Brazilian Teen Sets Fastest Text Messaging Record
Brazilians may be known for their beach bums, but one teen gave the finger to that idea. The teen just set a Guinness World Record, but you'd never know for what.
Marcel Fernandes Filho looks just like an ordinary 16-year-old, but make no mistake: He's a bad man. The lanky kid has fingers of fury!
He can walk around his beautiful country officially called the world's fastest text messenger (on a touchscreen smartphone). The record was set on April 25 in New York City.
Now before you scoff at what you think is a benign accomplishment, just read what the kid had to type, all in under 18.44 seconds.
"The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."
Changed your tune, huh? Filho is an amazing finger gymnast. He typed the entire string of nonsensical worlds with 100 percent accuracy, while shattering the old record with a time of 18.19 seconds. Filho was also awarded a commemorative plaque.
What makes this record breaking endeavor all the more amazing is the fact that Filho was under immense pressure. He was being scrutinized by a member of the Guinness World Records during his record-breaking attempt. A representative of the world's most famous record-keeping establishment always needs to be on hand to view a record-breaking attempt. Video evidence would not suffice.
Filho knows how to handle pressure though. Just give him a hammer.
"So one day I got so stressed out about it that I literally took a hammer and broke my desktop monitor," he wrote in an email addressed to CNN. "With no money to buy a new one, I resorted to using exclusively my iPhone 3Gs, which I had at the time, to do everything that I needed to do.
Besides breaking texting records, Filho is well on his way to having a successful life. He's a college student at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in southern Brazil.
Southern Brazil sounds nice. Especially at this time of year. Oh, a man can dream, can't he?
What do you think of this button-mashing record? Would your limber fingers be able to whip themselves around a tiny touchscreen and set a new record? Let us know in the comments section below.