" and it wants to write an "m" instead, "b" for "v," "n" for "p" etc. I suppose I could force myself to relearn writing in English, but printing works OK.

[TChad]

soft of = sort of

My typing still needs work.

[Old Professer]

Are you collecting quarters or is the sales tax that high where you live?

[Old Professer]

I used to hand plot and analyze weather maps; the bump of which you speak was a great callus there, it's altogether gone now.

[dirtboy]

Any more, I get writer's cramp filling out a check. Which I seldom do.

[linda_22003]

Mine was so big it kind of knocked the top joint of my finger to one side; the finger is straight now.

[RangerM]

Nope. Just hate to needlessly carry large numbers of pennies and/or nickels around.

[Quilla]

... clean the pen ....

That worked! Thank you kindly.

Smacking head.