Nov 18 2007
Don’t mess with the Marines on this one
A Marine typist vs. the Chicago Manual of Style:
MARINE: About two spaces after a period. As a U.S. Marine, i know that what’s right is right and you are wrong. I declare it once and for all aesthetically more appealing to have two spaces after a period.
CHICAGO MANUAL: As a U.S. Marine, you’re probably an expert at something, but I’m afraid it’s not this. [sic]Status quo. [sic]
I think XHTML turns properly formatted periods (with two spaces after) into single-spaced periods. That looks HIDEOUS, which is especially problematic for writers that upload large blocks of text, like novel chapters and lengthy reviews. Whenever I edit a Word Press post, I have to go back and make sure that I’ve replaced the double-spaces so that it’s readable.
I think it’s pretty funny that we don’t put any spaces after periods in abbreviations. Something like “he’s a U. S. M. C. drill instructor” would be painful.