Wot's yr addy?

It's a simple enough question, but in a world obsessed with 24/7 accessibility, it's a tricky one to answer. No longer will it suffice to give the number, street and postcode of one's humble abode, as was the norm back in the 'olden days'. My kids use that term to refer to the era of my childhood. I think they do it to humour me, or at least I hope they do. On the surface things don't appear to have changed that much in 20 years, it's the pace of life which has turned from a relaxed meander into a jog on the treadmill.

These days we're in too much of a hurry to wait for things to arrive through the letterbox. We're too busy to go shopping but need a new jacket. The shops may be closed by the time you've finished work - no problem - you can browse all your favourite fashion stores' websites 24 hours a day.

How many of you have been sick with worry when you have been unable to contact a loved one for more than few hours? Who'll admit to annoyed and frustrated when calls to a friend, phone company, bank's local branch have gone unanswered? I will, but I wouldn't have said that 20 years ago.

Now, when someone asks me for my addy (text-speak will appear in a future what grinds my gears style blog)I'd be most likely to give them my e-mail address. Well, one of them. Over the years I've acquired a few in the way some women seem to accumulate shoes. I sometimes wonder if it's a status thing. Like having lots of addresses makes me some kind of property tycoon; landed gentry even. I don't understand the shoe hoarding thing though.

If you've ever been in a chatroom, you'll know that 'wot's yr addy?' is a question usually designed to obtain your MSN/Yahoo username. I'm sure the anonymity that web based (e.g. Hotmail) addresses bring has been a factor in the huge growth of the companies which provide them. Instant messaging may have its benefits but they are outweighed by the frustration caused by the misinterpretation that can occur.

So, up to now, we have found 3 variations to go on the list of definitions of addy. At this point, I feel Twitter worthy of a mention. In just 11 characters I can direct someone to my profile. From there, they can leave me a message, link to my e-mail via a link to my blog.

Add Facebook to the equation and we're up to 5. I'm sure it won't be long before someone comes up with the idea of combining all these contact points in to one URN. A unique reference number for each and every one of us. We could have our codes tattooed onto our forearms, thus negating the need to ever ask the question again. 'Wot's yr addy?' will one day become the kind of thing your nana would've said.