Texting has become as ubiquitous as the cell phones that birthed them, but what is it doing to our love lives? Can you imagine what a different movie “Casablanca” would be if, instead of suavely growling, “Here’s looking at you, kid,” Rick instead texted Ilsa:

; - )

Same sentiment (sort of), yet all the romance, sexiness and possibility has been drained out of it.

Gossip is to high school as dry kindling is to fire—it doesn’t take much for things to get heated. And now with technology and the internet, we can only imagine that it’s like throwing kerosene on the blaze thanks to IM, Facebook, Twitter, you name it. That’s where ThatsNotCool.com steps in, a rad website for teens looking for help with uncomfortable online disrespect or textual harassment. In the mix: videos of “Crank Yankers”-type puppets considering questions like, “What should I should I do if my girlfriend texts too much?” and “My boyfriend keeps asking for nude photos, what should I do?”

Uh ... OK, so maybe we’re reading That’s Not Cool because we have the same issues, too. We’re especially loving on the Callout Cards section which features cheeky sendables, à la Someecards style, with phrases like, “Now that you’ve violated my e-mail account, I won’t feel bad dumping you,” and “You must be proud to have nothing to do but IM me all day.” Like, yeah. [ThatsNotCool.com]

Remember those drunk driving PSAs we were forced to watch in Driver’s Ed? The plot was usually the same—a friend is at the funeral of a friend who was killed in a drunk driving accident and then we see a totaled car wrapped around a pole. While these were always a bit on the cheeseball side, they had the intended effect: to instill a healthy dose of fear into the hearts and minds of reckless, invincible, idiotic teens. Well, apparently we need to terrify, not just scare, the teens of today. This British PSA, which warns about texting while driving, is hands down the scariest, most graphic video I have seen in my life. In the first 30 seconds, there is a gory accident complete with necks snapping, blood flowing, glass shattering. I don’t want to spoil the end—but almost everyone dies. If you ask me, this is really taking it too far. The point of a PSA is to discourage the teens, not to give them vicarious post-traumatic stress disorder. Save the horror for horror films, please. [BuzzFeed]

I think most of us at some point in our lives have sent an email or text in the heat of an angry moment that we later regretted. In the summer of 2007, a girl named Em didn’t have an angry moment, she had an angry two weeks, during which time she sent a slew of bitter emails to the boyfriend that she thought was avoiding her. By the time she learned he wasn’t really ignoring her, but was actually traveling through Europe — something he’d mentioned many times to her before he left — it was too late. The emails had been sent, the damage had been done, and now this little video of her big mistake has been put together so we can all feel so much better about any communication snafus we’ve made in the past. The transcript is here for the impatient among us. The only thing that would make this funnier is if the two got married, and then divorced, and the guy sent this email to her. [via BuzzFeed]

What’s the craziest, weirdest text message you’ve ever received? I know I have a bunch of zingers. There’s the buddy who sends me a random text message every six months that just says, “Hippopotamus.” Or there was the time a friend I hadn’t seen in a while replied to my friendly, “How r u?” text with a shocking, “I’m gay, deal wit it!” And of course there are the more fun, unmentionable texts I like to refer to as “sexts.” Use your imagination for those. Well, British graduate student, Caroline Tagg, was so fascinated with texting that she has become the first person to receive a Ph.D. looking at the language of text messaging. OMFG, how dope!

I heart words and communication. This includes emails, text messages, Gchat, Blackberry Messenger, iChat—the works. I am a sucker for a well-crafted email or a witty text message. My motto: The way to my heart is through my brain. That’s why I thought Joe could be Mr. Perfect for me. Joe and I met one night at a work gala. I had already put away an entire bottle of wine when I almost knocked him over on the dance floor.

“Do you like to dance, beautiful girl who almost stepped on my foot?” he asked.

“Only when I’m drunk. When I’m sober, I dance like Elaine from ‘Seinfeld.’” I replied.

It was a rainy October night and Joe offered to escort me to the subway when the event ended, impressed that I could: a.) still walk and b.) do it in 3-inch heels. “Email me,” I slurred, handing him my business card, “I loooove emails.”

A 15-year-old New York girl found out that walking and texting can be just as dangerous as driving while texting. Alexa Longueira was strolling down the street and paying more attention to sending a message than the sidewalk, when she plunged feet first into an uncovered manhole. “It was four or five feet, it was very painful. I kind of crawled out and the DEP guys came running and helped me,” Longueira told her local newspaper. “They were just, like, ‘I’m sorry! I’m sorry!’” Besides suffering through the serious sewage stench, Longueira also got scrapes on her arms and back. After making sure the teen was okay, her family plans to get back at city workers who left the manhole uncovered the old fashioned way: a lawsuit. Ever had your own text walking accident? [I fall about once a week as a result of walking and texting, which is made even more dangerous with the triple threat of walking, texting, and high heels.—Editor] [MSNBC]

Over at Double X, there’s this truly hilarious essay by Kelly Seal, who explains how she found herself apologizing to someone she was supposed to go on a date with, before they ever met, via text messaging. How and why? Seal and “Doug1968” met online dating and exchanged a few emails before setting up an in-person date. As has become incredibly typical of modern dating rituals, they opted to firm up their plans via text message. That’s when things got tricky.

You would think that with all the different advancements in communication having an affair would be easier. Not so, according to a survey by Telstra Corp, a dominant phone company in Australia. The survey found that 25 percent of Australian cell phone users found out their partner or someone else’s was being unfaithful through text messages.

I’m the world’s slowest text messager. So I’m pretty darn impressed by the contestants who took part in LG’s third annual U.S. National Texting Championship on Tuesday. More than 250,000 applied, but only a very lucky 20 earned spots in the competition and got to show off their skills at texting blindfolded, texting while running an obstacle course, and (GASP!) texting without grammar and capitalization errors.

So who won? Kate Moore, a 15-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, who sends about 14,000 texts per month—between 400 and 470 a day. (Geez, I hope her parents sprung for the unlimited texting package.) “Let your kid text during dinner! Let your kid text during school! It pays off,” she said, while cradling her trophy. She took home a ginormous $50,000 prize check. Let’s hope she doesn’t also take home texting thumb. [Yahoo News]

Ever sent a sexy text to your boyfriend… and then realized it was actually to your boss? Do you know your partner’s email password? Are you constantly checking your Blackberry—even when you’re on a date? Even if you’ve never experienced these tech troubles, it’s likely that you’ve encountered the intersection of technology and relationships—and maybe you’ve wondered how to set some rules for yourself and your partner. After the jump, 20 dos and don’ts when mixing love with the latest technology. What are your rules? Let us know in the comments.

I recently got a call from my best friend’s 18-year-old brother: “Uh hey, Leo, uh, so I like have this date with a girl, and it’s kind of my first date. And, my sister says you know the rules.” Oh no.

Did I know the rules? I wasn’t sure, but I did my best to answer his questions like could he kiss her (yes), and did he have to pay (yes).

I have certainly dated a lot over the past two years, and until recently thought I was fairly proficient in the subject. After recently coming out of a romance that left me devastated, I’ve reluctantly started dating again, but found my skills have suffered. Especially when last week, I was astonished to find myself on an excellent first rendez-vous. I wanted to contact him after, but felt “the rules” weighing over me that said I wasn’t allowed to. But this is the modern age! Women should do what they want. What if this one time is an exception? Maybe he’s expecting you to get in touch…

If you take a shower before you have sex, are you less likely to get pregnant? Does a normal penis have wrinkles? If my BF doesn’t like me to be loud during sex but I can’t help it, what am I supposed to do? These questions were texted to the Birds and Bees Text Line, the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina’s latest effort to provide teens between 14 and 19 with sex education and information. Within 24 hours, every text sent in is answered by a nameless, faceless adult from the center who gives a cautious, nonjudgmental response via text. The Birds and the Bees Text Line started on February 1 and reaches teens through the one device that consumes their lives—their cellphones.

Fine, I’ll level with you. After all, we’ve been through so much together. You’re like foreign exchange students to me. Not unlike sisters. But I wouldn’t feel gross if I “accidentally” walked in on you while you showered. TMI?

Chances are the reason he hasn’t called you back is because he doesn’t want to talk to you. Maybe he can’t talk to you. Maybe he’s fighting pirates, composing an opera, shampooing orphaned kittens.

If he hasn’t called you back, don’t hemorrhage. Don’t instant message your bestie to bitch and moan. I’ve observed many of you in the wild; bitching and moaning begats more bitching and moaning. A dude not calling you back will snowball into ridiculousness. The simplest, most reasonable answer is the right one. His phone could have been turned off, his grandmother could have died, he could have been hit by a truck and has amnesia. Simple, right?

Texting is a definite advantage in communication. You can tell people exactly what you want to say without actually speaking to them. You can send random photos to friends to make them laugh. And you can totally flirt with your guy or gal on the sly. But flirting is also a danger of texting, just look at all the trouble Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has gotten into.

Chace Crawford and Carrie Underwood were dating, until he realized he was gay (allegedly!!!) and dumped her via text message. How rude! Which got us thinking—have you ever been dumped or dumped someone via text message? Or have you maybe pulled some other shameless dating no-no using the power of SMS? If so, we’d love for you to head on over to our Twitter page, start following us (c’mon, it’s worth it!), and twitter us the dirty details of your nefarious text experience. Got that? [The Frisky on Twitter]