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Sunday, April 06, 2008

Scrambled

I blame Pav.

I didn't know about Scramble until I read her post. I tried a few live games (too scared to challenge Real People yet) and discovered a few things about myself:

-- my keyboard skills let me down. I know that you know that I let typos through on my posts and comments quite a lot, but it's not just hasty reading back through things. I used to be able to type fast and accurately -- not touch typing, but my own special herbs & spices method -- and I seem to have lost this art. Now when I type, my brain thinks one thing and my fingers type another, and I am often quite shocked by what they've come up with. Room full of monkeys be damned, my fingers could write Shakespeare whilst I'm trying to write a Letter to the Editor.

Let me type that para again and fight making any revisions:

my keynoard skills let me down. I know that tou know that I lot types through on my posts and comments quite a ot,but it's not just hasrt reading back through things,=. I used to be able ti tip quite fadt tthe acudratey -- not touch typing,m but my iwn special herbs and spices methois -- and I seem to have lost this at. NOiw when I type, by braub thinks one thish and my fingers type abothers, and I am often quite shockes by what they've cone up with. Room ful lof monkys be damned, my fingers fould write Shakespeare hildt I;m trying to wrie...

you get the idea. It's increasingly hard word [see! WORK] for me to type, and Macintosh making their latest keybort flatter and more laptop-like isn't helping, doods.

ANYHOO,* my fat old fingers are not my friends when trying to play Scramble.

-- I can't see words over five letters. I can when they're in a line and I can shift them about, but not in a block, to save my life.

-- I hate time-based games. I'm not good against a stopwatch, unless it involves food. I'm a VERY fast eater.

-- WTF with the dictionary? Some of those words are NOT rational. I have been writing very blue comments after my live games, to the consternation of some of the more princessy types in the top ten who are obviously idiot savants or have purloined little computer macros to help them.

In other words:
GAH! It's frustrating. And I'm no good at it. But I can't. stop. playing. it.

I blame Pav.





* Did anyone hear the Book Show on Radio National on Thursday? They talked about Masterworks from the Web, an anthology of blog stuff. 'Anyhoo' is apparently come into common usage thanks to bloggers. Heh. They also covered Mandy Ord's graphic novel, Rooftops.

3 comments:

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

"I blame Pav."

Sorry.

I can't stop playing it either. And I never get any better.

Re typing -- try making your words by clicking on the actual letters on the grid (in the correct order of course) and then clicking on ENTER. That was the way I played for ages, until I finally noticed that you could, in fact, type the words straight into the box.

Der.

Enny said...

Ah ha! I only just discovered this game too - my tactic is to jus type in as many letter combinations as I can... it works pretty well because so many nonsensical combinations count as words!

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

My question is this: when are competitive scramblers going to start attracting corporate sponsorship?