This week, I have been thinking about emails. It seems all modern and shiny, but did you know the first systems that sent messages between computers started in 1965? The email address as we know it today, with the @ symbol, was invented in 1972 and now more than 600 million people internationally use email.
The @ sign, otherwise known as the ‘at sign’ or officially the ‘amphora’ has lots of exciting names in other languages. The at sign is often seen as an animal: in Afrikaans and Dutch it is called aapstert, which means monkey’s tail. The Danes call it snabel-a or grisehale, which are elephants’ trunks and pigs’ tails. The French see it as a petit escargot (little snail), whereas Russians apparently have a more imaginative approach to these things and call it sobachka, which means little dog (not seeing it myself!). My favourites are the Thai ai tua yiukyiu, which means the little wiggling worm like character, and the Finnish miukumauk, which means the sign of the meow as Finns think the at sign looks like a curled up, sleeping cat! Bless.
However, the advent of email has brought with it a whole new load of social faux pas and potentially terrible situations to get yourself into – think of all those poor people who write a very rude/explicit/revealing/downright stupid email, and the recipient sees fit to forward it to their friends who forward it to their friends who forward it to their friends until you’re reading about it on the front page of the newspaper on the tube.
And then there’s email slang, something that makes me feel very old because I haven’t got a clue what they’re going on about. Y’know, all that LOL, LMAO, BRB, BTDTGTTSAWIO (prize for the first person to tell me what that stands for!). Here’s one that makes me laugh: AITR – adult in the room. Well, you can see what age group invented this one!
Can’t deny it, email has changed the way we communicate. Also the way we record our life – how are historians of the future going to know what we wrote to each other? Will they stumble across old email accounts in the way you might find a stack of letters?
I really like this great project set up by the British Library. During May 2007, The British Library is creating the first ever national archive of emails, which aims to record a snapshot of British life through emails, permanently archived for generations to come. They want everyone to send them emails they have received, in different categories:
1. Blunders – embarrassing revelations, a case of mistaken identity etc
download film That one made the the papers!
2. Life changers – job offers, marriage proposals etc
< “um. I have a lady in my life these days. I do believe some of you have met her. You seem surprised because it’s fair to say I forgot to tell any of you. You
. That’s been keeping me busy for the last month. Hmmm I guess it’s more of a conversation thing so that’s all for now”
3.
Complaints – public transport, poor customer service etc
A complaint is a very rare thing here in Laundry Land, so I can’t show you an example. However, here’s a useful website: http://www.howtocomplain.com/
4. Spam – the best (or worst) spam emails received
Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia rip
I really don’t need to post any here, everyone knows what Spam looks like! Post any good examples on the blog. Here’s a website about a spam experiment: and another one about people who like keeping spammers busy and here’s the official spam website for good measure.
5.
Love and romance – romantic emails which tugged at the heartstrings
Well if you are going to write long and slushy emails – expect to get it published in the national press! download Bio-Dome
6. Humorous emails –funny forwards, office banter, jokes etc
The Laundry email, every week! Here’s one I got emailed the other day: while The Laundry of course has no political affiliations or opinions, this joke did make me laugh!
Bush and Cheney are at a restaurant for lunch. The waitress comes over and
asks what they will be having.
Bush says, “I’ll have a quickie.”
The waitress steps back in disgust and says, “Mr. President, I thought that
kind of piggish behavior went out with the last administration!”
She storms off and Dubya looks confused. Cheney shakes his head at the
president and says, “George, it’s pronounced QUICHE.”
7. Everyday emails – exchanging recipes, organising nights out etc
From my housemate:
“I’m going to invite some friends to our party, is there a theme or anything special, or shall I just suggest people turn up with a bottle of pop and some crackers?”. It was a good party.
8. News – good and bad news, births, illness, accidents etc
An email from a very excited friend:
“Guess what I’ve just bought… a car!!!! I am officially a car owner and I’m rather excited about it! I can’t pick it up until Saturday (I’m having a CD player fitted, naturally) but then i can go zoom zooming all around town and beyond! Technically I don’t really have anywhere to go in it but I’m hoping I will in the not too distant future”.
9. Mexican Gangster video World around you – emails/views on topical events, news from around the world etc
From another housemate (TV programmes count as topical events!):
“Hope your day is going well. I am still recovering from last night’s This Life reunion. So bad it made me angry”. Took him days to recover from that.
10. Tales from abroad –long distance emails from far flung places
There’s a brilliant book called Don’t Tell Mum full of the emails gap year kids send back to their parents. Riders divx Have a look at some extracts here.
I’m going to end with an email I was sent the other day when I asked someone why they were laughing. This someone will remain anonymous, for their own dignity.
Maid in Manhattan movie download
Re: Why are you laughing?
“I’m laughing because
Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning full movie
I haven’t shaved my arm pits for about three weeks – oops”
TTFN! Tell us all about your email wonders and blunders and don’t forget to send emails to the British Library project – email@emailbritain.co.uk
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19 Responses to “Share your email pain here”
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I like spam that seems customised for you. Being an arts-n-copyright kind of guy, I was impressed by this one a while ago: “Help us engender discussion amongst artistic peers, to share knowledge, and to host a helpful online creative community.” Or what about a certain colleague who felt persecuted by penis enlargement emails… hmmm, some truth lies beneath, me thinks!
My favourite will always be this at the end of a long, heartfelt post-breakup email that a friend sent to his ex with me in BCC:
“P.P.S. I think I left my hammer at your house, can I come and get it?”
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Re. me only being 23 – that was my point! I should be able to understand what the kiddies are saying, but I don’t. It’s a whole other language. Goodness knows what it’ll be like by the time I’m 27…
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Feeling young (not!) BTDTGTTSAWIO stands for -
Been There, Done That, Got The T-Shirt And Wore It Out!
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 9:45 am
I don’t think you work hard enough Geoff, you’ve won Laundry questions of the week before! But congratulations, you are indeed young and hip and down with the kids and a Laundry prize (can you guess what?!) will be winging its way to you soon. Your next challenge is to find a situation today when you can use BTDTGTTSAWIO!
Are you a very good Googler, or are you just very good at pub quizzes?!
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I had a girlfriend who set new records for blondness (e.g. she didn’t believe in gravity) but on the subject of email blunders, she once sent me an email saying ‘cant wait to do naughty things to you tonight’ and sent it to the entire BBC finance department instead (how? I don’t know). By the replies she got I’m guessing it was the most exciting thing that has ever happened there!
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 10:02 am
LMAO!! (see I’m young and hip too).
By the sound of Rachel laughing her A. off (am I allowed to write naughty words on the blog? Ahh, now I understand why the kiddies write like this!), it’s about the most exciting thing that’s happened to her today!
Ok. *** NEW COMPETITION ***
Rach and I have just had a discussion, and for a fear of tv phone in style scandal we’re starting a new competition – obviously you all get emails at different times during the day and so Covent Garderners have got a much bigger chance of winning the prize than the Shoreditch lot who don’t get their email till 3pm.
So – email recycle@thelaundry.biz with your answers to this questions by the end of the day and we’ll pull a winner out of The Laundry hat tomorrow and let you know then!
What does TANSTAAFL stand for?
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Oops – I’ve just awarded someone the prize who emailed me the answer just before Geoff – luckily we have lots of prizes. This is Rosie’s acceptance speech:
“I’m so chuffed I’ve never won anything . . . I knew it was going to be a interesting day when I got on the central line at Shepherds bush at 8.30 and was the only person in the carriage for 2 stops!! Very surreal.
all I can say is thanks to Michelle (9) and Robert (13) the kids who I baby sit, for their constant effort to keep me up to date with the “now” “
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 10:07 am
OOPS = yeah I mean what Helen said – the prize draw is much better.
ps what does LMAO mean also have you heard of tb at the end of a text message – I made one up which is nnttb – guess what it is – no prize associated
Posted: May 10th, 2007 at 10:07 am
AND – look at Tom’s comment for the protocol on rude words – blush
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 10:32 am
nnttb…
“Now nobody takes the biscuit”
- As Rachel casts a stern glare over mischievous The Laundry underlings
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
Which is rubbish because I had one the other day at M&S. Granted I was shop lifting!
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Hey Ed,
YOU WONNNNNNNN _ hooray – we drew it out of a hat (actually my hand) and you win the prize well diddly done, it’s in the post
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A WOO HOOO HOOOO!
I LOVE THE LAUNDRY!
What did I win?
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
It’s a surprise
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
It’s a surprise
Posted: May 11th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
I’d like to thank the lord god almighty for creating the world and allowing the 14th April 1981 to come to pass. I’d like to thank Flaminio Bertoni, the designer of the backseat of the 1968 Citroen 2CV for making it so well sprung. I’d like to thank my mother for being drunk and my father for not being too drunk. Finally I’d like to thank the owners of the The Fiddlers Elbow in Havel, Kent, for not having a working condom machine. You have all in a small way helped bring about this wonderful day.
Posted: May 14th, 2007 at 9:32 am
No Need To Text Back
Posted: May 15th, 2007 at 10:07 am
I get a lot of spam, some it offers me fortune on the stock markets, others offer me televisions at bargain basement prices. But my favourite to date has been this one, from a girl offering me herself:
“AlohaI believe that you are my soul mate and I am even more confident that you are kind, bright, well-behaved person with wonderful manners and polite sense of humor. Indeed I am a wise lady and I will not stand living with a fool or a cry-baby. I know that I am worth thousands of women; my intelligence is far more advanced than it is of an average lady my age; my sexuality is million times stronger than it is of a young, inexperienced girls. I am worth a fortune and I am happy for you, because from now on you can write to me at http://inetfeelings.com/fantasy and we will learn each other better. You will never regret that you’ve finally met me!Later
N.”
The funny thing about this is the email address it was sent from, which was Jack’s apparently. Has anyone else had a declaration of love? I know I’m about a bit on the internet, Jack might have seen me on Facebook, or indeed the Laundry site – but I’m not sure there’s enough there for someone to decide I’m a soulmate. Still, Jack shows wisdom beyond his pre pubescant years in his assessment of me. Ahem.
John
Posted: Jul 2nd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
?