MetaChat - question about an internet in-joke

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10 April 2007

question about an internet in-joke →[More:] what is with the "I | X"... IIRC in computer programming that symbol is known as the pipe key.

post by: drezdn at: 13:01 | 17 comments

"I or X", from regular expressions, though the pipe could mean other stuff depending on context.

posted by danostuporstar 10 April | 13:13

I find that sometimes when people use nonstandard characters (such as a heart, for example) that they display on my screen as a |

Don't know if that's what you meant. Do you have a specific example?

posted by dersins 10 April | 13:32

Dersins, it might be the non-standard character problem. I've seen it usually when someone might use the heart symbol.

posted by drezdn 10 April | 13:50

♥

Do you see a heart or a | ? Should be a heart.

posted by deborah 10 April | 14:04

I see a pipe, that must be it. Thanks all!

posted by drezdn 10 April | 14:05

so...what would one need to install if one were seeing pipes and not hearts? (osx -firefox)

posted by krix 10 April | 14:14

I'm glad to learn that's called a 'pipe' and not a 'tall line'

posted by Miko 10 April | 14:21

Go to View -> Character Encoding... and play around.
It's possible you won't get it to display a heart. I couldn't (osx/ff)

posted by ardgedee 10 April | 14:26

thank you, you're right, it still didn't show. bah.

posted by krix 10 April | 14:44

I PIPE MY CAT

posted by quonsar 10 April | 14:57

Plumbers ♥ |s

posted by grouse 10 April | 15:02

Cardiologists fix your ♥|s

posted by grouse 10 April | 15:02

I'm glad to learn that's called a 'pipe' and not a 'tall line'

For what it's worth, I've always called this character a 'bar', not a pipe.

posted by chrismear 10 April | 15:27

I | Crack.

posted by Divine_Wino 10 April | 15:41

I ♠ my cat, however I ♣ my dog.

posted by mischief 10 April | 15:51

You em dash your cat you filthy bugger?

posted by Divine_Wino 10 April | 16:06

Catdasher! Pipehearter!

posted by ethylene 10 April | 16:12

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