I often use this space to bitch. I also won’t apologize because if it really bothers you, you’ve long since gone elsewhere. In this entry however, I will tell you about a peeve of mine, and explain why it bugs me.

If you know me, you likely also know that I’m a bit of a type nerd. You’ll notice that I didn’t say I’m a font nerd. Being a type nerd, I know that font doesn’t mean what most people think it means.

Font

A font is a particular typeface, in a specific style and size. For example, 10 pt Helvetica bold is a font. Both 11 pt Helvetica bold and 10 pt Helvetica italic are different fonts.

Type style

A type style is a particular typeface in a specific style. For example, Helvetica bold is a type style.

Typeface

A typeface includes all the styles and sizes. For example, Helvetica is a typeface. This is what most people mean when they say font.

As with most terms, not everyone uses them in exactly the same way. Style describes a variety of permutations like roman, italic, bold, and small caps, while type style generally refers to the definition above, but the terms are often used interchangeably. Most type terms are used in multiple ways, but context often makes the meaning clear. Context is why I know most people mean typeface when they say font.

Knowing this, font may seem so specific that it’s not much use. I largely agree, which is why you’ve probably never heard me use the word. The term was more important in the past however, when changing the size of text was not as simple as entering the required point size in a field.

Before computerized type, presses used metal letters that were manually set into place, thus the term typesetting. If you wanted a different font, you had to get it as you couldn’t simply change the size of the metal letters you had. This is also why the companies that produce type are often called foundries. When type was metal, making it required an actual foundry.

In the early days of computer type, fonts were truly fonts … they were bitmapped and not scalable. If you had only 12 pt Helvetica normal, you didn’t have Helvetica normal at any other size or style. Even after scalable fonts appeared, bitmapped fonts remained for a time because scalable type wasn’t as clean at small sizes. Today, bitmapped fonts are largely unknown for print, but they have limited use for on-screen display.

Times, they are a changing. And the changes haven’t stopped yet!

Just try to tow my car

by Rick

On Fri December 16, 2011

In consequences, customer service, me

I don’t like being bullshitted. Not one bit.

I received a letter, delivered to my apartment door. It was a request from the superintendent for some information. Stuff like my home and work telephone number, the names of all the apartment inhabitants, my parking spot number, and similar things. Information they already have … every bit of it. I received this request earlier this month and did precisely nothing about it, given the entirely redundant nature of the exercise.

The other day I received a follow-up letter, with the same information request, and an extra page that explained this was my last chance to update this information. I’m amused because the extra page is set in 24 point bold text. I suppose I should be glad it wasn’t entirely upper-case! My first thought upon seeing this page was,” ‘Last chance’? What are they going to do to me, exactly?”

The last paragraph answered my question, and still provides me no end of amusement:

Starting January 1, 2012 we are going to start ticketing and towing cars that are not registered.

First, I don’t know what this registration is, because it’s not mentioned anywhere else, but I suppose that my providing them the information they request, I’m somehow registered. I question the mechanism behind this curious registration because they asked no details about my car. If there is a car in the spot number I provide, how will they know it’s mine? Second, and most amusing to me, is that one does not simply choose a parking spot that one likes. No, the management issues the parking spots to tenants, and in the building office, they’ve got a big map of the parking lot with the spot numbers and the apartment numbers of the tenants in the spots they’ve been assigned. They already damned-well know the tenant to which each spot is assigned. So are they really going to ticket or tow cars if they don’t get a response to their oh-so-scary threat? Seriously?

The thought of not responding and having them pay the towing fees amused me, but it would not be worth the trouble. They surely have no grounds to tow a car from a spot they assigned, especially since tenants give the vehicle make, model, and licence plate number of their cars so the management can make sure that it’s the owner’s car occupying the spot.

When next year’s anonymous tenant questionnaire comes around, perhaps I’ll take the time to complete it. I never have before, but this idiocy may warrant mention.