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Food for thought! - Take a byte!
Food for thought! - Take a byte!
BYTE #1 - One or two spaces after a period when typing? This modern controversy is heating up! The debate rages on between fans of typewriters, publishers, college students, and computer lab specialists everywhere. For now, during Computer Lab, we will practice using two spaces after a period when typing. Take a look at the two examples below, which both use one space after a period. If you can definitively identify the two separate sentences in Example 1 below AND positively state how many sentences are in Example 2, we might reconsider the two space rule! What do you think? Hmmmmmm.....
Example 1. I bought a present for C. C. B. H. R. Smith is his favorite author.
Example 1. I bought a present for C. C. B. H. R. Smith is his favorite author.
Example 2. Hand me the letter A. Ryan wrote about the importance of using vowels.
Example 2. Hand me the letter A. Ryan wrote about the importance of using vowels.
BYTE #2 - eight VS 8. Do we have to write out the word, or can I just type the number? This is a tricky one! If you are only using the numbers 1-10 (one to ten) and are not talking about math or measurement, go ahead and write out the word. Often times, it is a stylistic choice. Which sentences below are most visually appealing to you?
I bought five apples. OR I bought 5 apples.
I bought five apples. OR I bought 5 apples.
Burlington, Vermont is 866 miles away. OR Burlington, Vermont is eight hundred sixty-six miles away.
Burlington, Vermont is 866 miles away. OR Burlington, Vermont is eight hundred sixty-six miles away.
The plates were sold in sets of six, 12, and 24. OR The plates were sold in sets of 6, 12, and 24. OR The plates were sold in sets of six, twelve, and twenty-four.
The plates were sold in sets of six, 12, and 24. OR The plates were sold in sets of 6, 12, and 24. OR The plates were sold in sets of six, twelve, and twenty-four.
The hurricane cost $1 billion in damages. OR The hurricane cost $1,000,000,000 in damages. OR The hurricane cost one billion dollars in damages.
The hurricane cost $1 billion in damages. OR The hurricane cost $1,000,000,000 in damages. OR The hurricane cost one billion dollars in damages.
BYTE #3 - The Oxford Comma. When listing three or more items in a sentence, we use commas to separate each item. A comma is a pause... a short stop to ensure words are pronounced separately and clearly. There are many arguments as to whether or not you should include a comma after the penultimate (second to last) item in your list (this is known as the "Oxford Comma." Some people argue that the Oxford Comma is not necessary because the word "and" successfully creates a pause where the comma would have gone. For clairty in Computer Lab, we will add the Oxford comma! See my reasoning below:
Are Superman and Batman your brothers? Which sentence below makes them so? Which sentence indicates you ate lunch with four or more people?
OXFORD COMMA:
OXFORD COMMA:
I ate lunch with my brothers, Superman, and Batman.
I ate lunch with my brothers, Superman, and Batman.
NO OXFORD COMMA:
NO OXFORD COMMA:
I ate lunch with my brothers, Superman and Batman.
I ate lunch with my brothers, Superman and Batman.
NO COMMAS AT ALL (worst idea... definitely don't do this!):
NO COMMAS AT ALL (worst idea... definitely don't do this!):
I ate lunch with my brothers Superman and Batman.
I ate lunch with my brothers Superman and Batman.
BYTE #4 - Emojis and Unicode. If you have a phone or surf the web at all, you likely use and interact with emojis already. In fact, there are emojis on the home page of my webpage... Under Lab Links!, the emojis are a simple way to highlight links to different activities for easy access, especially with Kindergarten students who are not yet proficient in reading words.
Unicode is a system in which every symbol has a set identifying number so that all sorts of devices can tell what that symbol is. If I type the letter Q or the number 7 here, those characters will show up as Q and 7 on any brand of computer, phone, or tablet and in any program or app I may choose to run. Makes sense, right? The styles may vary... in some fonts, the 7 may have a small cross in the middle of it, and the stick off the Q may be straight or curly and may or may not cross inside the circle. Emojis are part of Unicode! A smiling cat face will appear differently on different devices. What does this emoji look like on your screen right now? π» Open this webpage with a different brand's device, and it'll likely look similar, but definitely different artwork. Thanks, Unicode!
Unicode check: Unicode makes updates all the time now, especially with the increasing demand for very specific emojis. (How can we possibly live without a mango emoji or a llama emoji?) What version of Unicode is your device running? You can test by checking which of the following emojis appear and which are only portrayed by empty square boxes. A hollow rectangle means it's a newer emoji, and your device doesn't know what it is! Check below... can you see them all?
Unicode 1.1 β¨ (Hot Springs) Unicode 3.2 β» (Recycling Symbol) Unicode 4.1 β (Umbrella with Raindrops) Unicode 5.2 β΅ (Sailboat)
Unicode 6.0 π (Red Apple) Unicode 7.0 πΈ (Spider Web) Unicode 8.0 πΈ (Badminton) Unicode 9.0 π¦ (Duck) Unicode 10.0 π¦ (Tyrannosaurus Rex)
Unicode 11.0 𧬠(DNA Strand) Unicode 12.0 π¦₯ (Sloth) Unicode 13.0 πͺ₯ (Toothbrush)
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