ERROR MESSAGE (March 5, 2003)

As I am editing my Mayan dictionary, which I have been maintaining as long as I have been studying this fabulous Mesoamerican culture, a Microsoft Word message pops up: “There are too many errors in this text to keep displaying them all.” I am instructed to go to Word’s spelling and grammar function if I wish to fix the text. At the moment I am dealing with the name of Hun Pik Tok, a lord from Chichen Itza in Yucatan. Only the first part of his name passes Word’s scrutiny. The name of his glorious city is not recognized, either. The more intelligent these systems become, the more stupid they appear. I click the button saying “OK,” the error message disappears together with all indications of spelling and grammatical errors in the text, and I resume editing my beloved Mayan dictionary.