Why You Should Never Type Two Spaces After a Period

Manual TypewriterHow many spaces should you type after a period? If you said, “Two,” it turns out you are the victim of a historical accident.

Every major style guide agrees on a single space after a period. But most of us were taught to type two spaces after a period. Why?

Blame the manual typewriter.

Quick typography lesson: Unlike printing presses and computers, which have proportional fonts like the one on this blog, manual typewriters only have monospaced fonts (see a sample of monospaced fonts), where every character has the same width.

To make up for the manual typewriter’s shortcomings, typing schools taught an entire generation the double-space rule. And the bad habit stuck, even when computers added proportional fonts in the 1970s.

Your computer is not a typewriter. It has proportional fonts. Stop typing two spaces after periods. Just stop it.

Hat tip to Farhad Manjoo at Slate for the history lesson.

My New Job at XO

XO Communications LogoToday I am starting a new job at XO Communications.

Below is a quick overview of what XO does and why I joined the company.

Who is XO?
XO is one of the nation’s largest telecommunications providers. Unlike Verizon and AT&T, they do not provide residential services.

XO specializes in providing businesses, especially those with multiple locations, with VoIP, Internet, managed network, and hosted IT solutions.

Why I Joined XO
XO serves more than half of the Fortune 500, including the top three search engines.

The company is growing, and XO is making some big changes in its Las Vegas office.

The Las Vegas office has an entirely new staff. The new General Manager, Lynn Folkerson, recruited me to help work with XO’s major accounts, and I am looking forward to helping XO further expand in Las Vegas.

Favorite Lunch Spot: Baguette Cafe

Last year, I shared with you one of my favorite lunch spots in Las Vegas, Crazy Pita.

My new favorite: Baguette Cafe.

Great Pastry and Lunch

Baguette Cafe has both great croissants (a rarity off-Strip in Vegas), muffins, tarts, and cookies, and simple, delicious lunches.

Stop-by in the morning to pickup a muffin, pain raisin, or peanut butter chocolate chip cookie with an Illy latte. (Unfortunately, they do not have fresh-squeezed orange juice.)

Lunch: Tuna Salad and Quiche

For lunch, try the tuna salad, soup of the day, or the quiche. You can also do a “Pick 2″ combination with half of each. They even have french bread pizza sometimes. All the food is fresh, simple, and delicious.

Workdays Only: Baguette Cafe is only open on workdays and can get busy filling catering orders for the nearby offices, but it’s worth it. Go give it a try ASAP.

Find Baguette Cafe on Google Maps: 8359 W Sunset Rd