When your smartphone makes you look dumb
When your smartphone makes you look dumb
Plus: Teen Talk summer school edition rolls on — and the news of the week: vaccines, masks, new soccer coach, big sewage spill, country club drama and a Pineville food hall
Good morning! Today is Saturday, July 24, 2021. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger’s Weekend Edition. Check out our audio version 🎧 on Spotify.
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Column: Our phones are growing more sophisticated. But the mistakes we make with them are getting more embarrassing.
It’s wise to scan for typos/autocorrect errors and ensure you’re in the right conversation before hitting “send” on a text message. (Ledger photo illustration by Brie Chrisman)
By Colleen Brannan
They say we’ve come a long way with the help of smartphones that run our lives with apps, snaps and maps. But have we?
Always moving way too fast, I’ve experienced quite a few snafus, which raises the question: Is my smart phone making me look dumb?
From voice to text and same name mishaps, I’ve been making a mess of my personal communications lately. But it happens to the best of us, right? Some of my more egregious iPhone crimes include:
Wrong convo: When you’re in multiple text conversations, it’s easy to reply in the wrong one — like the time I meant to remind my diabetic son to check his blood sugar … and instead told a client. Or the “love you” meant for my husband that I sent … to the air conditioning repairman who had just texted that he was on his way. Oops.
Fat fingering: While brainstorming a headline with a colleague, instead of “Celebrate Our Heroes,” my fat fingers typed “Celebrate Our Herpes.” Who knew just one letter off could be such a showstopper? Her answer: “OK…??” 😱
Same name contacts: Imagine a high-ranking state government official’s surprise when I texted him about the status of his charity event table purchase. And then, the follow up call I placed when he didn’t answer me! That message was meant for someone of the same name who owns a local electrical company. Everyone got a kick out of it except for mortified me.
Accidental calling after hours: Trying to listen to a voicemail, I touched a message and accidentally called an attorney friend back at midnight. I quickly hung up, but sure enough, he called back in the morning to see if everything was OK because he missed a late night call from me and was hoping “he wasn’t my one phone call.”
Predictive text and autocorrect: I recently tried to text someone “I am getting antsy” but somehow it became “angry,” which forced a phone call from the recipient. And, my phone definitely doesn’t want me using colorful language since “shot” and “duck” pop up a lot.
Bluetooth fails: Your car and phone working together against you can cause double trouble. With incoming calls displayed on the screen, imagine the silence among a car full of people when Charlotte Gastroenterology returned my call.
Surely I’m not the only one having these troubles, so I asked my LinkedIn followers for their own anecdotes. Lots of views, but few came forward — except Clayton Sealey to say “you sent me quite a few of them the other day…” and my daughter, Phoebe, who commented “for what it’s worth, I get at least two messages per week from you that were meant for someone else.” Nice.
Thankfully, my friend Wanda shared the story of her husband at a trade show, who texted a group of foreign colleagues “see you after sex,” instead of “six.” According to her, he was their favorite funny American after that.
For most of these issues, there’s a fix. Here are a few game changers (for iPhone):
Turn off predictive text: Settings>General>Keyboard>Toggle to off. This simple step ensures “asset” doesn’t become “asshat.”
Disable autocorrect: Settings>General>Autocorrection>Toggle to off.
Increase the font size: Settings>Accessibility>Display and text size>larger text>larger accessibility sizes>use slider at bottom to adjust.
Label contacts with companies: Always take time to add company affiliation or how you know them, even if it’s a temporary relationship like “Fence Guy.”
Get some drug store readers: If you suffer from tired or aging eyes, invest in some low-cost magnifiers. They come in multi-packs at Costco.
Slow down: Before you hit send, give messages one last read to make sure autocorrects or your own typos haven’t changed the meaning or made you look sloppy. While you’re at it, make sure it’s going to the right person.
Clearly, I am a hot mess when it comes to “smart” technology, so you may just want to opt for an email relationship with me to be on the safe side. All I can say is that none of this ever happened with my beloved flip phone.
Colleen Brannan owns BRANSTORM PR and assures us her communications challenges do not extend to her clients. Reach her at colleen@branstorm.com to share your own smart phone fails.
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Teen Talk — Build your vocabulary
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you should stop learning: Impress and delight the teens in your life by using the words they use! The Ledger shows you how in this occasional Saturday feature.
Today’s word: Periodt
Pronunciation: “PEER-ee-ut”
Definition: An exclamation used at the end of a sentence or as a response to emphasize the point being made.
**The speaker may say “and that’s on periodt” to further emphasize the point.
Used in a sentence:
“I’m going to throw hands if the construction on East Boulevard is still going on when I get back from the beach.” “Periodt!”
“You look amazing in those Vestique jeans—and that’s on periodt!”
Ledger analysis: It sounds as though it can be used as affirmation of someone who is ranting, similar to “preach!” “tell it!” or “you can say that again!” Or you can drop it in after something you say to underscore its importance, as in: “You need to stop leaving your dishes in the sink, and that’s on periodt!”
—Caroline Mecia, age 18
This week in Charlotte: Hospitals mandate Covid vaccinations; mask guidelines for schools; Olympics include Charlotte athletes; a council member’s f-bombs
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
Masks in schools: (WFAE) North Carolina health officials on Wednesday announced new Covid safety guidelines for schools, saying K-8 schools with students too young to be vaccinated should require masks. But it doesn’t give any penalties for districts that won’t require them. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has yet to make a decision on masks, but some districts including Union County Schools have already said they won’t require masks at any grade level. The state guidelines also say any student in grades 9-12 who hasn’t been vaccinated should be required to wear a face covering.
Colleges and vaccines: (Observer) As students prepare to return to universities, local colleges are announcing their Covid vaccine policies. Ones that will require proof of Covid vaccination to return to campus include Queens University of Charlotte, Johnson & Wales, Johnson C. Smith and Lenoir-Rhyne. Schools that won’t require proof of vaccination include Davidson, Belmont Abbey and Wingate.
UNCC rebranding: (Ledger 🔒) UNC Charlotte will be retiring its crown logo and undergoing a rebranding in August that will also involve a new web address, emails and social media handles. The university will unveil the changes Aug. 19.
Politics
Bokhari unplugged: (Axios Charlotte) In a no-holds-barred interview, City Council member Tariq Bokhari said he’s fighting for Republicans to make political inroads in a city dominated by Democrats. He also blasted political opponents, including planning director Taiwo Jaiyeoba (“f— that guy”), council member Malcolm Graham (“Malcolm ‘Political Hack’ Graham”) and Mayor Vi Lyles (“incredibly partisan” despite “playing a kindly grandma on TV”).
Leaders in Senate race fundraising: (Associated Press) Cheri Beasley led Democrats and Pat McCrory led Republicans in fundraising in the second quarter for the race for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat next year. Each raised more than $1.2M.
Mitchell out at R.J. Leeper: (QCity Metro) James “Smuggie” Mitchell is no longer president of R.J. Leeper Construction, less than six months after he gave up his at-large city council seat to lead the company.
Local news
Sewage spills on the rise: (Axios Charlotte) Sewage spills are becoming more common as Charlotte grows. The city spilled 847,000 gallons of untreated sewage from the Paw Creek Lift Station, a water treatment facility, into Lake Wylie earlier this month.
Settlement over protester treatment: (WBTV) Several civil rights groups have reached a settlement with the city of Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police over police response to a 2020 protest following the death of George Floyd. The terms of the agreement include major changes to CMPD directives in how it handles protests.
Business
Will more employers mandate vaccines? (Ledger 🔒) Atrium Health and Novant Health were among six big North Carolina hospital systems that will start mandating Covid vaccines for all workers. Although Atrium and Novant are two of the five biggest employers in the Charlotte region, employment lawyers say they doubt many other companies will follow the hospitals’ lead because of concerns about lawsuits and employee relations.
Restaurant relief: (Ledger 🔒) More than 400 Charlotte-area restaurants were approved to receive money from the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund this spring, including more than 30 who took in more than $1M. Many more restaurants were eligible but didn’t receive money because the fund was quickly depleted. The Ledger also posted the full list of local recipients online.
Sports
Charlotte-area Olympians: (WCNC) Olympic athletes with Charlotte-area ties include a Queens University of Charlotte swimmer, Mallard Creek and Providence Day School grads in the hurdles, a weightlifter from Matthews and competitors in canoe from Central Piedmont Community College, Belmont Abbey College and Davidson College.
New soccer coach arrives: Charlotte’s new pro soccer team, Charlotte FC, introduced coach Miguel Angel Ramirez to fans on Thursday. The 36-year-old Spaniard said: “The Queen City and Charlotte FC is where I want to start a new chapter in my life. It’s a beautiful challenge to help build a competitive, winning club and shape the style of play from the very beginning.”
From the Ledger family of newsletters
New library director: (Ledger Monday) Marcellus “M.T.” Turner, the new CEO of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system, talks about his goals for his new role, his background and what he’s been reading lately in a sit-down interview with The Ledger.
Charlotte hotspots fined: (Ledger Monday) Four Charlotte bars agreed to fines this month in connection with violating Covid rules. The manager of Pins Mechanical Co. in South End told police that he “thought they were exempt from the private bar restrictions” because they served “hot pockets, cereal and peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables.”
$25K fee for CMS speaker? No problem: (Ledger Monday) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ leaders were eager to book controversial “How to Be an Antiracist” author Ibram X. Kendi to speak at an online conference last month even when learning of his $25,000 speaking fee. “$25K total? Totally doable,” CMS’ chief of staff wrote to Kendi’s booking agent, according to emails released under public records laws.
Email blast leads to country club suspension: (Ledger Wednesday 🔒) The grievance committee of Myers Park Country Club suspended a member who is the former chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, after he sent an email blast critical of the club’s renovation plans, new court documents say.
Smooth yard waste transition: (Ledger Wednesday) The city reports no problems with the switchover this month to paper and reusable bags for yard waste.
Food choices in Pineville: (Ledger Wednesday 🔒) Watch out, Optimist Hall — the Super G under construction in Pineville in a former Kmart space is expected to have at least 11 food vendors and a “food hall vibe.”
Welcome to “The Bowl”: (Ledger Friday 🔒) Developers behind the huge Ballantyne Reimagined project have settled on a name of the center of the development, which will have restaurants, shops, apartments, a stream park and an amphitheater. They’re calling it “The Bowl.”
Canning lid shortage: (Ledger Friday 🔒) It’s prime season for canning produce, but a national shortage of jar lids has people searching all over Charlotte for them.
Only to go at the Bo? (Ledger Friday 🔒) Bojangles has proposed to knock down one of its Charlotte restaurants and replace it with a drive-thru and no indoor seating — part of a trend away from dining rooms at fast-food restaurants. With a rendering!
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: Lindsey Banks