Subject: Re: El Nino...post, techno glitches, & degree symbol
Date: Nov 16 17:28:49 1997
From: PAGODROMA at aol.com - PAGODROMA at aol.com


On 11/14/97, I wrote:
"Here's the rest of the post. I'm not sure what happened, but only *part* of
it posted to the Tweeter's Digest a few moments ago...."
That should have at least clarified and referred to the "most recent"
messages option web link; not the flat out digest which of course hasn't
posted yet.
---------------

Thanks Alan, et.al.
It seems that everyone actively subscribed Tweeters got the whole message.
I'm not sure about active subscribers to the digest. I found the problem in
the "most recent" postings option at the Tweeters Birding Email Digest
Website ["Most Recent" link] where the post had been cut off. The *exact*
same thing happened at the *exact* same spot, (in the Red Phalarope line) at
the point where the "less than" symbol was used, when the El Nino post
appeared at the "Most Recent" Calbird link (submitted and posted separately
two days later). Typing, then posting *that* (i.e. "less than") symbol here
now may delete the rest of THIS message. Maybe there is a ("good") reason
for this and/or maybe it can be fixed with just a little "tweak" to the
programming? What a dribbling little nuisance just trying to explain this!

Also, something in the "most recent" web link format makes *selecting*
excerpts for copy-paste to a discussion or reply or wp document for file
virtually impossible for some reason. This didn't used to be a problem but
perhaps now these are "read only" messages at this stage, or it's the 'new'
"blue" color background screen, although I must say I've never encountered
any such thing on the web before. Select-copy-paste... simple! Maybe it's
me and I need yet another software upgrade in the seemingly hopeless attempt
of trying to keep up with the technology.

Another problem, and I'm not alone on this one as it seems to crop up in the
forum frequently, but occurs after having selected an excerpt for comment or
discussion, then hitting "reply" the selected excerpt is automatically
wrapped by "less than" symbols on the left, "greater than" at the right.
This all appears fine in the message before sending, but by the time it
posts back to the list, everything *between* those symbols deletes, thus it
can become confusing if the reader doesn't already know what point is being
commented on. The *offending symbol* is the "less than" symbol. Again,
perhaps this may simply be an incompatible software conversion problem and
doesn't effect everyone.

These anomalies are perhaps best addressed directly to Dan Victor and/or Jack
Siler, but since some subscribers seem to experience some of the same
problems, I thought I'd post this to the list as well. [Real Time update:
Ruth Sullivan's YBLO post and query ("What am I doing wrong?") that just
came in a moment ago as I am finishing this very message may exemplify the
problem I address here, if not yet another one].

As for the "degree sign" Alan, maybe there are several ways to do it. I'm
still your basic computer semi-literate simpleton :-)). I just select,
copy, and paste the degree symbol from the "character map" that can be found
(in my case) in the Windows 3.1 "Accessories" program window which I click on
from the program manager screen. Sounds like a lot of work if there are
multiple lat/longs? Not really; just put 'em in all at once after the
message has been drafted. CAUTION! When such is posted to some forums or
individuals it seems, e.g. SEABIRD-L, the degree symbol translates to "=BA".
What a god-awful mess! ...not to mention word/line/letter breaks at the end
of each line which is yet some other translation/conversion problem. The
posted message comes off as an utter disaster! Perhaps better to be
conservative and use lat/longs in decimal increments, but for Tweeters and
Calbird, degree symbols seem to work fine.

Richard Rowlett (Pagodroma at aol.com)
~4734'N, 12208'W
(Seattle/Bellevue, WA)