Cute

by Eszter Hargittai on February 28, 2008

More here on what went into creating it. I definitely appreciate the level of detail (e.g., the blinking line in the search box and the changing cursor).

{ 10 comments }

1

Kieran Healy 02.28.08 at 3:53 am

So this is how the Russians broke the Gmail captcha the other day.

2

Scott Hughes 02.28.08 at 4:12 am

It looks like they put a lot of work into that!

3

qb 02.28.08 at 5:25 am

wow, that was excellent, i only wish i knew what was being said in the chat window. my favorite part were the little stars they filled up with yellow goo.

4

Alan Bostick 02.28.08 at 5:40 am

qb@3: “Let’s go see this film!”

5

Adam Roberts 02.28.08 at 8:14 am

Ah, CΠAM. If I were a Python I’d get a strange tingle indeed when contemplating how my absurd larking-about on the subject of luncheon meat has created a word that has conquered the world.

6

abb1 02.28.08 at 8:47 am

‘Spam’ – yes, but there are a couple of more words they should adopt: ‘dot’ and ‘at’. ‘Tochka’ and ‘sobaka’ really annoy me.

7

Eszter 02.28.08 at 9:48 am

The @ sign in Hungarian is spoken as the word for “worm”, kukac, which I’ve always found amusing.

I wonder if the chat window example is realistic. It seems like way too correct and pure Russian for a chat session. Don’t people tend to use at least some shorthand? (I realize for an ad that is trying to popularize a product of this sort that may not be the best way to go, but I was surprised at how much of the exchange I understood given how long ago I studied this language.)

And yes, qb, I liked the yellow star section as well although I think my favorites remain the blinking line and the cursor change.

8

Great Zamfir 02.28.08 at 11:52 am

The Dutch for @ is apenstaartje, monkeytail with the extra effect of starting with an ‘a’.

I think it’s likely most Dutch people believe the sign is actually meant to be an ‘a’ with a tail.

9

tom brandt 02.28.08 at 2:24 pm

I don’t speak Russian, but I got a kick out of the of the occassional English word which popped out, like “chat” and “browser”.

10

Rich B. 02.28.08 at 4:13 pm

I am reminded on a commercial that came out, for a bank, I assume, back when ATM machines were new. I have forgotten everything about it now, except an old woman explaining how the machine worked. . . “Little tiny tellers . . .”

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