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The death of cursive and 'signatures'. Haven't really written in it since I was told to.

Chock Full o Nuts

Voting for Pedro!
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Got to thinking about it as I sat at the DMV today watching the young new driver with mom at the counter. Time for a 'signature'.
Good 4-5 minutes at the e-pad. Visibly and audibly frustrated. 'Clear', start again...

Thats good enough! You could put a checkmark and say that's your sig.

Then started asking if he needed to sign all documents like that. Or, "what about a check?"
Don't worry about that check unless you want to write one, and pay for the envelope and postage.

You'll just pay your bills like you (likely) do many other things; online.

Cursive...; it's faster(?), and that's about it. I can scribble just as fast and be able to know what I wrote for at least a couple days.

Really, my writing is kind of a mix. If I'm making a list, or doing some figuring; it's print with hints of cursive still hanging on.
But my sig scribble is my scribble. Forensics could find the specific movements.

Though I will say the secretary at an old employer had the most beautiful cursive. But she's spent days in, days out cranking job orders.
 
i find it impossible to "write" my signature using 1 finger on an electronic pad. It just comes out all loopy
 
anatta said:
i find it impossible to "write" my signature using 1 finger on an electronic pad. It just comes out all loopy
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Me too
 
When I went to elementary school we learned to print the alphabet in 1st grade, and learned cursive in 2nd. There was a block of time each day for "penmanship" and I think we learned the Palmer Method? It was considered very important to develop good writing skills.

When my son started school they again printed the alphabet in 1st grade, but in 2nd learned keyboarding. Cursive was an after thought in 3rd grade, they had work books with occasional assignments. I think using cursive was entirely voluntary.
 
anatta said:
i find it impossible to "write" my signature using 1 finger on an electronic pad. It just comes out all loopy
Click to expand...
You grab that little 'pen' and scribble your scribble. All sig required pads should have one.

My sig is a 'mess of nothing', but it's mine. About 3 specific motions could tell a handwriting analysis all they need to know.
 
An interesting side note to this discussion about signatures; here in Japan the use of a personal hanko:

The Hanko Stamp: A Guide for Foreigners in Japan

Hanko is a personal stamp used in Japan by many. Read to find out whether you need one and how to get one made.
japan-dev.com

That is slowly being phased out in lieu of an actual signature. Well, that is with local governing bodies out here in the western reaches of the Kanto Plain, which is out west of the main city of Tokyo.

Best as I can recall this started a few years ago.

Kind of caught me by surprise when some government type stated to just sign it with my own hand; that hanko wasn't necessary. And that also means we aren't required to register a hanko with the local city/town hall, like it used to be.

As for my own situation, I think a combination of age and the chemicals the docs have to have me use have made my signature a bit odd at times. In fact, I find that writing my name in katakana is easier than signing in English. Kind of weird, that is.

Interesting, too, about that "check" for a signature at that DMV; I think I saw in movies a long time ago that many folks in the U.S. had to use a simple 'X' for a signature. But not sure if that is actually true.

I think us baby boomers were taught early on how to write and sign stuff. Can't say as I remember those classes, but I used to be able to write okay. Now I am slower with block printing and sometimes weird with cursive writing. One thing I am sure about, you best write properly in your log book, or bad-bad stuff could happen. Funny, too, we had a 'red X' and a 'circle red X' for some log book entries; circle red X being one flight only and then get the darn thing fixed..
 
Chock Full o Nuts said:
You grab that little 'pen' and scribble your scribble. All sig required pads should have one.

My sig is a 'mess of nothing', but it's mine. About 3 specific motions could tell a handwriting analysis all they need to know.
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I like to use fountain pens to write with, so I have have had to work on improving my cursive writing. Previously it was a mix of print and cursive writing. I tend to block print notes because of my engineering background.

I have a rubber tip on a roller-ball pen that I keep in my purse to sign electronic signatures.
 

I'm not going to lie, it's been so long since I've used cursive that I've forgotten how.
 
Keyboards blew all that up. It's buggy whips now.
 
Lisa said:
I like to use fountain pens to write with,
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Rarity, though i appreciate the font.
Lisa said:
so I have have had to work on improving my cursive writing.
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For what reason?(?)
Lisa said:
Previously it was a mix of print and cursive writing. I tend to block print notes because of my engineering background.
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Is it because I've been reading blueprints for 30+ years and have failed the fleating thought to look up why prints have that font?
Just block print it!

Has to be a throwback to roots.

Lisa said:
I have a rubber tip on a roller-ball pen that I keep in my purse to sign electronic signatures.
Click to expand...
 
anatta said:
i find it impossible to "write" my signature using 1 finger on an electronic pad. It just comes out all loopy
Click to expand...
Agree.
No matter how carefully you try to make it look good it always ends up looking like a 3rd grader did it.
 
Chock Full o Nuts said:
I can still nail it. Send a screenshot day after tomorrow...
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Lol... good for you, bud. I always hated it, especially trying to read someone else's.

It's funny, I can't even think of the last time I actually wrote something other than my signature, cursive or otherwise. Do notes to my wife in all caps and winky faces count? Lol
 
Chock Full o Nuts said:
Rarity, though i appreciate the font.

For what reason?(?)
Click to expand...

I wanted to have better cursive wring with my fountain pens. Before it looked like a break-dancing chicken was dipped in ink and ran across the page. If my writing got any worse yours have to take it to a pharmacist to read it.
Chock Full o Nuts said:
Is it because I've been reading blueprints for 30+ years and have failed the fleating thought to look up why prints have that font?
Just block print it!
Click to expand...

I'm so used to block printing on prints that I do it everywhere if I don't think about it. I have a parallel writing guide and about 6 different stencils for printing. I know how to use an Ames guide but I hate those things.
Chock Full o Nuts said:
Has to be a throwback to roots.
Click to expand...
 
My bad, not clear. Why do prints use this font? Hell, the architect i recently did his office for wrote the check in essentially the same font.
Forgive my ignorance, but figured block was standard type font.

What's the history of writing as such?
 
That is a mix of a lettering stencil and free form block print with a guide. The Alvin TD1119 is much faster but it can get sloppy if you dont concentrate on your writing. Architects tend to free hand lettering. Now everything is in CAD.



 
Lisa said:
That is a mix of a lettering stencil and free form block print with a guide. The Alvin TD1119 is much faster but it can get sloppy if you dont concentrate on your writing. Architects tend to free hand lettering. Now everything is in CAD.
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Exactly; so why do i still need my one good aging eye to read that computer generated output when it could be just as it was typed?
The slanted/rounded edge characters just makes shit harder than it needs to be.
 
Chock Full o Nuts said:
Exactly; so why do i still need my one good aging eye to read that computer generated output when it could be just as it was typed?
The slanted/rounded edge characters just makes shit harder than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
We do type it in CAD/Solidworks/CATIA.
 
When I took the GRE, they required the honor oath part to be written out in cursive. I hadn't written anything but my name in cursive for many years at that point, so I struggled a bit. I got it done and did a decent job on the test. I'm not sure if I could do that now or if most of it would come back like it did then.
 
anatta said:
i find it impossible to "write" my signature using 1 finger on an electronic pad. It just comes out all loopy
Click to expand...
LOL! Glad I'm not the only one... my one-finger sig looks NOTHING like my real sig..looks like something a child who can't spell wrote!
 
I used to have really nice cursive handwriting. Nowadays I just scribble my signature.
 
It would be fun to see how everyone writes here. We should come up with a sentence you have to handwrite and then take a picture of it for us to see.
 
Cursive is a great way to promote fine motor skills, manual dexterity, hand eye coordination and patience at an early age.
 
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