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December 1, 2010 10:38 AM

300&65 Ampersands is a Tumblr blog celebrating the beauty of the ampersand. (Archive)
posted by shakespeherian (25 comments total)

... and how!
posted by keratacon at 10:47 AM on December 1, 2010

By itself, the ampersand from Vidalia Sunshine looks a bit .. diseased.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:50 AM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

                           &&&
                         &      &
                           &   &
                             &
                          &   &
                       &        &  &
                       &          &
                           & &     &

posted by The Whelk at 10:52 AM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Very austere. Here's another ampersand blog that I've been following for years.

Also, did you know that this symbol, @, can be called the asperand?
posted by carsonb at 10:54 AM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

IT'S THE COMMERCIAL A SHUT YOUR MOUTH
posted by The Whelk at 10:55 AM on December 1, 2010

Come on, only a person with Asperger's syndrome would call the @ symbol an asperand, and do it while eating asparagus, too. Perhaps asparagirl can comment.
posted by grizzled at 10:56 AM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Aspire to aspirate the asps, asshole.
posted by The Whelk at 10:59 AM on December 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Time to switch to decaf!
posted by carsonb at 11:00 AM on December 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Scroll down a bit for knitted ampersands. (ravelry link)
posted by bewilderbeast at 11:00 AM on December 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
&re very good indeed
posted by ZenMasterThis at 11:05 AM on December 1, 2010

Also, did you know that this symbol, @, can be called the asperand?

actually, yes. i learned this last week when i looked at your userpage.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 11:08 AM on December 1, 2010

I have loved ampersands ever since reading Figgs & Phantoms. I think it was the start of my love of typography in general. Apparently not alone.
posted by theredpen at 11:09 AM on December 1, 2010

Aspire to aspirate the asps

You shouldn't make fun of people with snake-lung. It's a serious medical condition that I just made up.
posted by nebulawindphone at 11:10 AM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Someone should tell Alvy .
posted by Sailormom at 11:22 AM on December 1, 2010

I remember quite clearly when I finally managed to write an ampersand. I was about 8 or 9 and boy, was I proud. I still think it's a wonderful symbol.

Consider also the Irish gaelic version of the ampersand, the Tyronian et, less beautiful, but more mysterious in my mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tironian_notes
posted by Homemade Interossiter at 11:36 AM on December 1, 2010

Few things made me so proudly happy as the day I figured out how to write an ampersand freehand, and without looking at a reference.
posted by Eideteker at 11:37 AM on December 1, 2010

I too had been battling with ampersands as a kid, especially in calligraphy, where I couldn't get the cross stroke anything like smooth enough.

So, first day I got access to the Mac at school, I fired up Word and made the largest ampersand I could, in New York. Went so big it stopped displaying properly on the tiny screen. Sent it to the LaserWriter, and a good while later out came a perfect giant A4 ampersand. Beautiful.

(It was about a decade until I got that "ho wow, computers are *way* better at turning my ideas into reality than my crappy hands are" sensation again, when after spending hours in the darkroom working on prints, I hit "undo" for the first time in Photoshop.)
posted by bonaldi at 11:53 AM on December 1, 2010

I have an ampersand tattoo (set in Perpetua, hurr hurr), so it should go without saying that I'm a big fan of this blog. Excellent find.
posted by Zozo at 12:30 PM on December 1, 2010

I have an ampersand tattoo (set in Perpetua, hurr hurr), so it should go without saying that I'm a big fan of this blog. Excellent find.

I just forwarded this site to a friend with an ampersand tattoo... but it's not in Perpetua. Just to be sure, you're not Andy?
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:51 PM on December 1, 2010

Shit Ampersand
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:00 PM on December 1, 2010 [1 favorite]

What, was fuckyeahampersands.tumblr.com taken?
posted by entropicamericana at 1:54 PM on December 1, 2010

Just to be sure, you're not Andy?

Nope.
posted by Zozo at 3:23 PM on December 1, 2010

I'm still crushing on the interrobang ( ‽ ) and am not sure I have room in my heart for these ampersands. This is a compelling post though.
posted by geekyguy at 4:52 PM on December 1, 2010

I'm still crushing on the interrobang ( ‽ ) and am not sure I have room in my heart for these ampersands.

Whatevs, man. We don't need you, never did. NEVER!

Stupid sexy interrobang! *Sob*
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:41 PM on December 1, 2010 [2 favorites]

Because the ampersand is a rendering (ligature, thanks Wikipedia) of the Latin word for "and" (et), I've developed my own cursive ampersand that looks like a combination of my 'e' and 't'.

/pretentious classics git
posted by Devika at 6:12 PM on December 4, 2010