The × I use is Alt + 0215 on the keyboard. I'm not sure if it is the same as the multiplication x. Does it (×) come through plain text? What is _notholand_? Liz W Jim McKenney wrote: > Roger Whitlock wrote " Now, wasn't that just as easy as pie?" > > If you say so, Roger, but I would like more sugar in mine, please. > > And then he went on to say "I suspect that all of us use computers that have > the multiplication sign handy." > > I still have not forgotten the day Jane McGary pointed out, in response to > my then usage of the letter x, that the proper sign is the multiplication > sign. I truly thought she was pulling my leg. I'm not sure what about this > revelation floored me more, the fact that not only was Jane right, but that > there are, on the one hand, people who think this sort of think is very > important, and on the other hand, people who get paid to make these > decisions. Hmmmm...I realize now that I made some faulty career choices. > > And anyway, in my heart of hearts I believe the symbol in question is the > Greek letter chi, not a multiplication sign. The meaning is "cross" (as in > "I crossed species A and species B), not "times" in the arithmetic sense. > Whoever says "I timesed species A and species B"? > > Actually, in this modern computer world, x and × are different entities, > unlike in the world of vision, where they seem the same. > > Some of my friends, who occasionally criticize me for my “species snobbery”, > fail to realize that I grew up seeing the x before plant names and thought > that meant “cross that one off the list”. Now I'm much more sophisticated > and know that the × means "entering notholand". > > When I need it in windows, I make sure I’m in HTML mode, then click on > Insert, Symbol, and the multiplication sign is there in the table of > symbols. That’s the way I composed this message. I’ll convert to plain text > now - and it's still there. Let's see if it makes it onto the posted form of > this message. > > > Jim McKenney > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > >