The perils of autocorrect

It seemed like a wonderful opportunity. Dear Wife was stuck at work and though it was drizzling enough to make west Wales proud, London was open for exploration; where should I go?

In the event I took the London Overground from Penge West to Wapping, partly because of the many decent pubs in the area, but also because East London remains much of a mystery to me. And what would be more fun, I thought, than to take the odd photograph and tweet the odd comment.

After about half an hour, with the rain pretty incessant, I tweeted the something on the lines of the following: 'The only people joining me on this rainy Thamesside walk are joggers and a lonely woman flat hunting'. With that done I continued with my very satisfying day of exploration traversing East London and the City.

A couple of days later a dear friend of mine wondered why I had been tweeting about 'niggers'. I hadn't I assured him. I would never do such a thing. But, once presented with the evidence, there on my Twitter feed was the passage: 'The only people joining me on this rainy Thamesside walk are niggers and a lonely woman flat hunting'.

Appalled, the tweet was deleted immediately and I made apologies on Twitter (and another one here).

But how had it happened?

I looked at my phone and keyed in the word joggers and, depressingly enough, the default for the keys I was pressing was 'niggers'. I hasten to add it's not a word I have ever used in any circumstances. I hope and presume anyone who knows me would know it's not something I would ever say, think, use or abuse.

Yet there it was.

I can only think the word had been typed at a factory somewhere when the phone was being tested or something along those lines. A call has been made to manufacturers HTC though I'm yet to hear the result.

But, with hindsight, I am ultimately at fault and anyone offended, who missed my tweets, I am sorry. I must read my comments more carefully, even in the rain, in case other unfortunate defaults are within my phone.

I shudder to think what might happen if I go punting on the Cam.