Cracking the Code

No, this isn't some international spy ring or even the Swift banking system. What code? Why, the L337 $p34k, of course.

Here's the cutting edge television story sure to scare the pants off every parent.

No, seriously. The story is simply silly. Anyone reading blogs is savvy enough to know about this form of communication and it isn't just something teenagers do. The worst part about this wretched story is that it preys upon the fears and anxieties of computer illiterate parents. I mean, my eight-year-old son says "LOL," for crying out loud (much to the embarrassment of his older sister who says he's already a geek).

This story is just another example of the "nonnews" news on television these days. Sure, parents should know what their teenagers are doing on the internet. But teenagers have always had a "language" that they use among themselves, not necessarily to hide things from their parents, but because that's how teenagers think. They want to be unique, so they come up with new terminology. So what was "cool" 40 years ago became "phat" 10 years ago became...I dunno what now. I guess I better go look it up in the internet slang dictionary.