ForumGarden

I have noticed I am getting posts with a white question mark in a diamond shaped black box.

Why ?

They appear to occur randomly throughout text, is it down to my PC not having the fonts used in the original text.

Is it down to the text being cut and pasted ?

Does anybody else get it ?

I've noticed it across the boards for some time and its becoming increasingly more common

Are you using Windows ?

Because at this moment I am not and wondered if it might be a Linux thing.

I use both at different times and don't know if it happens with Windows.

Yup. Windows 7

Have you noticed it just on JJ's posts, that's where I'm seeing them and assuming it's a copy and paste thing.

I am using Chrome browser on WinXP and see them, mostly on certain posters' offerings.

I would venture a wild guess as Bruv said that there are font or coding mis-matches causing this.

I most often see it when some posters use the ' and perhaps "

not sure if it is the same as what you all are seeing.

Also same results with Firefox

Hmmm ...........I am now on Windows (I wasn't when posting earlier) and yes it happens in Windows too.

And yes it is in Jj's posts I can see the peculiar mark, I suspect its a cutting and pasting thing.

Is there no PC Guru's about that could give a definitive answer

Betty Boop;1412043 wrote: Have you noticed it just on JJ's posts, that's where I'm seeing them and assuming it's a copy and paste thing.


On the other hand sweetheart ... it could be that citizen Bruv is on my ignore list. :yh_rotfl

jones jones;1412059 wrote: On the other hand sweetheart ... it could be that citizen Bruv is on my ignore list. :yh_rotfl That's the reason...

jones jones;1412059 wrote: On the other hand sweetheart ... it could be that citizen Bruv is on my ignore list. :yh_rotfl


Could be, but doubt it....................how in heavens name did you happen across this thread ? :-2:-3

Bruv;1412080 wrote: Could be, but doubt it....................how in heavens name did you happen across this thread ? :-2:-3


Jones is the chosen one. He see's all things.

Peter Lake;1412081 wrote: Jones is the chosen one. He see's all things.


Or his disciples report back ?

I believe it is a character set issue which is rather difficult to explain.

If you want to try to figure it out you can start here.

Character encoding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lady J;1412083 wrote: I believe it is a character set issue which is rather difficult to explain.

If you want to try to figure it out you can start here.

Character encoding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Thank you for that........................but I don't think I will bother, far too much there to get my feeble head around.

It seems to be primarily the apostrophe in the text that JJ posts.

Seen it for a long time and just never gave it much thought.

Either the machine he is using, or perhaps a text editor he uses to compile the text before copying and pasting to the forum.

I have seen the same thing from some other people's posts where they copied the text from another source and pasted in an FG post.

If it's actually bothersome, it might be worth investigating a solution, but I don't see it as much of a bother, myself.

Though I had become curious if it was on my PC, or if other people were seeing it, too.

Now we know.

No it is not bothersome as such, I just have an inquisitive streak and wanted to know why it happens.

If it is the apostrophe then he uses a lot of them.

Bruv;1412092 wrote: No it is not bothersome as such, I just have an inquisitive streak and wanted to know why it happens.

If it is the apostrophe then he uses a lot of them.


It's a code page translation error.

JJ is using a non-standard code page and certain characters, such as the apostrophe, are not being recognised.

It's usually clear what is intended so I ignore it and carry on.

Bryn Mawr;1412135 wrote: It's a code page translation error.

JJ is using a non-standard code page and certain characters, such as the apostrophe, are not being recognised.

It's usually clear what is intended so I ignore it and carry on.


Now that is understandable....................I think.

It wasn't a major concern, only a little irksome.

It was sometimes the highlight of JJ's posts.......................(I wish I hadn't said that now)

I shall ignore them and carry on too.

Bryn Mawr;1412135 wrote: certain characters, such as the apostrophe, are not being recognised.Good lord, is he posting again??

Týr;1412146 wrote: Good lord, is he posting again??


Who.....Apostrophe ?

Bruv;1412149 wrote: Who.....Apostrophe ?


Pfft..:wah:

Citizen Bruv ... It is as Sir Peter Lake said, I am The Chosen so I am appraised of all things Forum Garden by the Cosmos. My followers are mostly desciples of love, so they have very little time to "report back" to me about FG threads and such like.

I shall relent and remove your name from my "ignore list" for the duration of this day, namely 10 December 2012 (OMG! We only have eleven days left before planet earth is destroyed!) so that you may have time to decide what has caused this exclamation mark ... in a circle was it?

However, be advised, the Cosmos has marked the threads and posts of the Chosen so that you may know him!

As the gaffer Bryn says: "It is a code ..............!!!

Bruv;1412149 wrote: Who.....Apostrophe ? :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

jones jones;1412271 wrote: Citizen Bruv ... It is as Sir Peter Lake said, I am The Chosen so I am appraised of all things Forum Garden by the Cosmos. My followers are mostly desciples of love, so they have very little time to "report back" to me about FG threads and such like.

I shall relent and remove your name from my "ignore list" for the duration of this day, namely 10 December 2012 (OMG! We only have eleven days left before planet earth is destroyed!) so that you may have time to decide what has caused this exclamation mark ... in a circle was it?

However, be advised, the Cosmos has marked the threads and posts of the Chosen so that you may know him!

As the gaffer Bryn says: "It is a code ..............!!!


Do we have any information about who chose the chosen one ?

Bruv;1412092 wrote: No it is not bothersome as such, I just have an inquisitive streak and wanted to know why it happens.
If you're using Firefox you can view the homepage and see the white question mark in a diamond shaped black box, then you can click View / Character Encoding and change from UTF-8 (which ForumGarden uses to display all the posts) to Western (Windows-1252). The homepage will then lose the white question mark in a diamond shaped black box.

In Chrome and in the various flavours of Microsoft Internet Explorer the menu options differ but the result can still be achieved.

The reason it happens is that ForumGarden has to display the posts to a nominated standard, and the way we chose to display is a fairly simple one which has no bias toward one software manufacturer or another. If a member copy-pastes text from a site which employs a different coding standard then there will be times when our declared display standard can't handle ideograms outside of the essential alphanumerics and punctuation all these character sets have in common.

I'd be quite happy to have all the material on site typed by the members rather than grabbed off the Internet.

Oh yes we certainly do! I, the Chosen one, was proclaimed as such by the Cosmos. which according to Wikipedia (who knows these things) is defined as follows: In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος (kosmos), meaning "order" or "ornament"[1] and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the Latin loanword "Universe" (considered in its orderly aspect).

Personally, between you and I, I much prefer the late Carl Sagan's definition: "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be."

But to get back to your question. There are earthlings who, because they are in tune with the Cosmos and because they believe in and trust in the Cosmos, try to send only positive vibrations into this "harmonius system." So because the Cosmos welcomes these positive vibrations and by contrast rejects all negativity (and in fact returns this with interest to it's source) it rewards the former by revealing certain truths to them. In doing so these earthlings are recognised by the Cosmos as "Chosen Ones."

You may ask, and rightly so, what these truths are, so I will mention only one ... probably the answer to the single most important question mankind has ever asked and continues to ask:

"What happens when we die?"

Týr;1412286 wrote:

I'd be quite happy to have all the material on site typed by the members rather than grabbed off the Internet.


Me too to be honest.........



No.............. but seriously I think I very much understood the concept behind what your saying.

Thank you.

jones jones;1412287 wrote: Oh yes we certainly do! I, the Chosen one, was proclaimed as such by the Cosmos. which according to Wikipedia (who knows these things) is defined as follows: In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος (kosmos), meaning "order" or "ornament"[1] and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the Latin loanword "Universe" (considered in its orderly aspect).

Personally, between you and I, I much prefer the late Carl Sagan's definition: "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be."

But to get back to your question. There are earthlings who, because they are in tune with the Cosmos and because they believe in and trust in the Cosmos, try to send only positive vibrations into this "harmonius system." So because the Cosmos welcomes these positive vibrations and by contrast rejects all negativity (and in fact returns this with interest to it's source) it rewards the former by revealing certain truths to them. In doing so these earthlings are recognised by the Cosmos as "Chosen Ones."

You may ask, and rightly so, what these truths are, so I will mention only one ... probably the answer to the single most important question mankind has ever asked and continues to ask:

"What happens when we die?"




Honestly........I lost interest halfway through the first line.

Would it be impolite to ask to be put back on ignore please Mr Chosen, much appreciated, thank you.

jones jones;1412287 wrote:

"What happens when we die?"




So do tell Jj....."What happens when we die?"

perhaps you should start a thread on this since Bruv wants to be ignored?

Lady J;1412322 wrote: So do tell Jj....."What happens when we die?"

perhaps you should start a thread on this since Bruv wants to be ignored?


Don't see how one has any influence on the other.

Good idea BooBoo ... But this knowledge comes with a high price. Are you ready to learn the truth?

I'd be quite happy to have all the material on site typed by the members rather than grabbed off the Internet.

Well Captain TA etc etc ... I like copying & pasting and until such time as it is banned on FG, I shall continue to do so. :guitarist

What does Captain TA mean? Tits and Ass?

SnoozeAgain;1412379 wrote: What does Captain TA mean? Tits and Ass?


You rang?

You're higher rank, at least a Colonel.

SnoozeAgain;1412379 wrote: What does Captain TA mean? Tits and Ass?


OMG! You guys are slaying me today! :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

Its this: Týr (With apologies for the copying & pasting thingee) but my Steampunk PC can't make that squiggly thing above the A nor does it seem to do a half!

Is there perhaps another name I can use for this sergeant?

jones jones;1412388 wrote: OMG! You guys are slaying me today! :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

Its this: Týr (With apologies for the copying & pasting thingee) but my Steampunk PC can't make that squiggly thing above the A nor does it seem to do a half!

Is there perhaps another name I can use for this sergeant?


You can't just type "Tyr"?

This low key query thread has almost as many replies as a fortnights output of the Chosen one..................................and that speaks volumes to me.

YZGI;1412405 wrote: You can't just type "Tyr"?


ASCII code 236, Lowercase letter y with acute accent

Týr;1412432 wrote: ASCII code 236, Lowercase letter y with acute accent


As a matter of interest, for those of us with who get by with a grunt or two as a spoken language, how is that pronounced ?

Does it lengthen the sound of the vowel, or in this case the "y" ?

Snowfire;1412435 wrote: As a matter of interest, for those of us with who get by with a grunt or two as a spoken language, how is that pronounced ?


I must avoid answering with a heteronym...

It's pronounced "tear" as in Kipling, as opposed to tear as in the Berlin Wall.

'Come hither, Little One,' said the Crocodile, 'for I am the Crocodile,' and he wept crocodile-tears to show it was quite true.



eta: Or, thinking a little, "tier".

That accent doesn't sound so cute to me, it sounds a tad pretentious.

Bruv;1412438 wrote: That accent doesn't sound so cute to me, it sounds a tad pretentious.


All the more so when you realize Týr is the Viking word for God.

Týr;1412440 wrote: All the more so when you realize Týr is the Viking word for God.


Hope I never get that pretentious.....................valhalla help us all

Bruv;1412443 wrote: Hope I never get that pretentious.....................valhalla help us all


One has to be born that way.

Viking Quotes

Moderately wise

a man should be

not too crafty or clever.

A learned man's heart

whose learning is deep

seldom sings with joy.

- The Havamal

Sure that's not a Yoda saying?

Bruv;1412428 wrote: This low key query thread has almost as many replies as a fortnights output of the Chosen one..................................and that speaks volumes to me.


Private Bruv ... I often read new and old threads before I login and at this time your posts are unfortunately visible to me.

If the fact that "your low key query thread has almost as many replies as a fornights output of the Chosen One" speaks "volumes" to you, then long may it continue as it most likely brightens up what must be a rather boring life you lead. Where do you find the time to count & compare replies?

Incidentally, when referring to me please note that the "One" in Chosen One starts with a capital letter. Of course you may simply call me "The Chosen."

Take care now and have an awesome day!

Týr;1412440 wrote: All the more so when you realize Týr is the Viking word for God.


This brought a tier to my eye..