# I can't put in my two cents! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 1999, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354 "1999-10-29T19:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/1 "1999-10-29T19:47:00Z")
'Cause there’s no cents sign on my keyboard? When, exactly, did this little symbol, so dear to all 3rd grade math teachers, disappear from our keyboards (computer ones, at least)? * * * And the problem with small furry animals in corners is that, just occasionally, one of them’s a mongoose. Terry Pratchett, _Witches Abroad_ ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/2 "1999-10-29T19:49:00Z")
Had to make room for that backslash somehow. * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/3 "1999-10-29T19:49:00Z")
Good question. I wonder if it has anything to do with $0.02? Seriously. * * * All this science, I don’t understand. It’s just my job 5 days a week-- Rocketman ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/4 "1999-10-29T19:52:00Z")
I was pretty delighted when I found out I could make it by holding down my option key and hitting the dollar sign: ¢ See? 2¢. Hee hee. My keyboard turned into a symbol wonderland when I discovered the ol’ option key. * * * “It says, I choo-choo-choose you. And it’s got a picture of a train.” – Ralph Wiggum ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/5 "1999-10-29T19:57:00Z")
OOOH! OOOHHH! Thanks, Unc! I just looked at the backslash, and there’s some other symbol there. It looks like a colon on Jenny Craig! What the hell is that? * * * And the problem with small furry animals in corners is that, just occasionally, one of them’s a mongoose. Terry Pratchett, _Witches Abroad_ ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/6 "1999-10-29T20:03:00Z")
Well, Flyp, if you care to examine Jenny Craig’s colon… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/7 "1999-10-29T20:21:00Z")
Bravo to Polycarp. quick, very quick. * * * All this science, I don’t understand. It’s just my job 5 days a week-- Rocketman ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/8 "1999-10-29T20:39:00Z")
You mean this one? | || || || I have absolutely no idea. Well, have we made this thread mundane and pointless enough to be banished? * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/9 "1999-10-29T20:45:00Z")
Not just yet, Uncle. I thought everybody knew that PCs made no cents. ## OK, now it’s ready for banishment. Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![torq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@torq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torq)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/10 "1999-10-29T20:48:00Z")
The | symbol is called a “pipe”. It’s used in Unix (and in DOS, for that matter) to take the output of one program and give it as input to another program. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/11 "1999-10-29T20:48:00Z")
What a bunch of cut-ups, or is that cut-and-pastes? I’m glad it’s late on Friday. I think I better stop at the bar on the way home. * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/12 "1999-10-29T20:51:00Z")
Oh great, thanks torq. You gotta make a double-post with a serious answer and ruin a thread headed straight to hell. 🙂 * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/13 "1999-10-29T21:00:00Z")
You should also be able to make it by hitting ALT+155 on your keyboard. If it doesn’t work in a SD post, try it with another program. My 2¢ ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/14 "1999-10-29T21:02:00Z")
Show offs. * * * And the problem with small furry animals in corners is that, just occasionally, one of them’s a mongoose. Terry Pratchett, _Witches Abroad_ ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/15 "1999-10-29T21:17:00Z")
On my PC, I can make it by pressing Ctrl-/-c. I cannot do this in the window I am typing in right now. However, I can paste that symbol into this window - in fact, here it is: ¢ Learn something new every day… * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![JBENZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@JBENZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBENZ)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 1999, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/16 "1999-10-29T22:19:00Z")
Actually it ALT + 155 on the numeric keyboard, the regular number keys don’t do that on all keyboards. Geeez…didn’t any of you guys ever learn DOS? Another ¢¢less post * * * JB Lex Non Favet Delictorum Votis ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 1999, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/17 "1999-10-30T06:34:00Z")
Well, before you get this thread locked, you gotta tell me how to print the symbol for infinity. Accoring to one Web page I found, it’s like ASCII 452 ! You can’t _ **do** _ dat. I don’t unnerstan’ why it got shoved so far outta existence. Ray (tryin’ ta rotate ‘8’ 90 deg) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 1999, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/18 "1999-10-30T12:03:00Z")
The pipe is also used in some programs for concatenation of text. * * * Reality is for people who can’t handle drugs. -Tom Waits ---
**Author:** ![Poto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ab992/32.png) [@Poto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poto)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 1999, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/19 "1999-10-30T12:45:00Z")
Why is it $2 but 2c, that is, after the number? They also stick foreign currecy symbols in front, DMk 200. What’s the Euro symbol? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 1999, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354/20 "1999-10-30T16:32:00Z")
The Euro (no “dollar”) is represented by a capital **C** with two horizontal strokes through the middle. (On a typewriter, you could approximate it by typing the capital **C** , then backspacing and typing the **=** (equal sign). There are a number of companies offering TrueType Fonts that include the Euro. I don’t know whether there is an ASCII or HTML code for it, yet. A Google search for “currency symbols” will turn up several of the vendors mentioned, above. * * * Tom~ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-put-in-my-two-cents/4354.md?page=2)