SMS

I am visiting provincial Queensland at the moment and am amazed by some of the content in The Chronicle, the local newspaper. It relates to a common addition to a lot of papers now - the ability to send in short comments (previously "Letters to the Editor") via SMS - so folk are making their point in 160 characters or less. Leaving aside for the moment that the rules of grammar and spelling do not matter in this forum (although some of us find it part of the challenge to keep both of these as critical elements of ANY communication - even, or especially, short ones) the published messages are refreshingly articulate. Take the one about current electioneering (aka pork barrelling) and the observation that, as a farmer, the local sitting member should well known that you can't fatten a pig on market day!