Re: l33t - the language of pedophiles

Gune wrote:
> The article doesn't say pedos invented it.  It expresses concern that
> pervs could exploit it to hide info from parrents.
>
> I thought it started as a script-kiddie, wannabe-hacker thing.  "Ha ha,
> you L4m3 d00ds can't understand us h@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"  "The password is id10t".

It grew into that. It has two roots:

Passwords, which ideally are a mix of letters and numerals, like so:
pa55w0rdz
But can be remembered because they look like words. There was a time
when most people did not understand this.

And also:
300 baud modems. Ever watch the movie "War Games"?

Matthew Broderick uses a modem in which a computer-connected modem
handset sets on an old "Princess-style" telephone. It would have
transmitted 300 bits per second. Assuming asynchronous communication,
which requires 10 bits per character, this translates to 30 characters
per second. Typing a hundred characters less in a short text message
saved 3 or 4 seconds (more with a bad connection). So that led to
shorthand like this:
c u ltr

The next generation of geeks - 1990 or so - worked as much of this as
possible into their text, even tho it was no longer ncessary, to show
that they understood. The *next* generation, of course, has no idea why
they are doing it; it's fa****on, and as you say, the text equivalence
of teen slang which every generation umm, generates.

Kermit