Flying Time…
How is it that I'm more busy now, than when I had a 9–5 job? Man oh man. Anyway, here's a snapshot of what's been going on...
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Let's talk about punctuation for a second. Specifically, I'd like to remind everyone about the -, −, –, and — (hyphen, minus, en dash, and em dash, respectively).
First off, see that little line that most of you call a dash in the upper right-hand portion of your keyboard? The "minus" sign? That's actually a hyphen, and it's used to join words (as well as to separate syllables of a single word) as in, say, butt-munch. And that, my friends, is the ONLY time it is used.
Now let's talk about the minus sign (−), which is only used to indicate subtraction, as in 6−3=3 (as opposed to 6-3=3). However, the only way to properly type a minus sign is to use the Symbol font, then type a hyphen (I'm displaying it properly here because I'm using HTML encoding entities — but that's a whole other post). Since that's a pain in the butt, it's commonly acceptable to just pretend a hyphen is a minus symbol — but you'll notice above, that the two are obviously not the same.
Next up is the en dash (–), and it's used to show a range of some sort, like July 4–8. The en dash is also used when typing compound adjectives like "non–zombie proof armor," as well as expressing connections such as "New York–Houston flight." You can type this character on your Mac by pressing option-hyphen.
Lastly, the venerable em dash (—) — my personal favorite punctuation mark of all time. The em dash is used to designate a parenthetical thought — like I'm doing now — as well as to express an interruption in though, like when you —
Ha, see what I did there? It's also worth pointing out that the proper use of the em dash is to pad it with a space before and after, thus amplifying the mark's meaning and importance. You can type the em dash by pressing shift-option-hyphen on your keyboard.
And there you have it. Even though they aren't the same in width or ascent, the hyphen and minus symbol are interchangeable, the en dash should be used when typing a date or comparison, and the em dash should come into play when you need to add a parenthetical thought — and you should pad the dash with spaces before and after.
One last thing regarding punctuation: you should never type two spaces after a period (or any other punctuation) unless you are using a manual typewriter. I don't care what school you went to, how many degrees you have in English and/or Writing, what book said otherwise, or what Great Teacher taught you — there are NEVER two spaces after a period. STOP DOING IT. It is INCORRECT. You don't type can't as cant' because it's wrong to do so — and it's just as wrong to add spaces after periods. The ONLY exception is when you're using a monospaced, manual typewriter. I know you think it doesn't matter, and that only nitwits like me make a big deal out of it — but trust me, people notice.
Next time I'll address the proper use of the semicolon (the bane of all punctuation). In the mean time, go forth and type properly!
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My dual channel 31-band graphic equalizer (a dbx 231) came in today, and it's looking mighty fine in my rack space. I'm still waiting on the crossover and my power strip/light combo to arrive, though, before I can really put the rig through the wringers. Hopefully I'll be able to do that next week.
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I'm trying to decide what all I want on my next tattoo, and I'm ready to have my mind made up. I'm going to get the Latin phrase "dum spiro spero" on my left forearm — but I'm somewhat torn as to what embellishments I may want. About 99% of me says to just get the text, so that's probably what I'll end up doing. I may also be able to get Hannah Aitchison to tattoo this little piece for me, too, which would be totally cool!
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I really wish I could sing higher.
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I have two Trident Maples coming to me from sunny California at the end of the month, and I totally can't wait to get the little guys. This is my all-time favorite tree for bonsai, and I'm looking forward to having them in my little collection. Hopefully I won't kill them. =/
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And that is all.
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Funny that people remember two spaces after a period, but never seem to learn to set tabs on a computer.