First, I would like to apologize for not writing in nearly a month. My schedule has changed and I have not been able to keep up with blogging, until today. I hope I do not take such long breaks in the future!
Today's fact is an interesting one. It has gone by this official name, the pound sign (or key), the number sign, crosshatch, tic-tac-toe, and thanks to Twitter, the hashtag. More on hashtags - and my personal opinion on them - later.
Octothorp apparently has two spellings: as I have been using until now and the spelling octothopre. According to www.merriam-webster.com, Octothorp has two definitions:
1. The # symbol.
2. octo-thorpe: of unknown origin; from the eight points on its circumference.
Also, the first known use of the word is believed to be in 1971.
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| An octothorp. Picture taken from status.net |
This word has yet to become internationally official, and was believed to be a joke among engineers at Bell Labs in the 1960's. Supposedly. For more info from World Wide Words, go here.
Many other rumors abound in how this word came to be, yet none of them are all that reliable. Such as the idea that a man named Charles B. Octothorpe wanted to make his name famous.
Today we see this symbol more often with hashtagging and Twitter.
I will preface my following statements with this disclaimer: I hold no judgement against anyone who uses hashtags and Twitter. While I have yet to embark on this particular cyber adventure, if that is your thing...go for it. Please, just do the world a favor and check before you post. Typos and ironic, idiotic comments happen. I am sure you can find some in this blog, maybe this post (and I edit before I hit "Publish"). Please, no offense meant to any of you who use Twitter and hashtags. They're just not my thing.
I hate hashtags. The idea, the comments people post, and the nearly daily digging these things burrow into our lives. Sadly, there appears to be somewhat of a correlation between their use and stupid people. While most hashtag users are totally fine (and I know lots of people who use them), I offer you some proof.
Ironically, the same day I wrote this blog, my husband found an article on Buzzfeed called "26 People Who Are Too Stupid For Their Own Good." On this list, there was a person who posted on Facebook the following message:
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| Yes, this happened. from Buzzfeed.com |
Want to see more online stupid moments? Find the entire list here!
And we wonder why the Darwin Awards have so many entries every year.
Thank you, Snapple, for a true fact, and a few moments of laughter.
