vern wrote:

someone could ask a printer

I asked my Epson but it just looked at me as if I was stupid.

Well, you should've threatened to unplug it. Take care. Vern

someone could ask a printer

I asked my Epson but it just looked at me as if I was stupid.

How about a huge philosophical white space I call Schrödinger's whitespace? Doesn't the very act of printing "This space intentionally left blank" defy the statement? Quite a few novels have blank pages at the end, but are they really blank, or was there something supposed to be printed there?

Bill

Well, the pages were blank until they put "This space intentionally left blank" on them, which I guess could be rather moronic if you thought about it long enough, but I'm sure we're not going to do that. Right? Anyway, those pages are initially left blank (before the aforementioned addition) because there are times when additional pages might have to be added and instead of having to reset the entire book they simply use those pages to adjust the numbering and placement of the pages. Now, since we know that, why is it that all that maneuvering couldn't be done the way we move stuff around in Word or such programs. Well, I don't know and suppose someone could ask a printer and inform inquiring minds. We ae inquiring, right? At any rate, I'm just doing my part to keep the non-essential material flowing. Take care. Vern

Bill

It was a tongue-in-cheek post, dagny, although I am fascinated by how much activity those two little space characters have generated in this thread. Please, all, do continue. This is a welcome break from Netflix's V Wars, my dwindling investments and toilet paper supply, and round-the-clock coronavirus news.

I knew it! You brat!

    It’s a tempest in a teacup.

This reminds me of when my kids learned something new in school, like the earth revolves around the sun and I had to act surprised to hear it.

Dirk's experience with Word is a lot different than mine. I've been using Word for 29 years and from his post I gather he's just moving to a Word program from a typewriter, maybe, and just discovered his double spacing habit would be flagged.

While I am surprised that Dirk even mentioned something I learned 29 years ago, I have to remember he just discovered it and to him it's a big deal.

Now, I could be mistaken and Dirk is just trying to start a conversation, if that's the case, never mind. I am just as bored as the rest of you and this 'tempest in a teacup...' got my mind on something else for a while.

Temple Wang wrote:

It’s a tempest in a teacup.

It's a wonderful example of a self-isolating brain trying to maintain a degree of sanity.

Just saying.....

Bobbie

Precisely ....

It’s a tempest in a teacup.

It's a wonderful example of a self-isolating brain trying to maintain a degree of sanity.

Just saying.....

Bobbie

Temple Wang wrote:

Who cares ...

Editors, proofers, and publishers care, Temple. Ever since typesetting left the manual stage, where two spaces were used to make the gaps clearer. Now, two spaces is considered wasteful of space and writers are asked to eliminate them and go for a single space.

Word can be set to flag (or not flag) the use of two spaces in the Options settings.

Bill

Actually, no they don’t, Douglas. Write however you like.  If someone doesn’t like it, a Search and Replace, Replace All can solve the matter in two seconds.   The whole discussion is moot and has been for about 30 years. It’s a tempest in a teacup.

Who cares ...

Editors, proofers, and publishers care, Temple. Ever since typesetting left the manual stage, where two spaces were used to make the gaps clearer. Now, two spaces is considered wasteful of space and writers are asked to eliminate them and go for a single space.

Word can be set to flag (or not flag) the use of two spaces in the Options settings.

Bill