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NicholasW asks: where on earth did the hash # key come from?
I'm not sure it was on old typewriter keyboards. I have at home an old typewriter that brings up images of archie scurrying about the keys. I'll check it out.
I think the computer keyboard owes more to the teletype than to the typewriter. The 1 key did not exist on the typewriter keyboard; we made do with a lowercase l. It was necessary on the teletype to avoid misunderstanding in context poor situations. The # key was undoubtedly necessary for similar reasons.
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old hand
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old hand
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I have at home an old typewriter that brings up images of archie scurrying about the keysarchy? Can't remember ever seeing a # key during all my nightly head-bangings on the manual all those years ago... 
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To add to the confusion : I checked all the typewriters to which I have access and all have the # over the three (3). All made for US market. I called the # a pound sign having learned that nomenclature in first grade (age six ) but when I studied music it became ingrained as a SHARP. Now it irks  to hear "pound sign" when on one of those awful "press now" telephone thingamies. That language guy who writes for The New York Times ...Safire, I just remembered....wrote a terrific piece on the dot/period collision. I am a very basic user and never have any luck on searches but if someone could find that essay of Safire's it would be a boon. Now....let's see...What was the question ? wow
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veteran
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veteran
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In reply to:
Archy
As in Archy and Mehitabel, the creations of Don Marquis, quid vide by all means -- you'll enjoy it.
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Carpal Tunnel
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> where on earth did the hash # key come from? It had no use in typewriter days, did it?
What you call the hash key (#) is actually a proofreading mark, and represents a space. In the US, we also call it the pound sign. When I was a young lad (more than a couple of months ago!) I learned in elementary school to use the # sign for pounds (as in weight, not money.) And there was a difference if we used it ahead of the number rather than after it. 30# was an abbreviation for 2 stones 2 pounds, but #30 was something else, and for the life of me I cannot remember. It may have meant "number" but I can't figure out a context where that would be necessary. Got to thinking about it. #1 was a shortcut for "number one" so #30 would mean "number 30" in a list of 30 or more items.
Interestingly, my at-work dictionary does not give anything for hash as a mark like #, and says that hash mark is a slang for a service stripe on a military member's sleeve. In our military I believe only the Navy uses them to indicate years of service, with each hash makr representing five years of service.
TEd
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By all means if you don't know anything about them check it out: http://www.batteiger.com/archy/
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Carpal Tunnel
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In reply to:
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/safire/safire00.html
Well, that's dashed the last tattered illusions I had about my standards of literacy! I have already found myself consciously working to reduce the number of em dashes I use since coming here. Something seemed to tell me that it was just too sloppy and lazy, traits of which I have always inordinately proud. Now if you'll excuse me, I must dash off - I have to climb to a high fen.
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Pooh-Bah
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>I must dash off - I have to climb to a high fen.
Dash it - I use far many of them too!
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Well, my old typewriter does have a # key. It is shift-3 just where it is on my computer keyboard.
Top row keys:
"#$%_&'()* over the digits 2-0 and -.
To the right of the P we have ½ and shift to get ¼.
To the right of the L we have ¢ and shift to get @.
To the right of the M we have , . (both shift and non -shift) and / and shift for ?.
Quickie quiz: What key is missing and how did we get the character back in those good old days? And, no, I don't mean the numeral 1.
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