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See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Hidden space - a hole in the MN time/space continuum?

306 replies

BecauseImWorthIt · 05/11/2009 21:50

I have noticed that in long
posts, suddenly there appears a rogue space.

Is this a secret door into the wonderful world of MNHQ, or something more mundane to do with the arcane world of coding?

Look:

[b iscuit]

[bi scuit]

[bis cuit]

[bisc uit]

Hoping it's worked ....

OP posts:
popsycal · 06/11/2009 19:14

I LOVE thisthread

Geocentric · 06/11/2009 19:16

Well, I liked Father Christmas!
I see thread people

caramelwaffle · 06/11/2009 19:33

Of COURSE you see thread people Geo.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

They are coming to get yooooooou

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 06/11/2009 19:46

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 06/11/2009 19:47

See still no spaces why am I not getting any????

(spaces that is )

DD just came in with this face going ohohohohohohohohohoh.........trying to read all the o's

tiredandgrumpy · 06/11/2009 20:00

I just love the . You lot lost me at that point.

bastian · 06/11/2009 20:25

I think the problem is to do with the line wrapping and does appear to be every 100 characters of code that the space appears.

Web pages are written in a language called HTML, it's basically just text with instructions on how to display it. For example when you see something in bold characters on a web page it will have this instruction with it . HTML also "ignores" white space (tabs, space, new lines etc) by turning any series of white space into a single space.

Without putting too much time into it, it looks like BigTech is line wrapping text at 100 characters but these wraps aren't converted to HTML line wraps () but text line wraps (just a carriage return). This carriage return is converted to a space when you view the page and is the rouge space. You can see what I mean if you right click on the page and select "view source" or similar (it's different for different browsers)

I won't go into any more detail as I'm sure you're all already bored.

RustyBear · 06/11/2009 20:25

OK, now This is VWilf's post of 13.02 on my iPhone.
This is the same post on my laptop.

Does this help solve the mystery, or merely confuse the issue further?

Deadworm · 06/11/2009 20:37

ok I'm calling the police now. This has all got too serious.

caramelwaffle · 06/11/2009 20:45

nein, nein, nein

VulpusinaWilfsuit · 06/11/2009 20:54

Coooooooooool, rusty. I had no idea what anyone was talking about with inverted pyramids. But I had worked out we were all seeing thread people [that is so funny] different things.

So. Perhaps no-one else saw my Xmas trees then? Wish I knew [no, not really, don't tell me] how to do screen shots. It's fun seeing yours.

Hassled · 06/11/2009 20:57
caramelwaffle · 06/11/2009 21:03

BOOM

The inverted pyramid...was your tree haha

caramelwaffle · 06/11/2009 21:05

It displays differently from screen to screen

Beccabump · 06/11/2009 21:25

Have just read this whole thread going - wow!

By the way it's easier to see the gaps (and the xmas trees and inverted 'V's if you gaze through the monitor and scroll up and down slightly (

VulpusinaWilfsuit · 06/11/2009 21:26

I think we need to all leave this thread now, because the truth is so dull it will be disappointing.

ABetaDad · 06/11/2009 21:31

Rustybear - I think you have sussed it.

It may be to do with the screen resolution then. I thought it was somethng very specific to the computer each person is viewing it on such as thE browser but it could well be the actual screen resolution as that does affect line wrapping in HTML on some web pages depending on how it is coded.

WickedWitchSouthWest · 06/11/2009 21:32

Oh this is just brilliant So where's Big Tech with the answer? Is he busy torturing more emoticons?

caramelwaffle · 06/11/2009 21:33

and because BigTech has locked himself in the shed is busy

nannynick · 06/11/2009 21:49

Lists - I think it may be occurring then due to
how a line break is encoded in the database. For some reason a carriage return may be sent to the browser as being but is still being counted in the word length. So once the word length reaches 100, the system terminates that word and starts a new word.
A list of emotions is just a list of characters stored in the database. If the return character is not terminating the word count, then a list of emotions will at some point get a space added - how quickly that happens will depend on the code length for that emotion (varies from 5 for to 9 for .
So my theory is that our posts are stored as a collection of individual words... not as a complete sentence. Well that's my theory, if you understood it... not even sure I understand my own theory!

nannynick · 06/11/2009 21:52

[biscu it][biscui t][biscuit ]

Should be 40 of each, no gaps.

GreenMonkies · 06/11/2009 21:55

How have you managed to write 9 pages of messages devoted to this?

RustyBear · 06/11/2009 21:55

I see gaps!

caramelwaffle · 06/11/2009 21:58

GreenMonkies -We are wannabe nerds

aristocat · 06/11/2009 22:01

wow
this
is
amazing
wonder
if
MNHQ
know
about
it
did
it
work
for
me?