[Chris O'Carroll]

No 4258
Set by Leonora Casement
We want conversations, letters or writing from those who were today’s teenagers as they look back with nostalgia from the second half/latter end of the 21st century.
Max 150 words by 3 January comp@newstatesman.co.uk

[Graham King]

What, no other takers for this one? Or are Eratosphereans just playing their cards close to their chests this time?
I hope Leonora accepts my semi-phonetic form of txt-spk, which seems apt for this comp.


I mis TV/NtRnet wE had az tEnz! mAnz-pwR2! rEmMbR how mOs Ppl livd on-grid? amAzg, A? nwdyz, NlS UR@wndfRm-campz, U hRdly evR get Nuf pwR 2plA/chat wi Ur old iPal – evn if s/hE’z solR-cApabL, U nEd cloudfrE-spL 4 dEcNt pwR-up, knO wot I mEn? Cors, if UR rnwbl maint engnr U got stedy wRk 4lIf & all th rEl-lIf palz U want - guyz galz gAz bIz or wtvr pal-mix U lIk! (all lEgLy EqL sins wE wz kidz, trU; but sins 2142 gEnsplIs war & 2160s nanoplAgz, biolgcl impRaTv 4 sRvIvL => natUrL upsRj: strAt-sX popLRT, strAt poplATn-shAr! Ironic, A?) wE’d reglR wthR bak thN, 2- dint hv 2mIgr8 (fertL fludplAnz 4fUd&rEsRce-gathrg thrU mIld sEzN <=> rEgNL uplNd stormshLtRs thrU cOldwetwIld sEzN)- trIbz haulg thOz wagNz 2&frO iz tuf! cn U BlEv, 1s wE actULE had oil2 burn in VcLz?! NEwA, tIm 2swichof 4now- bEn gr8 talkn2U, pal.

[Brian Allgar]

Can't stay long, they're hot on my heels.

When I was a lad, back in the Golden Age, 3D television had only just been invented, and telephones could still send and receive calls. You probably don't know what that means, but in those days, you could actually speak to someone on the phone - it was long before the system became "SMS only".

As for television, we could still say whatever we liked about the program content. But after 3DTV, we got VRTV (Virtual Reality Television), and then RRTV (Real Reality Television). The other day, when I said something unflattering about the Simon Cowell hologram, he leapt out of the screen and punched me on the nose.

Today, however, I said something even ruder about MUC (Murdoch Universal Channel), and the Sky police came swarming out of the television to arrest me.

I'll try to send another carrier pigeon soon.