OT: archy

[Joel S. Berson]

Thanks, Bill and LH.  So much I have forgotten about one -- several
of my favorite books.  Right up there with "Barnaby".

Joel

At 9/1/2011 03:37 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
>Caveats: NONE
>
>LH was correct, the cockroach's name is "archy".  And he was the
>creation of Don Marquis (George Harriman illustrated the poems when they
>were collected into book form).
>
>Old manual typewriters (at least, those of the type I learned to type on
>35 years ago) shifted to capital letters by depressing the whole key
>assembly downwards, with a satisfying "clunk" (although it meant that
>considerable effort was required of the little fingers of the typist).
>"Shift Lock" depressed the assembly, and caught it in a ratchet, which
>stayed engaged until depressed again.
>
>archy was able to take advantage of this feature one night when
>Marquis's typewriter was left engaged in the shift lock position:
>
>http://www.donmarquis.com/readingroom/archybooks/capitals.html
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
>Behalf Of
> > Joel S. Berson
> > Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 9:52 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Re: OT: -ify and -ification
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>----------------------
> > -
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: OT:  -ify and -ification
> >
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>------
> > -
> >
> > I suspect Bill is right.  (Although it's not Shift but Shift Lock
> > that Archie would have needed to be heavy enough for.)  I don't
> > remember typewriters well enough to say whether shift lock worked
> > without needing one to also hold down the shift key, and I have set
> > my computer keyboard to require both (Caps Lock and Shift) to be
> > pressed simultaneously in order to get all caps.*  My forelegs -- er,
> > fingers -- are far enough apart for that.
> >
> > Certainly on today's computer keyboards Archie would have no problem.
> >
> > * A neat little app called CapsUnlock that eliminates accidents
> > caused by fat left pinkies.
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 9/1/2011 09:57 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
> > >Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > >Caveats: NONE
> > >
> > >I thought the deal with Archie (the cockroach in George Herriman's
> > >"Archie and Mehitabel") was not that his legs were so close together,
> > >but that he didn't weigh enough to push down the shift key on the old
> > >manual typewriters of the era.  If he'd been heavier, he could have
>used
> > >the Shift Lock and made capital letters.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > >Behalf Of
> > > > Joel S. Berson
> > > > Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 9:49 AM
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > > Subject: Re: OT: -ify and -ification
> > > >
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >----------------------
> > > > -
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > > Subject:      Re: OT:  -ify and -ification
> > > >
> >
> >-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>-
> > >------
> > > > -
> > > >
> > > > I see Arnold, unlike Archie, has two front legs that are far
>enough
> > > > apart that he can hold down the Shift key at the same time as he
> > > > strikes a letter key.  Evidence below, in signed message.
> > > >
> > > > Joel
> > > >
> > > > At 8/28/2011 11:45 PM, Arnold Zwicky wrote:
> > > > ...
> > > > >fascinating.  i did mention "Californication" (the Red Hot Chili
> > > > >Peppers and the tv show) in
> > > > >   http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/creepitude/
> > > > >but i didn't trace it back any further than these two vectors.
> > > > >
> > > > >arnold
> > > >
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