Spelling disaster?

In publishing, anything that eliminates spelling, grammatical or syntactical errors is to be welcomed. As editors, we spend a lot of our time trying to find and correct mistakes within our magazines. A completely error-free publication is the Holy Grail of our profession, but – like that mythic object – is more readily desired than attained. As – ahem – professional wordsmiths, of course, it grates when we read a writer who doesn't know the difference between 'less' and 'fewer', 'number' or 'amount', 'disinterested' and 'uninterested', 'infer' and 'imply' or 'continual' 'and 'continuous'. And that's before we even get started on the ever-vexatious issue of apostrophes. These examples may seem like pettifogging pedantry to some, but they are a regular source of irritation to many and can on occasion lead to considerable confusion. And, contrary to what we may once have hoped, the auto-correction, spellchecking and grammar programmes that exist simply won't do the job. After all, one has only to consider the fact that 'four', 'for' and 'fore' or 'fair', 'fayre' and 'fare' are all valid spellings with totally different meanings to see how far short a simple spellchecker is likely to fall. Of course, it is most important to inculcate the young with a good understanding of spelling and grammar, but this is even more problematic, not least because in this age of 'text speak' (or 'txt spk'), it can be difficult to explain to a youngster why spelling and punctuating properly is important. The Challenge The challenge, then, is to develop a device that can eliminate such errors as or even before they happen. This would have to be easily used and affordable, but able to give near-instant feedback to allow errors to be recognised immediately. Ideally, it should be possible to use such a device like a normal pen, as this will allow children to learn how to write legibly, as well as accurately. Perhaps the device could take the form of a camera monitoring the pen's every stroke and relaying the pictures to a remote location staffed with highly pedantic grammarians? However, it's hard not to feel this might be expensive and time consuming. The actual device is a very clever piece of kit that would appear at first glance to offer a solution to spelling and grammatical woes. However, that is not to suggest that you can't come up with something better. -Solution- Solution to the May 2013 Coffee Time Challenge The solution to the May challenge of how to develop a pen to detect and prevent grammatical errors comes from Germany. The Lernstift (or 'Learning Pen') is a digital pen designed to bring handwriting into the 21st century by having the pen vibrate to indicate when the writer makes spelling and grammatical errors or exhibits poor penmanship. Currently under development, the Lernstift is powered by Linux and contains €50 to €80 worth of smartphone electronics in a thermoplastic or aluminum body. It uses motion sensors to trace movements and detect errors. If a mistake is found, the pen vibrates to alert the writer. The Lernstift pen operates in two modes. In Calligraphy Mode, it warns of mistakes in penmanship, while in Orthography Mode it detects spelling and grammatical errors – vibrating once for the former and twice for the latter. The sensors allow the pen to recognise writing even in the air so it can be used to write text messages without a writing surface. The Lernstift is in two generations of development. The first is due for release mid-2013 and the pen will be equipped with motion sensors and a word recognition system. Meanwhile, the second generation, which is slated for early 2014, will have a pressure sensor added. Its function is to help children understand the proper way to hold and press a pen. Press too hard and the pen vibrates. Another area of development is a network module that will allow the pen to connect to Wi-Fi to allow it to share data. The company is currently seeking investors and says that the Lernstift will be available in August of this year.