L'État, c'est Mac!

How to add accents (Voilà!) and trademarks (Bush's Fault™) and symbols of love () to the text of your blogposts? Being allergic to reading how-to manuals, we'd always relied on the hunt-and-peck method -- google an instance of the symbol, then cut and paste it into the editing window, or in the case of hearts, screengrab, edit in Photoshop and then upload as a JPEG image. But no more, thanks to Dr. Mercury's Miracle Cure, featured in today's installment of the good doctor's weekly-plus "Computer Corner" at Maggie's Farm:

Bonjour, garçon!  Here ees my résumé!

I mean, if you're going to act cosmopolitan … at least look cosmopolitan! …

Okay, this is slick and easy.

Go to Start Menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, "Character Map."

The Doc's excellent instructions were meant for Windows, of course, which got our workaround, problem-solving juices flowing. Apple's "Character Palette" is instantly accessible in a drop-down menu from a little flag symbol along the top right of our iMac screen. [The flag has been there all along, but we never thought to check it out before. So much for intellectual curiosity.] Instead of Windows' five steps from Start Menu to "Character Map," it's only two clicks for us from flag symbol to "Character Palette." As we said in the comments at Maggie's, "L'État, c'est Mac!"

Update for non-bloggers, from an imail chat this afternoon:

Goomp: I read "Voilà!" but I am not sophisticated enough to understand it.

We: It's just a technical trick that makes it easy to insert foreign punctuation marks and other symbols into blog posts.

Goomp: I am sure other bloggers will find it helpful. It sounds like a time saver.

We: Plus the fun of acquiring a new skill.

Goomp: After you expained it, I get the idea. I think those who will use it probably understand.

Not to mention the undercurrent of Mac-vs-PC-flame-war innuendo in Dr. Merc's and our own dueling comments at Maggie's.

Comments

[goomp]

Improving one's skills is always gratifying.

[bird dog]

Thanks for the love letter.

[Teresa]

I wonder if I can get it to work...

Nope - not working for me in the comments (preview is my friend), but good to know exactly where to look anyhow.

[Teresa]

Ah... never mind, copy/paste didn't work at all, but I have no idea why I forgot to try the keypad... LOL

Violà!

[Elisson]

I've been character mapping for years on my PC - now I'll have an easy way to do the same thing on SWMBO's Mac.

It's the little accents, after all, that add spice and excitement to life. Olé!

[Sissy Willis]

Skål!