Even the census has 1337 status

1974ER · Post by **1974ER** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:14 am

He got 1337 characters as his census result. In so called "LEET-SPEAK"... 1337 reads as "leet"... which translates into "elite" in plainer English.

Thanks for the laughs, Mailman!

:D:D

FuxieDK · Post by **FuxieDK** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 11:26 pm

1974ER wrote:1337 reads as "leet"... which translates into "elite" in plainer English.

Does not compute...
Why would anyone read it, like that? It makes no sense at all..

Does that also mean that "5726" can be read as "that's just too silly"?

Balgair · Post by **Balgair** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 4:44 am

Makes perfect sense if you're used to text-speak. 1=l 3= a backwards E, and 7 isn't that far off T

I find writing like that looks pretty illiterate but 1337 is a very common and universally understood word, whether I'd use it myself or not.

FuxieDK · Post by **FuxieDK** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:51 am

Widely used? Hmmm.. In my 20+ years of (mis)using the internet, this is the first time, I've encountered it..

Balgair · Post by **Balgair** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 8:44 am

Evidently you don't read gaming sites then, I've known it ever since I was in Planetside, which was before WoW even came out so... 7+ years. And it was well-established then, not just a minority usage.

Edit, yep, originated in the 1980s... perhaps not the exact spelling but the general concept, and the "1337" has definitely been around for a long time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet

FuxieDK · Post by **FuxieDK** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:20 am

Well...

I use Wowhead and Thottbot for Wow, and have never seen it there...
And as I wrote 20+ years on internet, and prior to that, heavy use of FidoNet, BBS and UseNet, and this is still the first time I encounter it..

Just shows that "widely used" or "very common and universally understood word" is subject to how you interpret those words

Balgair · Post by **Balgair** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 12:05 pm

I've definitely seen it on wow-related forums, and many other places, so seems dependent upon where you look! I'm amazed anybody dooesn't[/i[] understand it by now, at least anyone who actually uses the internet!

jmcnelis · Post by **jmcnelis** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:51 am

Yeah, the term has been around a very long time. Even used on Jeopardy once, as a wager for Final Jeopardy.

To be honest, Fuxie, I'm surprised that in 20 years of using the internet, you've never seen it. It really IS very widely used and very common. Maybe you've just missed those posts.

pencey · Post by **pencey** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:25 am

face it, wow players aren't generally all that 1337