# EE's mantra (test post) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 31, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764 "2006-03-31T21:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/1 "2006-03-31T21:39:39Z")
What does an electrical engineer chant while he’s meditating? ‘Ohm…’ This is a test post to try to make an omega on a Mac by pressing OPTION+Z. Here it is: ? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/2 "2006-03-31T21:40:44Z")
Hm. It made an omega when I typed it. But it shows as a question mark when I submit it. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/3 "2006-03-31T22:05:00Z")
ΩΩΩ Worked here. Maybe you lack the Mho-joe? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/4 "2006-03-31T22:19:05Z")
Another of life’s mysteries: Do you know the difference between engineer boots and cowboy boots? 😃 TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/5 "2006-03-31T23:35:10Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] ??? Worked here. Maybe you lack the Mho-joe? [/QUOTE] How did you do it? > [@TubaDiva](#): > > Another of life’s mysteries: Do you know the difference between engineer boots and cowboy boots? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/6 "2006-03-31T23:37:04Z")
Okay, there. You see? (Or maybe you don’t.) I copied **Squink** ’s post and the omegas are showing up as question marks. Maybe I can type them with OPTION+Z on the Mac, but Safari isn’t able to display them? 😕 Do _you_ see omegas in my posts? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/7 "2006-03-31T23:44:59Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Okay, there. You see? (Or maybe you don’t.) I copied **Squink** ’s post and the omegas are showing up as question marks. Maybe I can type them with OPTION+Z on the Mac, but Safari isn’t able to display them? 😕 Do _you_ see omegas in my posts? [/QUOTE] No, I see question marks in yours. Omegas in Squink’s. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/8 "2006-04-01T00:10:11Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] How did you do it? [/QUOTE] I used ‘option z’ on my Mac, and I can see the omegas in my post. Some fonts lack a character for ‘opt z’. Perhaps your browser is mapping the omega through on of those fonts before transmitting to the board? Does the omega char show up when you preview? It does for me. ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/9 "2006-04-01T00:40:41Z")
[QUOTE=TubaDiva] Another of life’s mysteries: Do you know the difference between engineer boots and cowboy boots? 😃 TubaDiva [/QUOTE] You can let an engineer leave his boots by the bed, the cowboy has to take them off at the front door. 🙂 Or is that not the direction you were going with this? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/10 "2006-04-01T00:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] I used ‘option z’ on my Mac, and I can see the omegas in my post. Some fonts lack a character for ‘opt z’. Perhaps your browser is mapping the omega through on of those fonts before transmitting to the board? Does the omega char show up when you preview? It does for me. ??? [/QUOTE] I see the omega when I type it, but not on preview or in the post. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/11 "2006-04-01T01:06:57Z")
> [@](#): > > **Originally Posted by Squink** > I used ‘option z’ on my Mac, and I can see the omegas in my post. > Some fonts lack a character for ‘opt z’. Perhaps your browser is mapping the omega through on of those fonts before transmitting to the board? Does the omega char show up when you preview? It does for me. ??? [QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] I see the omega when I type it, but not on preview or in the post. [/QUOTE] Look at THAT! Your connection turned the omegas in your quote of me into question marks. Try switching browsers for a post or two, or changing the default font in Safari. I’m using Firefox 1.5.0.1 with Times 16 as the default font. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/12 "2006-04-01T01:17:09Z")
Standard font is Times 16. I’ve tried Western (ISO Latin 1), Western (Mac OS Roman), Greek (ISO 8859-7) and Unicode (UTF-8). All allow me to opt-z the omega, but on preview it becomes a question mark. I only have Safari on this computer. (I like Safari.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/13 "2006-04-01T01:53:59Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] I only have Safari on this computer. (I like Safari.) [/QUOTE] I have Safari too. Let’s see what happens: ??? - Omegas show up as I type. They disappear when I preview. And when I post? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/14 "2006-04-01T02:05:40Z")
Yes, the omegas also turn into ???'s when I post. It seems to be a Safari ‘feature’ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/15 "2006-04-01T02:17:30Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] It seems to be a Safari ‘feature’ [/QUOTE] Bottomer. I’ve sent feedback to Apple. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ees-mantra-test-post/350764/16 "2006-04-01T18:43:19Z")
On cowboy boots the, um, bovine excrement is on the outside. (I know a lot of engineers who laugh at this one; how do you think I heard it?) TubaDiva