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Anyone remember WUGNET?

Posted on by typemaniac

Many years ago — meaning probably in the early 1990s — there was WUGNET, the Windows User Group. It was dedicated to sharing tips and tricks about the then-new Windows operating system. WUGNET published a journal, reviewed software utilities, managed Compuserve forums (that takes me back!) and published several books about Windows.

Back in the day, the Typemaniac occasionally contributed to the Wugnet Journal. In particular, he wrote a memorable column about some of the type tools we were using back then — things like Publisher’s Type Foundry (Zsoft), WFNboss (Corel), and Refont (Acute Systems).

Now the Typemaniac is preparing to write up some of the tools he’s using currently: FontForge (open source, originated by George Williams), Font Creator (HighLogic), Type Tool 3 (FontLab), and FontExplorer X Pro (Monotype).

But wouldn’t it be cool to also reprint his original WUGNET article? Unfortunately, the Typemaniac’s Bloated Archive of Old Stuff seems to have gone missing, so he did the next best thing and contacted his old buds at WUGNET, Joel Diamond and Howard Sobel. Howard and Joel scoured every nook and cranny of the office, but sadly, it turns out that their archives are also MIA.

So if anyone knows where to get the WUGNET Journal where our type tool article appeared, please get in touch. We’ll gladly scan it and return it to you and even pay you a couple of bucks.

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Font vigilantes attack “I can’t breathe” tee-shirts

Posted on by typemaniac

Our West Coast correspondent spotted this “tempête dans un verre d’eau” about Comic Sans on the Dangerous Minds website. Apparently there’s been quite the little debate over the font used on some “I can’t breathe” tee-shirts.

The Typemaniac doesn’t give a hoot one way or another (he would have used Banco) but he’s happy for anything that promotes public awareness of typography.

Idiotic hipsters complain about the font of ‘I Can’t Breathe’ protest shirts | Dangerous Minds.

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Lovely unicase or common case font

Posted on by typemaniac

I have a soft spot for unicase fonts and recently discovered that ITC Franklin from the Font Bureau has unicase alternates. It’s not clear when they were added to the range, but I’d guess that David Berlow added them in 2008. With so many ITC Franklin fonts out there, be sure the one you get has the unicase alternates.

Font Bureau Fonts | ITC Franklin.

Hat tip to Nina Stössinger (http://www.typophile.com/node/76039)!

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The Internet Did Not Destroy The Ability To Write

Posted on by typemaniac

Most writing sucked in the ’90s, too. And in the ’80s. And the ’70s. And, according to Pinker, people have been complaining about bad writing in literally every generation since the invention of the printing press. So it would be nice — but wrong — to blame today’s bad writing on modern technology.

Sing it, brother! The Typemaniac edited a newsletter over 40 years ago, and he can testify that some of the writing that came across his desk was — to be charitable — an abomination.

What has changed, though, is that books from major publishers and important newspapers are nowadays rife with typos and misused homophones. Sic transit gloria mundi.

(Be sure to read what our fellow blogist, Matrix, says about the state of writing today.)

Proof That The Internet Did Not Destroy The Ability To Write « Above the Law: A Legal Web Site – News, Commentary, and Opinions on Law Firms, Lawyers, Law Schools, Law Suits, Judges and Courts + Career Resources.

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The Pianist

Posted on by Matrix

It’s the mid 1980s, probably December, early evening, dark, very wet and very cold. I was picking up a typositor font from an unknown supplier. The entrance to his big apartment building on the northwest corner of Amsterdam and 72nd St. turned out to be some distance up the side street. No doorman, an unprepossessing foyer and only one elevator. When the doors opened, I turned right as instructed and froze: a Chopin étude was roiling out of one of the apartments off the narrow hallway ahead. Sure enough, the Chopin was coming from my supplier’s apartment.

I stood at the door. The bass rumbled through me while the melody’s longing turned into plangent defiance. I refused to allow guilty thoughts of my 2-year-old and the babysitter at home detract one iota from the music’s searing immediacy. Please, don’t stop. But he did, of course, and reality settled in. I pushed the bell. The lid dropped over the keyboard, the deadbolts retracted and the door opened.

“Hi. Berling, right?” I handed him a check; he gave me a little white box. All business. “Thanks. Good night.” I seriously considered leaning on the doorbell and begging him to let me sit under the piano for the next two weeks or so.

How does someone who can play like that end up making alphabet filmstrips for a living?