SAlEM PlANT Hunt

Jeff G. returns with another fine submission, and explains that both of his PlANTS were found in Salem, Oregon. In addition to the obvious L misprint, this sign has some other fascinating case choices, like the magestic uppercase T's that loom over all the other letters; and the rest of the lowercase L's, all of which happen to be the second to last letter in their words—SAle, BOWl's (oh, snap! I smell an Apostrophe Catastrophe cross-post!), and MARAGOld. Notice these three words are composed entirely of uppercase letters, except for the L and adjacent last letter. What happened here? Is there something about the L that makes people forget they were writing in the uppercase? And when they hit the L, it's all downcase from there?

Either way, we finally have proof that the lowercase L phenomenon reaches far beyond the east coast. Just how far does it reach? Check in next week for the answer.

PlANTS Rants

Submitted by lowercase L volunteer Jeff G., this PlANTS For SAlE sign is a primo example of lowercase L dementia. "PlANTS" could either be "PLANTS", or a badly misspelled "PIANOS". I would hate to follow that arrow all the way to the right just to find a bunch of vegetation when all I really wanted was to tinkle the ivories of a baby grand. And "SAlE" looks like the author was trying to redeem himself by lengthening the lowercase L to differentiate it from an uppercase "i". But he's too late, I'm already scratching my head and looking for another arrow to follow.

I don't know where Jeff G. found this sign, but I don't think it came from Brooklyn. We don't sell plants here, we just steal them.

Yahoo! Picks L

Yahoo! Picks has chosen lowercase L as the WEBlOG of the day for March 4, 2006!

Read the article via Wayback Machine (updated Jan 20, 2018)

An APPlE a Day

Yet another find in my nabe Park Slope, Brooklyn, you can experience the taste of the orient with a bite of a Fuji APPlE at this 7th Ave. bodega. The lowercase L, looking like an "I", made me think this was an abbreviation for APPLE PIE, so I was confused to see nothing but apples in the bin above. Hence the danger of using lowercase L.

This is not the first bad APPlE to be mentioned on this site. An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but an APPlE with any frequency may require a visit from a psychologist with a background in dysgraphia.

Kids lOVE Myspace

You are all probably familiar with Myspace, the online social network that is becoming increasingly popular with young teens and adults alike. You may have even found this blog from a link on my Myspace account. Since lowercase L's are usually the product of handwriting, it was a special treat to find not one, but two cases in Myspace! The first one, above, is a letter from a fan of my Shabot 6000 cartoons. His lOVE for Shabot is eclipsed only by his grasp of how to use the caps lock key properly.

Then there's this cute gal, purportedly from Yugoslavia, who proudly displays her Myspace name as AlEXANDRA. I don't know who she is, but I will forgive her use of lowercase L because she's probably using one of those complicated Yugoslavian keyboards. AlEXANDRA, if you are out there, I invite you to state your case here.

FlOWERS for Algernon

The night before Valentine's day I found this post behind a locked storefront on 7th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn, the source of many lowercase L's here. The sign advertises DELIVER FlOWERS HELP WANTED. The inconsistent use of lowercase and uppercase L's in the sign makes me wonder if they are advertising for help writing signs properly. Or perhaps the cry for help is from some guy trapped in the store, being held captive by the weirdo who wrote the sign.

I'm finding an average of 1 lowercase L per week in my neighborhood alone. Surely this phenomenon is not restricted to just a few square blocks in Brooklyn. Readers, please keep your eyes peeled and your digital cameras handy.

Mis-PlACE

Last night I went to hear my friend, Yoshie Fruchter, perform at Makor Café in Manhattan. The music was great, and I had a fun time. Unfortunately, the whole wonderful experience was marred by a stealthy lowercase L that I caught on my way out. Behind the check-in desk, a fax machine sat far in the corner, with a small note taped above its LCD panel. As I moved in for a closer look, security closed in on me, as if I was about to discover something wicked. When I saw PlACE, I took my camera out for the shot. Security piped up, "Excuse me, sir, what are you taking a picture of?" As I zoomed in, I explained feebly, "It's for an art project I'm working on, hard to explain". The officers seemed leery of my request, but reluctantly allowed me to go about my business. I left the building, heart racing, hands shaking ... was I being followed? But I got what I came for, and that's all that mattered.

Case ClOSED

It's hard enough navigating through the streets of Manhattan, with all the potholes, pedestrians, messengers, traffic and construction. Throw in a sign for a ClOSED street and one could easily get lost in confusion. The author of this sign is not unfamiliar with the uppercase L, as he demonstrates in his master PLAN. So what kind of breakdown caused him to stall at 19th St? If you happen upon this alternate route warning, I suggest you escape from New York, with haste.

BAGEl Beguile

Spotted by friend and graphic designer Carol King, who has a keen eye for detail, you really couldn't ask for a better example of a lowercase L than this BAGEl in NYC. This menu board outside of Maidre on 7th Ave in South Slope, Brooklyn also boasts pastries from BAlTHAZAR Bakery. Bonus points for this find, because the flipside of the menu board (click photo on left) features the same message, but with no improperly placed lowercase L's! Makes you wonder if the author who wrote the first side of the menu was fired and quickly replaced by a new employee who wrote the flipside. Also makes me leery about eating the bagels and pastries here.

I Want It Painted BlACK

Found in the Good Footing Adventures shoe store on 7th Ave in Park Slope, these two boxes of BlACK shoe polish may be able to cover your scuffs, but they will also leave an indelible mark on the fabric of your delicate mind. I'm not sure how good this adventure will turn out to be, but the game is afoot for sure. And, this is the third time we've seen such a black and white case of lowercase L.