Text on Text

Subtitle ad and teletext holidays web wing 

Early subtitle 

The word revamp is commen one in the world of teletext. Recently this means: We're getting rid of stuff but replacing it with adverts. The main thing is this time that regional news is being removed from ITV. It is being relanuched on Five but considering tht few outside England can recieve that channel on terrestial it's not going to be seen by many. Ironicly it's being relanuched with a all regions rather than just the one you live in. Considering it will be seen by only three regions it shouldn't be too arduous. Maybe that was there plan all along.....

Some other entertainment pages are being moved too. And renamed. Oh and with such wit! Total entertainment on ITV is losing the word total. However they make up for those five characters with Lifestyles your name. Wait for it. It's your life! Without the exclamation mark. So we can assume Teletext is run by latter-day Bon Jovi fans then. Theres also going to be a new horoscopes section by the mystical Majore Orr. I never knew if she was a real person or Bamber Boozler type figure, only exsisting in text. Mind you it would be great if Bamber Boozler was real. You can find a full list of these changes and where there happening on p270 on channel four. It's also somewhere on ITV and most likley on Five too.

Despite a slightly cyincal note throughout that I am pleased some interest is at least being shown in teletext and they havn't complealty given up. I did find a faulty page last night. Quite a rarity on teletext. Despite large banners claiming "THIS IS A TEST PAGE" cheap flights on Majorca where stuck in the middle. Unfortunitly I couldn't find my camera. I relise that could be interpreted as sarcasm to anyone but the avid reader so let me assure you I'm being sincre in my disere to catch those magic teletext moments. Now that was a touch sarcastic.

If your stuck for something to do tonight and you live in the UK you may want to join me in watching the clocks go forward on teletext. I belive in happens at 2AM. Go on. Just sit back and say "I promise I'll be less sad next week-end."

TELETEXT feature of the day- Family Tree-C4-P154
A practical use of teletext. This alows people to track there family trees through others knowledge. Like those internet sites without the extortionist fees. Theres also a missing persons page near it. I'm not at all interested in tracking my family tree but if I were this would be far more useful than the net as there are few cenus records for Ireland. Big fire appartently.It's taking a while to find the page number here indeed I think i've missed it. A lesson to be patient and not to go flicking to other pages. Found it! But you already know that.

Below are three shots of the teletexts icons mentioned in my Cult text post. There are more but you'll find pleanty of digitiser shots littered round the net.

If teletext ever did a TV special this man would be a shoe in for host. It's old lego face himself. Bamber Boozler. 

The logo of Mega-Zine. Arch rival of backchat 

An old backchat front page 

Yesterday cult text was exaimed. I now relise that the golden age of cult text was really some years ago when teletext wasn't quite sure of what to do with itself and tried some odd things for short periods of time. See telesofware which probably should have been included. You'll find it in the excellent and only-known-to-me database of teletext that sits in my sidebar under the title history of text. It doesn't work but by the time I write this it should. All you have to do is remove the extra http:// at the beginning of the adress.

Today is Pop Text day. No not pop tarts that's something else. Pop text is the teletext that has made a significant impact upon society. It has been remarked upon by the media and the masses alike. Interestingly most of the Pop text examples are from ceefax in contrast with the Cult text which hid out on C4.

Teletext holidays-p200-ITVBy far the most obvious example of pop text. An inclusion in the dictionary can' t be far off for teletext holiday. In the digital age it has florished with it's own TV channel and services on digital text. If you accully read the offers there not as cheap as there made out to be. Well there always seems to be one which you will inevitbly miss and have to watch the 107 page loop again. Until a few years ago may have been cosidered cult text but TV ad's and flashy web-sites have propelled it further into the nations conciousness as has an extremly funny Peter Kay stand up act.

Football results-pages vary see 302-Ceefax
Many football fans will tell you the tense trauma of watching your teams fortunes on teletext. Waiting for the page to come round again, hoping and praying that there will be a late goal or six. Becoming less popular with the event of Sky Sports News and other live from the ground saturday programs that keep you up to date with all the latest blah, blah,blah,blah. Still relvent to millons though and though popular media has only passingly noted these hallowed pages (Gary Linker famously said watching Wimbledon would be more interesting on Ceefax) they Pop text status is well deserved in my book.

Subtitles-p888-All services
This may be pushing it a bit but they certainly are popular with the deaf and undeaf alike. A know many people with full hearing who choose to watch programs with subtitles. I can see why. I can't explain why but I've done it myself many times. It's strangly compelling. It has also been thrust into the spotlight by it's mistakes. The live news updates are tricky ones to cover I'm sure and there have been incidents there. The most recent one I remember though is when on The Weakest Link Anne Robinson called someone a "Dim-wit"(think that ws it) and the subtitle read Prick instead. There was public outrage. This is mainly because the public has nothing better to do. See America where there is an even greater public who don't even have teletext to while away their time and how wound up they got about Janet Jacksons nipple. Subtitles where the original purpose of teletext so we should all be very greatful to them. And many of you are. Hence they are Pop Text.

Now and Next-p120 on Itv+C4-p606 on both Ceefax
I can't really talk of any social signifgancw with this one. nor has there been much media refernce to the humble function. However it is likly the most used page on teletext. Just like roncell it does exactly what it says on the tin. It tells you what is on terrestial British televison now and next. And it doesn't even take up a full screen.

The other day I searching the internet for teletext information (Boredom and not wanting to do coursework in cas your asking.) And I found that there were a few pages that would get responses much more than others. Also they could be split into two groups if you so wished, Cult Text and Pop Text. Cult text is the letters pages with a tiny following but a following is something most Teletext pages don't have. And if you have a look you'll find attempts at internet covcersions or simply sites devoted to the page. Pop text is the text that has seeped into everyday life and society. The best example being Teletext holidays which everyone knows of and has been extenivly used in a Peter Kay stand up act. Today I'm talking about Cult text though and thats a different animal.

It's pretty hard to define what is cult and what isn't but my criteria will be that it must be mentioned when I search Google(I prefer Yahoo! but Google does give more results) and I must have heard people talk about it in real life. Nearly all of the cult pages seem to be to channel four mainly as it's got alot of free pages as it has very little newsor sport. If you wish to make an addition feel free to add a comment. So here is an examination of the cult pages of all British teletext services(excluding Five which I don't get on anolouge) No particular order here though I may choose a winner later.

Backchat-Ceefax 1-P577Looks like this will be Ceefax's only entry and even it's dubious. I have heard it mentioned in real life but the Internet only threw up people who hate it. Mostly Mega-Ziners who we'll get onto later. It's been around since at least the mid-ninties and does have a few regular writers though the short coment system means you don't really get to know them. I believe they should be cult though ig only because people on the pages call themselves backchatters and chat to the editor. A sure sign of a cult. Or maybe Backchat is the ant-cult text. Hated by everyone for no real reason, like Geri Halliwel
Mega-Zine-Chanel 4-p382 Got far more responses than anything else. Many broken web-sites but still. A realitivly obscure page on 4 which has a very devoted following. A proper letters page means the regular writers get far more of their personality across. Of course the most obvious difference between Mega-zine and other letters pages is the bizare abstract humor that lies with-in each little. Sometimes their not at all funny and are just gibberish. But even then it's great in it's own way. Right now I'm looking at a letter from Farmer Jaws( Usually referred to as Farmer Jack) who has decided to turn into a shark as he dubiously claims they never get ill. Prehabs most importantly a teletext shark has been drawen beside the letter. In case you forgot what one looks like. Not that the drawing would help. The editor always responds in the banners usually reserved for refernes to other pages or ads. It also avoids the twatish supoirty complex that adorns so many intenet message boards(see the Football Manager fourms, I used to use them but the people are just unbearbale) I can't praise it enough. Well I could but I won't. Most Ziners as their called seem to demiss backchatters is idiots and despise the fourom itself.

Bamber Boozler-CH 4-P140Many refernces to this on the Internet. Most remember being addicted to it at some point or absolutley hating it. I did hate it mainly as my Dad isisted we played it whenever we went to my granda's house(we didn't have teletext) but after a sabbitical I can now appricate what an excellent waste of time it is. He was wearing a green coat this week for St Patricks day. Classic. He used to have a son, Buster Boozler who did a kids version of the quiz but I havn't seen it in a while which is a pity

Digiester-C4-No page but replaced by the much worse but, to use sporting cliches, Ernest and workmanlike. Steady and Solid.The now defunct channel four games review section. I only seen it a few times but it often strayed from games to write strange little jokes that involved the reveal button. This was appeartly hated by the teletext management who tried to destroy it repeatly, attempts where stopped(I should use a better word but it's getting late) With 1.5 millon viewers weekly before it closed in 2003 it accully got better ratings than alot of the crap the BBC churns out which often records zero viewers. An early ninties creation of Mr Biffo he eventully left in 2003 to write childrens TV amost other things. I'll stick I link to a web-site with it's history. It's an intersting story told in a very digiester way. For the record the first time I heard of digiester was around 2001 when a PC magazine I was reading said it was "A humorless page run on the poor mans internet, teletext" the word dated was also used but I forget where. I later found out this was jealously by a team of people who couldn't define "Interesting" with flashing neon lights.

The Void-p352-C4- Great fourm for music discusson, both obscure and mainstream. Well I say mainstream mention Britney Spears and you likly to be maulded by text wolves. Which surley must exsist. Or not get published. Usually an interesting top 10 list. Yesterday it was 2 letter bands. It's lso quite funny, the whole planent sound thing has a very laid back style of writing. What keeps teletext alive. Much like Mega-zine hates backchat The Void hates The Vibe. Broken down to the lowest level I suppose it's just that the Ceefax services boast more normal people talking about more normal things in a more normal way on a more noraml teletext service. The Void does serve a purpose though, something which can't really be said of Mega-zine(apart from keeping strange people of the streets) and it's the best place on teletext for intelligent music discussion and to discover new bands. The Void has it's fair share of idiots though who believe they know everything about music. They are ususally savaged by readers in the next edition though and rarley come back.

Winner? Oh let's leave that for tomorrow. I'd say it's Digiester(which is damm hard to spell, so theres one point agasint it) and Mega-zine(which has a Z point for) I might stick up some pictures later if I can get money on my phone. Tomorrow Pop text. Which will hopefuly not take an hour to write.

The blurred view of the last gasp by one of my favorite pages. Cost 20p to send through my phone this. 

It's debatable if TV review is really exticent on teletext or wither it's just hiding under a different guise making occasional appearences. On Ceefax ,however, we have been left in no doubt. Near the beginning of the week a message in TV reviews regular place (p526,BBC1+2 if memory serves me correctly) saying thay the entertainment section was under going a revamp and that there was no plans for a daily TV review in the futre. The entertainment section looks far from vamped. Indeed Ceefax has barly changed it's appearance this century. I do have a picture of this on my phone but it refuses to hop onto my computer. I also have a picture of the ceefax placeholder page which is simply lots of little "A" like-but-not-quite-A's figures. A more costly email option is also aviable but that doesn't seem to be working great etheir.

I know this is a very UK centred blog on teletext but I'm afraid I simply don't know enough about other countries teletext to update. Also the guest nation slot is very time comusing and I do have something of a life to shamble through. So just an apology to anyone reading thinking "what an arrogent,xyenaphobic pig." Anyway I hope to post a little more regulary as I have some decent ideas for blogs. Remember keep reading that text! I'm sure I'll think of a motto soon. Suggestions welcome though as it has been sevral months.

TELEtext thing of the day!-Backchat-p577 BBC1+2
Short 2-3 line chats like this often work best when their about nothing in particular and backchat proves this. It's for children but it's cetainly streched and their are often people in their early twenties texting in. Has the ability to talk aout ice cream and manic depression only sentences away from each other. Would that work on the internet? No.

Welcome to Text on Text's (or TOT's if your feeling playful) first guest nation feture. Here we will explore the virtues of world teletext. As with most things the USA has been flippant with our beloved teletext though this is mainly because of a techical issue with their televisons. I'm not sure on the techincal jargon but basiccly they have less lines on their screens. This would make teletext even blockier and little information could be stored on each page. But enough about those who aren't here. As well as being near the start of an alphabetical list of countries Armenia is also the first nation to have it's teletext service reviewed by TOT. Pictures of the service follow below. I must mention that I got most of my information of www.teletext.am where you can view nearly all teletext pages on HText.

Company name: Teletext LLC
Brodcast on:Armenian public televison
Lanuched on: Sometime 1998
Teletext name:H-Text
Lanuage: Armenian
Any evil digital text?: Not yet as teletext is still pretty new there and digital TV is not commen

Anything else?: Despite being on public televison there seems to alot of advertising on Htext. The 300's are basicly a text version on the shopping channel. Also although the teletext is not digital there is an interactive element. From 800 to 900 is The Casino where you can bet on text poker and the like. I thought it was just for fun but at one point it asks you to enter your the card number (credit I assume.) Their are around 45 pages of rules which I don't understand as I don't speak Armenian. Other interesting things include a phone book which I contains 45 pages. Most probably for for companies of some sort or goverment services. I also like the female magazine which is far more like a conventional magazine than most text services that claim the tag. It is 34 pages of pure text. No pictures and from what I can tell no sub-pages or links. More on the interactive front, Tetris is also aviable though the Itext I don't quite understand. I believe you ring up and pay for tetris then go to a special inteactive page where you play the game. This level of advancement is surprising considering the basic look of the whole teletex service ie few colours.Overall an interesting text service with alot of good ideas and an interactive element that adds to the fun of anolouge. Oh and if you want a job they need an export manager. Whatever that is.

Should point out all pictures below are not mine but are taken from Armenian Teletext provider Htext run by Teletext LLC.

The main page of Armenias H1text 

Casino. In case you didn't guess. 

Phone listings on H-Text 

Armenian advertisment