Sterling Symbols

I've notice lately that a few posters are using a symbol for sterling and I don't know when it started and what does it mean? ^A£

I could understand if it is related to Australia but they even deal in $'s.

We need help in the colonies

Do you mean the symbol for pound sterling? This: £ ?

If so, my late-night research tells me it started in the 8th century and is based on the letter L for 'librae' (a libra was a Roman unit of weight).

Read more about its history here.

Do you mean the symbol for pound sterling? This: £ ?

If so, my late-night research tells me it started in the 8th century and is based on the letter L for 'librae' (a libra was a Roman unit of weight).

Read more about its history here.

That's awesome :-D I love random history factoids!

Also, libra is still a word used everyday! It means pound (weight measurement) in Spanish. Libbra means pound in Italian as well! Ok, that exhausts the romance language that I know...

Do you mean the symbol for pound sterling? This: £ ?

Nope.

 I will try and bring it up but I've seen it twice here in the last week.

As an example:
"and I believe the limit was £15"

See that? The A that precedes the pound sign and it has an inverted v above the 'A'. 

I think it's just coming out that way due to some bug in the system. The pound symbol was something to do with all all those posts becoming blank so there's something up wwith it.

That's my super technical explanation anyhow!

I think it's just coming out that way due to some bug in the system. The pound symbol was something to do with all all those posts becoming blank so there's something up wwith it.

Yep, it's to do with encoding issues in the database, not some special new secret pound.   

Also, libra is still a word used everyday! It means pound (weight measurement) in Spanish. Libbra means pound in Italian as well! Ok, that exhausts the romance language that I know...

In French, it's livre for a pound, although I understand that originally there were actually several different livres in use in different regions. Today it's often used in France for a "metric pound" of 500 grams.

Indeed, fixed the blank post issue but I'll need to correct the wrong entities that were added during that time. I'll have to put the site into maintenance mode and run the conversion on the weekend.

I think it's just coming out that way due to some bug in the system. The pound symbol was something to do with all all those posts becoming blank so there's something up wwith it.

That's my super technical explanation anyhow!

Do you have an explanation as to why I sometimes have repeat those funny codes that are asked for? Those are the ones that are all jumbled up if you know what I mean. I think it is to avoid spam or something. I just had to do it 4 times for a Clark Howard comment I was submitting.
Sorry for the hijack.

Do you have an explanation as to why I sometimes have repeat those funny codes that are asked for? Those are the ones that are all jumbled up if you know what I mean. I think it is to avoid spam or something. I just had to do it 4 times for a Clark Howard comment I was submitting.
Sorry for the hijack.

The codes are called CAPTCHA, where are you getting this? Can you link to the page please?

The codes are called CAPTCHA, where are you getting this? Can you link to the page please?

I hope I haven't confused anyone. To clarify, it was not on UK-Y. Is that what you thought I was saying?

I brought it up here because I thought someone was a Techy.

I will try and link.

http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/2009/10/26/16941/?_form=1#comments

Oh sorry, I thought you meant here.

The point of the captcha is to prevent spam like you said. Spammers write computer programs that automatically submit webpage forms (even register and post on forums), so captcha was created to confirm that someone human was submitting the form and not a bot. Of course the bot writers then turn around and figure out how to get their bot to read the pictures, so it's a bit of an ongoing war. Hope that helps.

If so, my late-night research tells me it started in the 8th century and is based on the letter L for 'librae' (a libra was a Roman unit of weight).

I always did wonder why the abbreviation for pound was "lb." I guess this finally explains it!
Thank you!