Texting is the phone companies' way of charging you through the nose for something you can do for free with Google. I understand the allure of it and even SMS my friends on occasion, but I only SMS those friends that have an "Unlimited" plan or whatever so that they do not have to spend money on talking to me. I am so rarely away from my computer (or a computer) that it really makes no sense for me to have a cell yet, though I hope to get one soon (for emergency use and POSSIBLY texting). The only reason I shorten words when I SMS people is that they can only receive a limited number of characters for some reason (AKA their phone is a piece of crap that we will probably burn on the day they get a new one). I also use 1337 sp33k occasionally (read: a lot) because it's fun to type, and I am t3h ub3r-g33k.
On books: Going Postal is no longer a stand-alone! Moist is back, and he's coining money now! God I love Pratchett. It's so sad that he has early onset Alzheimer's... Can't wait for the next "Watchmen" book.
The other series I follow avidly is the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. VERY good stuff, the older books are hard to find anymore, but I'm slowly hunting them down.
As far as manga goes, I just read D. Grey Man and Fullmetal Alchemist as far as the scanlators have gotten (I am going to buy both series, so don't get all w33py about the author/artist's losing money), and I am also keeping up with Dragon Ball (t3h original, f0r t3h w1n!). Any others I should know about? I love manga, but the bookstore that sells it is so far away that my parents won't drive me unless they want a book or twelve as well. So I end up spending my money on video games instead and reading scanlations and watching fandubs. h00r4y 4 t3h in7r4n37s!
Also, kind of a side note, am I otaku? The vibe I get from the word and context I read/hear it in says "fanboy" to me, which is NOT the way I see myself: I don't obsess over trivialities (like FF13 going to the 360: you're still getting your game, just calm the fuck down and quit bitching: the thunder (or would it be Thundaga?) that was 7 will, in all likelihood, never strike again, unless Square Enix quits trying and just makes a game the best way they know how), I don't keep track of who voices who, and I DO NOT EVER cosplay; BUT: I am completely obsessed with Japanese culture and history, I am learning the language so that I can maintain the purity of the art forms of manga and anime, and almost my entire game library is games made in Japan. Am I (according to the Japanese definition) otaku?
On books: Going Postal is no longer a stand-alone! Moist is back, and he's coining money now! God I love Pratchett. It's so sad that he has early onset Alzheimer's... Can't wait for the next "Watchmen" book.
The other series I follow avidly is the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. VERY good stuff, the older books are hard to find anymore, but I'm slowly hunting them down.
As far as manga goes, I just read D. Grey Man and Fullmetal Alchemist as far as the scanlators have gotten (I am going to buy both series, so don't get all w33py about the author/artist's losing money), and I am also keeping up with Dragon Ball (t3h original, f0r t3h w1n!). Any others I should know about? I love manga, but the bookstore that sells it is so far away that my parents won't drive me unless they want a book or twelve as well. So I end up spending my money on video games instead and reading scanlations and watching fandubs. h00r4y 4 t3h in7r4n37s!
Also, kind of a side note, am I otaku? The vibe I get from the word and context I read/hear it in says "fanboy" to me, which is NOT the way I see myself: I don't obsess over trivialities (like FF13 going to the 360: you're still getting your game, just calm the fuck down and quit bitching: the thunder (or would it be Thundaga?) that was 7 will, in all likelihood, never strike again, unless Square Enix quits trying and just makes a game the best way they know how), I don't keep track of who voices who, and I DO NOT EVER cosplay; BUT: I am completely obsessed with Japanese culture and history, I am learning the language so that I can maintain the purity of the art forms of manga and anime, and almost my entire game library is games made in Japan. Am I (according to the Japanese definition) otaku?
