40 Days Till 40 (Day 30)

TWO SPACE OR NOT TWO SPACE

I readily admit that I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.  While I enjoy catching up with friends and acquaintances and I do like seeing and sharing memes, jpegs and random thoughts, sometimes Facebook can breed angst.  It can be a place where, rather than feeling uplifted, educated and inspired, I may feel horror, pain or ignorance.  Today, after reading an article posted on my friend’s page, however, I felt shame.

That’s right, shame.  You see, apparently I have a problem—A problem brought so clearly into the light by this article that I could feel nothing else:  I am a chronic two-spacer!  (Insert scary, dramatic music here!)

What is a two-spacer?  Let me explain:  In reading my blog entries, you might notice that there are large spaces after each of the periods.  These are created by typing an extra space in between the sentences.  This, my friends, is apparently WRONG.  At least, it is according to the article, "Why You Should Never, Ever Put Two Spaces After a Period", by Fahrad Manjoo.  Apparently, to add an extra space at the end of the sentence allegedly goes against the typography norm (meaning typographers really hate this practice).  The norm, of course, is to add only ONE space after each period, a simpler and much more efficient method of typing.  Double spaces will supposedly create holes in a paragraph, implying that the reader must pause, thereby breaking the flow of the writing.

Whew.  What is this world coming to?  First, Pluto is not a planet and now, no extra space.

I, like most adults of a certain age, learned the practice of the duo-space in a High School typing class.  The instructor was a big, burly coach, incidentally missing part of his pinky.  In a booming but strangely nasal voice, he would call out what we were to type:  "Period space bar space bar".  It has been ingrained ever since.  

Frankly, typing an extra space is no more work for me than typing one.  My fingers do it automatically.  If anything, I have to think harder about only using one space after a period, often because I am typing very quickly.  Also, as an actor, I LIKE pauses, dramatic or otherwise.  Pauses can enable our brains to better process the information.  Really, the only time a single space might become my habit is when I am typing a text or email on my phone.  Tiny keys and/or a touch screen are not necessarily conducive to a double-tap. 

So really, I guess I don’t feel shame about my two-spacing nature at all.  I was never big on norms anyway—even if I can be a bit of a Grammar Nazi. 

So space out, world!  It's your world.  Write what you will.  

Until tomorrow, Lovelies….

PS  If you’d like to read an article which disputes the theory of a single space as better, check this one out.  It’s long, but pretty funny.   

*Entry for 2/2/14.  Only 10 More Days in the Countdown...Eep.