punctuation
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End texts with a period if you want to seem like a jerk
It appears as though those among us who use proper punctuation when texting look like big jerks. A new study out of Binghamton University says that text messages appended with a period come off as kind of rude. Computer Mediated Communication (email, texting, instant messages, etc..) lacks any sort of the context clues of face to face communications methods, so to see what the period meant in terms of CMC, the researchers had a small group of undergrads rate conversations that were framed either as handwritten notes or text messages.
Ask Massively: Stir-crazy edition
With no power, no real Internet access, no running water, and no access to just about anything, I was getting a little bit stir-crazy. Fortunately, I've made use of my training as a Boy Scout and assembled a crude pastiche of elements to bring some of my favorite electronic online games into the offline space. Success has been mixed. Sitting in dowtown and periodically shouting that a level 34 Dragoon was looking for a party produced exactly the right reaction to simulate logging in to Final Fantasy XI, but my attempt at "logging in" to City of Heroes resulted in a lengthy discussion with police regarding the appropriateness of waving a Nerf sword at teenagers. My makeshift attempts at answering this week's lineup for Ask Massively, however, have proved pretty fruitful all around. Skip on past the break for discussions about some very meta considerations, not the least of which being a potential subdivision of the site. As always, leaving a question in the comments or mailing it to ask@massively.com will quite possibly get it included in a future edition of the column. Sometimes even if the question is ridiculous.
