@enf @glennf What do you think this “r.” is? (Also, note two quotation marks!)pic.twitter.com/rZVuAwFAJk
Writing a book about the history of keyboards: http://aresluna.org/shift-happens · Design manager @figmadesign · Typographer · Occasional speaker · He/him
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@enf @glennf What do you think this “r.” is? (Also, note two quotation marks!)pic.twitter.com/rZVuAwFAJk
Baffling. I'm only finding "1/2" and "%" used as Shift-5. Can't find any reference to "r." at all—never heard or seen of this. Hard time thinking that either "1/2" or "%" would be written for short as r.!
I have been looking for a photo of a typewriter from that era that would have two quotation marks and perhaps illuminate the other key, but I am failing, too.
In an article in 1891 in the National Stenographer, someone was redesigning QWERTY, and “r” is there, too.pic.twitter.com/vBtN1pV6Og
This is like finding out people used to have a third eye
Aaargh, I can’t figure it out! I bet it’s probably something very simple.
Maybe someone like @bgzimmer would know. Ben? Did “r.” used to mean something?
I assume (as @davidad suggested elsethread) that it would be for forming the titles "Mr." and "Dr." I'd imagine it would appear superscripted, which you couldn't get from just typing "r." regularly.
Ah, I missed @davidad’s reply. That feels like the right answer. It seems so obvious in hindsight.
Feels very bizarre to have that as a key for that purpose, because it doesn’t save enough effort. But that never stopped typewriter companies looking for an edge.
I think it’s too early for edges, even. This looks like possibly even the second Remington production keyboard ever made, during the decade when Remington still had barely any competition.
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