Braille
I opened up Google today and was met with this graphic, instead of their usual logo. Anyone else recognize it?
As luck would have it, I spent years of my childhood pouring over stories of Helen Keller and Louis Braille, and actually memorized the Braille alphabet.
A grid of 6 dots. The letters A through J use the top 4, in various configurations. Then the letters K through T add the bottom left dot, in the same sequence. And then U through Z add the dot on the bottom right. The sole exception is the letter W, which doesn’t exist in French, and so they took the letter R and reversed it for the W. (So, A is the top left dot; K is the top and bottom left dots; U is the top left dot, and both the bottom dots. B is the top two dots on the left; L is the line of three dots down the left side. V is the three on the left and the bottom right dot. And so on.)
Edited to add: Here’s a page with the punctuation, and some of the Braille shortcuts, if you’re interested. That dot before the Google logo does mean the G is capitalized.
Not only is this moderately interesting in and of itself (to me, anyway), but it made a great code for passing notes in school. Of course, drawing all the dots got tricky–as well as inaccurate–so what my friends and I did, was connect the dots–we’d draw a dot for A, a short, vertical for B, a short horizontal for C . . . L-shaped, diagonals, dots where necessary. It made an excellent code. Pity we never learned all the Braille shortcuts.
Why the Braille lesson? Today is Louis Braille’s birthday. Isn’t that nice?
And, they’re sneaky, over at JenLa. I innocently stopped by to read them, and what do they do? Shanghai me with a meme. An Ugly Avatar meme, nonetheless, so what could I do? Here’s mine–as tacky as I could manage!
All of which is good, because I didn’t really have any new knitting things to talk about–I knitted last night, but really, no visual progress worth photographing. I did take the time to weave in the ends on my sweater pieces-to-date, so I won’t be swamped with them when I’m done with the whole thing.
I know. Exciting, huh?
Also, please go over and give Risa a hug, would you?
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Tannenbaum.
House Calls
Clearly someone in that club slipped you a mickey. I’d like to see the dance involving the bike and cat. And don’t take any more candy from strangers!
That’s pretty tacky for sure……….of course, I like it!
Oh, I know about Baron. Poor Risa. I feel horrible.
Well, don’t take any more candy from strangers, unless you really really wanna.
Going over to check on Rise now.
ah! someone else who was a Braille geek as a kid. It was one of my early interests, and I poured over books about Keller and Braille and memorized the alphabet. Happy Birthday Louis!
Is the first dot in the lower left a signal that a new word is beginning? When I saw the graphic at google today, I was amused–now I’m intrigued by language.
I think your’s should be on the JenLa poll!
Damn, that is one ugly avatar. I think you’re direct competition for Jen and La.
Yeesh…that’s the worst one yet…leaves a bad taste in my mouth…
Already visted Risa, I feel so bad for her.
i figured it was braille when i saw it yesterday. that is cool that you learned it as a kid and used to use it as code. one question though. what is the first dot for?
A HA!!! thanks for the lightbulb moment.
It is delightfully tacky!!
Have you heard from Cindy lately? I sent her an email and I haven’t heard back from her, and I have her last package (I know, I’m bad, I blame it on the move) and I don’t want to mail it if she isn’t going to be able to get it!
hmm.. we must be hanging in the same club. And that hat must REALLY be in style cuz I got myself one too!
sweet!
happy 2006, deb!
that avatar is so very horrible, well done