DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it a breach of politeness to write “handwritten” cards on my phone?
There’s this mobile app that allows me to use my finger or a stylus to write a personal note, attach some photos, and then the card is printed out and sent from some printing shop. No one who’s received them has complained, and I’m saved the trouble of buying cards and a trip to the post office, but I’m wondering if there’s something I’m missing out on.
GENTLE READER: No doubt some entrepreneur somewhere is working on a site that will allow you to “pen” love letters without the trouble of knowing anything about the object of your affections, after which they will be printed on heavy stock at a remote location, dipped in a user-selected perfume, and airlifted to the recipient’s front door. Unless you are adept at calligraphy, what makes a handwritten note special is not the penmanship, but the appearance of effort. If your app can simulate that convincingly, Miss Manners makes no objection, although what you describe sounds more like the preprinted cards one finds in the pharmacy next to the balloons.