[OT] readability (was Re: [plug] stripping potentially nasty attachments)

[Kai]

James Devenish wrote:
> In message <Pine.LNX.4.44.0403281108320.10541-100000 at BBRH73.busby.net>
> on Sun, Mar 28, 2004 at 11:22:11AM +0800, Bret Busby wrote:
> 
>>Speaking of what is said on TV,...one thing that is amazing,...is
>>the abuse of the word "is";
> 
> 
> "There's two of them," "How's things," etc. Ugly in writing. While the
> simplification of language seems entirely appropriate in speech (and
> often happens inadvertently because speech is impromptu and very slow
> compared to written language), reading efficiency subsequently suffers.
> It took me a long time to understand the attitude that "overuse of
> computers leads to illiteracy" -- I always thought that computer use
> would necessarily lead to better literacy because everyone has to read
> and write everything! But it doesn't seem to work that way -- you have
> to have a basic level of literacy to use a computer independently, but
> you can then get away with little further increase.
[..]

My reply continued in the off-topic list.