Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with type

Typing: from 60wpm to 90wpm

ekpyrotic — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:54:03 -0800

From a reasonably good [60wpm] looking-at-the-keys typist to a reasonably good [90wpm] touch typist. I currently type at ~60wpm. I have to look at the keyboard every 3-or-so words. I want to touch type for 2 reasons,

1. To improve speed,
2. So I can copy text effectively, i.e., not have to look at the keys now and again.

Where's the best place to go from here?

Move this, word!

fantasticninety — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:17:42 -0800

Is there a website that allows you to create moveable font type vids? I'd like to know if there's a free site which allows people to type in text and then choose options to create a rough and ready version of this kind of thing.

Moto Logo

Shike — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:27:07 -0800

I need logo and font help. The name of my vintage motorcycle restoration business is MotoKrow. My last name means "crow" in Dutch, and begins with a K. I like vintage motorcycle logos, but don't want to copy. I'm very fond of the old Moto Guzzi logo. Anyone know what that font is? A simple logo like the Matchless one is nice. I'm no designer, and I thought this place full of smart people (like you!) would be helpful. Apologies in advance if I've violated some sort of protocol here.

Blood type asap

ish__ — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:33:37 -0800

Where can I get a ABO/rh blood type test done today in metro Washington dc? I can overnight an eldoncard kit from amazon or the like, but need to know as soon as possible. No pharmacies seem to carry tehm, and I havnt had luck with medical supply companies either. Willing to drive up to 2 hrs from dc today to get a home test or get a same-day test performed? Help!!

How to find out Mac creator / type info on a PC?

jzed — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:24:03 -0800

Is there a windows utility to read the creator / type information of old (pre OSX) mac files? I've inherited a lot of old mac files (probably .eps or old .ai's or something but I'm not really sure at this point) and I'm trying to get them open on my windows machine. I think I probably have the most likely applications I'll need to open them, but brute force guessing what program to try is time consuming. Is there a straightforwards (preferably freeware) utility to help automate this process? My googling has revealed this util which looks... a bit unwieldy; and this mac app which would do the job if it ran on windows!

What is the best way to identify a font?

samengland — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:06:59 -0800

What is the best way to identify a font? What is the best way to identify a font (from an image, or screenshot)

This is the font in question

Font I.D., please.

Tufa — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:12:57 -0800

Could someone identify the font used in the headings on this webpage? I am looking for the font used in Who We Are | What We Do | Special Services. I am much obliged.

Diabetes, glucose, and food -- Oh my!

DrGail — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:39:18 -0800

Type II Diabetes filter: How do measured glucose levels vary depending on how long it has been since eating? My husband was just recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, based on an A1C reading of 7.3. He has made numerous lifestyle changes: careful food choices, no binging, regular exercise, eating three meals a day instead of one. (I nag very effectively, as you can see!) This has brought his second A1C reading down to 6.1, without any medication, so we feel like we're definitely on the right track.

But I keep wondering what the "curve" looks like if blood sugar readings are plotted against the hours since eating. A search of the internets hasn't turned up any generic curves we can use as a reference.

For example: His after-dinner blood sugar readings are usually done about 1 - 1-1/2 hours after having a Dannon Light Yogurt for dessert, instead of the 2 hour delay the doctor recommends. If he were to wait until the 2-hour mark before testing his blood, would the reading be higher or lower than the one he gets at the 1-1/2 hour mark?

If he were to take his blood sugar readings hourly, over several days, we could discover the curve empirically. This is not an option, though -- he would never go for it.

So I'm hoping one of you wonderful MeFi folks either knows the answer to my specific question or perhaps can point me to a generic curve that exists somewhere on the 'net.

What's the right software to maintain and display a calendar of relatively infrequent future events?

gleuschk — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:49:49 -0800

What's the right software to maintain and display a calendar of relatively infrequent future events, as well as blog-like news postings? I maintain a website for specialists in my field of mathematics, and one section consists of announcements for upcoming and recent conferences. Another is for news announcements: a basic blog-style list of entries. Both are currently run by our 7-year-old Movable Type installation, in combination with a good bit of chewing gum and baling twine. I'd like to redesign the whole schmear, including the back end. Is wordpress (plus more gum and twine) the right solution? Is there some other system that makes more sense? Link.

Here's the current setup, which hasn't changed since launch in 2002: Movable Type runs two blogs: "News" and "Conferences". The former is your basic blog, except that we only show one entry on the front page, and generally have only an entry a month or so.

Each entry in "Conferences" is added when we learn about it, and post-dated to the first day of the conference. This system works ok, since most conferences are just a day or two, but there are some that are a week, month, or even a semester long, and this causes problems. When first posted, they're in an "upcoming" category that displays in one place, then changed by hand to a "past" category that shows up in another place when they're past. Drawback: I often forget to change the category, which makes me look stupid. We average about 3 conferences a month, though they tend to cluster in March, June, and October. Lead time is up to a year.

I'd like to redesign and bring it up to web-2.whateverwe'reuptonow snuff, both in front and behind. Wordpress seems to be the default these days. I could do the same acrobatics to get the conferences into wordpress, I guess, but it sure seems like there should be a better way. Do you know of one?

I run this out of my pocket and in my free time, so free and drop-in solutions are best, but if you've got good ideas, lay 'em on me.

Floundering at font founderying

metajc — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:38:18 -0800

How do I turn my Illustrator-drawn custom font into a real computer font I can use on Mac and Windows (Adobe) software? We have a logo that a designer made for us long ago but shortly before escaping to another dimension. Unfo, folks around here like to have stuff we create "match" the logo. I've recreated an entire alphabet and common symbols (!@#$%^&*()) in Illustrator based on two fonts (Arial MT and Antennae) but I'm getting tired of assembling words in Illustrator and copying that into Photoshop ... so now I'm trying to pick what I think is called a "font foundry" from the scads of software downloads in Google so that I can export a custom font for type tool use in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Assuming that I'm capable, what software would you recommend for my task? Reasons why?

(Please forgive me for butchering type terminology.)

What to feed a diabetic?

I_drew_an_angelfish — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:56:02 -0800

What to feed a Type 1 diabetic soon after giving birth? My neighbor is about to give birth to her second child. She also has Type I diabetes. My husband and I would like to deliver some food after the baby comes, but I would like her to be able to eat it. What types of meals are safe/acceptable?

Who knows my blood type?

NortonDC — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:45:34 -0800

Who knows my blood type? I don't know my blood type, and I just called my doctor, who has done blood work on me before, and her office staff said they don't have it (!?), and it's not on my driver's license... so who else ought to know?

Or, how can I get tested and how much will it cost and how long will it take? Can I buy a self-test at a US drug store?

(No, Mom didn't remember.)

Why am substituting one bird for another when I type?

grumblebee — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:47:08 -0800

I'm making a certain type of typo more and more frequently. Should I be worried? I know everyone does this to some extent, but I've greatly increased the amount of word substitutions I make when I type. I read my sentences back later, and I find I've written things like this:

To free or not to be. Hat is the question.

Most of my mistakes are of that sort: substituting rhyming words for the words I mean to type. When I proof my text, I'm always totally surprised to see the substitutions. I have no sense of making them when I'm typing.

Now, this is probably a wasted question, because I think I can answer it myself. Over the last few years, my typing speed has increased tenfold. I can now type almost as fast as I can think. And I've noticed the errors increasing as my typing has gotten faster.

But I also know that people make these sorts of substitutions when they've suffered some sort of brain disorder. (I'm embarrassed by how hypochondriacal this sounds.)

I don't have any other symptoms. I feel fine and healthy. My thinking is clear. My motor skills are the same as always. I'm just spooked by this sudden onset of typing gaffs. When I read my words back, I find at least one or two per paragraph.

I know you're not my doctor, but do you think this is even slightly worth worrying about?

UnWord Me

tmcw — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:53:32 -0800

Escaping M$ Word, but getting the same formatting... So, I'll need to type a few papers this semester. I'm using a Mac. I have Office installed, actually, but I hate it: I would rather write in LaTeX, Bean, etc. But my professors will definitely be looking for 12px Times New Roman double spaced, standard margins, etc. Are there any LaTeX templates for this, or is the typesetting engine way too different. And OpenOffice seems to be one of the least native apps I've used on my mac (even Inkscape is a lot better), so I'd rather not go that route.

Any tips on escaping this big M?

Need a definite answer for approximately equal

font_snob — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:14:16 -0800

Here's the deal: I've exhausted my neurons looking for some kind of answer to a mathematical symbol stumper. I'd love to know who invented, originated, or was the first individual to use the double-tilde (≈) as a means of expressing/denoting "approximately equal" in mathematics. I know that Robert-Recorde is supposed to have introduced the "equals" sign (=) in 1557. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated. I await enlightenment.

I'm looking for free-standing letters

Cranialtorque — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:30:28 -0800

I'm looking for 3-dimensional letters that can stand freely and be photographed. I remember seeing some that were sold to aspiring film makers during the super-8 era for creating titles. Does anybody know anything about these, or where I can get something like them? I cannot remember the exact era when these were available, or a manufacturer, but I do think they were an American product. I remember them being a condensed sans-serif, similar to Univers condensed, in white. (But my memory is hazy.) eBay searches are unsuccessful, and I'm having no luck with Google either. (A Blondie album entitled Plastic Letters is throwing me off.)

My goal is to take text-based photographs, with the type standing freely in different environments. Think Jenny Holtzer meets Andy Goldsworthy. Small, say 1" - 3" tall, is ideal. Most plastic type I have found is designed to stick to one surface or another - these need enough depth to stand freely.

I'm hoping someone knows the exact product I'm thinking of, but any helpful ideas are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Handwriting? Writing with ones' hand? Please explain.

monocultured — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:33:21 -0800

I'd like to find typographically pretty stencils in small sizes; Something neat and flat that I could have in my notebook and trace with a .005 pen. Alternatively, does anyone know how much it would cost to get something like this laser cut? (or whatever process might work) Preferably close by in Sweden, but mailorder would work.

If you have a hard time visualising: Not pretty stencils

Tourist dingbats

signal — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:21:33 -0800

Where can I find tourist-guidey symbols? As a sort of follow up to this, I need to get my hands on a lot of the little symbols (dingbats?) you see in guidebooks, used to indicate e.g. camping (a little tent), skiing (a skier) or a waterfall (wavy vertical lines).

I'm only interested in the kind you'd see in a tourist-oriented guidebook, not general mapping symbols.

A font (or fonts) would be more useful than individual symbols, as this will be inline with text.

Free is nice, as I have no budget for this.

NYPL/Pylon font match?

activitystory — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:56:00 -0800

What is the font used by Pylon on all their records and singles and everything else? You know, this one. It looks similar to the font used for the word "Police" on some 1970s NYPD squad cars-- is it the same one?

Adobe sans-serif

Foam Pants — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:23:20 -0800

If you could pick one sans-serif family from Adobe, what would it be and why? I am trying to branch out from the Myriad Pro I got free with InDesign.

Is there a program that will show me a virtual representation of a body?

bindasj — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:56:27 -0800

Is there a computer program that will allow me to put in weight and height and then get a virtual representation of a body? I'm looking for something that will let me input weight, height and maybe body type too and then shows me some sort of picture. It would be cool if it would let me compare 2 different bodies side by side. Does something like this exist?

The (Monotype) Matrix Reloaded

scruss — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:22:39 -0800

I have a Monotype matrix case containing a bespoke font. Please help me see what it looks like in print. I worked for a publisher that used to commission its own typography. They shut down their printing plant many years ago, and much later, a senior editor gave me a type casting matrix case which they'd rescued from the dump.

The font looks to be an elegant book font. There is a code stamped on the case "403-11", which might be the (British) Monotype reference for that font.

Is there anywhere (in North America; Canada preferred) I could get samples printed of this font? The back of the matrix case is pretty beat-up; looks like a lot of type was cast from this font. The brass matrices appear to be clean, though.

My ideal would be to have this digitized into an outline font, but to do this properly would take time, money and skill. I have none of these.

Create a blog that uses faceted browse?

xammerboy — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:03:02 -0800

I'd like to create a recipe blog that lets users search for recipes using faceted browsing. For instance, searching recipes by ingrediant, cooking time, etc. Is there a MoveableType-like solution I can use to easily create this site?

Looking for a non-superfluous third nubbin

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:38:16 -0800

iNubbin for iPhone? The keyboard for various iPhone apps can be, well, inconsistent in how corrections are done. So I'd like to improve my typing accuracy.

Is there material to make a little, pointed "thimble" that will conduct through the fingertip skin to manipulate the pointer on the screen?

help with a couple question on mac/osx: kerning on the mac & USB probe

specialk420 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:28:00 -0800

A couple questions about Mac and OSX: 1) does anyone know of an alternative to USB Prober alegedly included with the Apple SDK - to help the OS see some USB devices (see inside)? 2) why is the kerning/tracking on much of the default system software - often sketchy? I ended making a move on a macbook pro in response to this thread as current sad state of offerings in widescreen pc laptops (crappy bios, horrible form factors, even worse tech support)

Overall I am very happy with the move which I'll blog about in detail soon - but... my macbook won't see my USB mp3 player (essentially a USB drive), and I must say I am disappointed with frequently poor display of type onscreen (in firefox, entourage, photoshop, and other apps)... curious if the smart minds here have recommendations on either of the above?

Getting used to the oddly placed command key again is adventure as well... oh and - is it just me? or is firefox substantially slower on OSX than XP?

overall I am very impressed and quite sure I won't notice the couple warts soon.