National Punctuation Day? #$!%&-A it is!

by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2005/08/22 21:43 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2005/08/22/454886.aspx

I just read that it is National Punctuation Day..

The US has some of the most unbelievably goddamndest freaking holidays here,, let me tell you..

Anyway,, In honor of that special occasion,, every punctuation symbol I use appropriately in this post will be doubled..

Where would we be without punctuation?? Well, I do not know where you would be..

I would probably have been happier to not have to learn all those rules about punctuation.. But that is,, of course,, not the fault of the punctuation marks.. That is the fault of the English teachers who felt the need to grade me on these things..

Maybe I should just say ""#$!%& em..""

((that was an example of inappropriate usage!!))

One thing I have never understood about punctuation is what are the proper punctuation symbols to use when you are trying to simulate curse words??

I swear that every time I do it,, what I do looks incorrect.. I wish I had a Mad Magazine around I could check,, because they always seemed to get it right.. Does anyone know what the rules are??

((One rule I learned years ago was that you should never use the @ symbol in Word or in most editors, as they assume it is email address even if there is no way it can be.. But beyond that I never learned any real rules.. Are they any??

Well,, in any case,, happy punctuation day,, everybody!!

((via blogos))

# Jonathan on 23 Aug 2005 4:10 AM:

I think the @ is a very important ingredient of swear simulation. And a simple Ctrl-Z will take care of the annoying auto-link thing in Word.

What do you do on National Punctuation Day to people who use 's incorrectly (your/you're, its/it's, etc.)?

# Michael S. Kaplan on 23 Aug 2005 9:08 AM:

Of course, that does not work in the CS blog entry editor. :-)

I probably do not mind those people much, since I may do it from time to time....

# Mihai on 23 Aug 2005 1:20 PM:

Hunting for mistakes:: &lt;<WELL, be would you where know not do I>&gt; &lt;<IN assume they as editors, most>&gt; You have simple commas!! ::--)) Btw,, what is the rule for smilies?? -- We can consider them ligatures,, and then it should be :-):-) -- Or the elements become non--punctuation,, and smilies should not double -- Or they are ligatures,, but the result is no punctuation,, so again no double

# John Elliott on 24 Aug 2005 5:03 PM:

From my reading of Asterix comics, I suggest the following sequence of characters for simulated swearing:

U+2620 Skull and Crossbones
U+2020 Dagger
U+233A APL functional symbol quad diamond
U+2621 Caution
U+2604 Comet
U+26A1 High Voltage Sign

(if U+261E really were a fist, that should replace the last character).

# Michael S. Kaplan on 24 Aug 2005 9:14 PM:

Hmmmm... ☠†⌺☡☄⚡

# Tanveer Badar on 24 Dec 2007 8:18 AM:

Well, I do not know where you would be..

should be

Well,, I do not know where you would be..

# ddfs on 11 Mar 2008 8:09 PM:

U+26A1

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