Very brief notes on Unicode input
I like writing in plaintext as much as I do with pen and paper. I also like to be precise with my punctuation and character use. If you're like me in these regards, then I hope you find my notes useful.
Unicode input is a technical way to access uncommon keyboard characters. On my systems, when I press Ctrl + Shift + u, an underlined u appears to access this function. By typing in a string of specific characters and pressing enter, the specific character I seek appears. Here are four that I frequently use:
U+2013 produces –, the en dash, used to denote a range; e.g., the best Star Wars films were released between 1977–2005.
U+2014 produces —, the em dash, used to enhance the flow of my words—even though it was co-opted by generative AI for a while—and to make emphatic points—because hyphens aren't up to the task.
U+00ed produces í, the letter i with an acute accent, used as it appears in the name of someone I'm fond of and it's my private way of showing that fondness.
U+00a7 produces §, the section sign (AKA a silcrow), used in my academic writing as my common citations necessitate it.
If you often look up specific characters when writing, I recommend consulting this list of Unicode characters to discern which ones you can incorporate as shortcuts. I recall using Google to look up the two aforementioned dashes—a considerable drag on my thinking and writing. It's not merely the seconds it takes to look up the characters, but the accumulated minutes (and possibly hours) it costs to regain focus in the middle of writing.