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September 09, 2004

It's Not the Spacing So Much as the Kerning

Powerline (which is probably still down, and besides, I already linked them three or four times) actually thinks that it's the font kerning which is the strongest proof of forgery.

Basically, kerning is tucking letters closely to one another, sometimes even with one letter inside the space of the next letter. For example, in typeset pages, an f followed by an i will actually have the i directly underneath the topmost curve of the f. Same with capital-T and a lowercase i-- the i will actuall fall beneath the T's top bar. The letters overlap, so to speak.

Well, high-end typewriters may have been able to (with difficulty) create proportional spacing, but they can't kern. Kerning is something professional typesetters -- and your word processing program -- do automatically and easily. But a mechanical device can't figure out that "Gee whiz, I can fit the i under the T, so let me just do that."

That's my take. Here's PowerLine's:

A]nother aspect of the type on [the August 18, 1973 memo] suggests, perhaps proves, forgery.

... The type in the document is KERNED. Kerning is the typsetter's art of spacing various letters in such a manner that they are 'grouped' for better readability. Word processors do this automatically. NO TYPEWRITER CAN PHYSICALLY DO THIS.

To explain: the letter 'O' is curved on the outside. A letter such as 'T' has indented space under its cross bar. On a typewriter if one types an 'O' next to a 'T' then both letters remain separated by their physical space. When you type the same letters on a computer next to each other the are automatically 'kerned' or 'grouped' so that their individual spaces actually overlap. e. g., TO. As one can readily see the curvature of the 'O' nestles neatly under the cross bar of the 'T'. Two good kerning examples in the alleged memo are the word 'my' in the second line where 'm' and 'y' are neatly kerned and also the word 'not' in the fourth line where the 'o' and 't' overlap empty space. A typewriter doesn't 'know' what particular letter is next to another and can't make those types of aesthetic adjustments.

Thanks to Rational Explications for pointing that out.

posted by Ace at 08:18 PM

Comments

Powerline is working for me, at least. I pointed out these two things in the other thread, Powerline has the kearning thing up, and they also have the fact that Staudt is mentioned as applying pressure to Hodges in the memo, but Staudt retired in 1972, whereas this memo was written (supposedly) in '73.

Posted by: Rob on September 9, 2004 08:28 PM

Thanks for the link, Ace. What a great day this has been for the blogosphere.

Posted by: Mark on September 9, 2004 08:42 PM

Wow, Powerline just posted another update.

This one shows an actual Sept. 6th memo from Killian with the "6" and "th" normal, with no spaces between each other, compared to the forged document which has the superscript.

This thing is like swiss cheese.

Posted by: Rob on September 9, 2004 08:43 PM

From the AP (see below for link):

"Independent document examiner Sandra Ramsey Lines said the memos looked like they had been produced on a computer using Microsoft Word software, which wasn't available when the documents were supposedly written in 1972 and 1973.
Lines, a document expert and fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, pointed to a superscript - a smaller, raised "th" in "111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron" - as evidence indicating forgery.
Microsoft Word automatically inserts superscripts in the same style as the two on the memos obtained by CBS, she said.

"I'm virtually certain these were computer-generated," Lines said after reviewing copies of the documents at her office in Paradise Valley, Ariz. She produced a nearly identical document using her computer's Microsoft Word software."

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/9623049.htm

Posted by: AP on September 9, 2004 09:26 PM

The wonderful irony is that one of the NY Times favorite things is to report on other "news" organization's errors. However, this faux pas, at least indirectly, makes Kerry look bad also. So; does this news fit to print?

Posted by: Randall Baker on September 9, 2004 09:27 PM

Funny, I must not communicate well when I write. The biggest evidence that this is fake is the guy I interviewed, who invented the computer database program that determines forgeries based on fonts available during certain eras.

The font is impossible.

Posted by: Bill from INDC on September 9, 2004 09:28 PM

It's probably already been mentioned, but that superscript is also a smaller font. So while there may have been machines that could do this whether manually or automatically way back when, the chances of being able to insert a different font seem wildly remote.

Posted by: rdbrewer on September 9, 2004 09:52 PM

This is so much fun. Thank you!

Posted by: Jane on September 9, 2004 10:22 PM


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For example, in typeset pages, an f followed by an i will actually have the i directly underneath the topmost curve of the f. Same with capital-T and a lowercase i-- the i will actuall fall beneath the T's top bar. The letters overlap, so to speak. Well, high-end typewriters may have been able to (with difficulty) create proportional spacing, but they can't kern. Kerning is something professional typesetters -- and your word processing program -- do automatically and easily. But a mechanical device can't figure out that "Gee whiz, I can fit the i under the T, so let me just do that." That's my take. Here's PowerLine's: A]nother aspect of the type on [the August 18, 1973 memo] suggests, perhaps proves, forgery. ... The type in the document is KERNED. Kerning is the typsetter's art of spacing various letters in such a manner that they are 'grouped' for better readability. Word processors do this automatically. NO TYPEWRITER CAN PHYSICALLY DO THIS. To explain: the letter 'O' is curved on the outside. A letter such as 'T' has indented space under its cross bar. On a typewriter if one types an 'O' next to a 'T' then both letters remain separated by their physical space. When you type the same letters on a computer next to each other the are automatically 'kerned' or 'grouped' so that their individual spaces actually overlap. e. g., TO. As one can readily see the curvature of the 'O' nestles neatly under the cross bar of the 'T'. Two good kerning examples in the alleged memo are the word 'my' in the second line where 'm' and 'y' are neatly kerned and also the word 'not' in the fourth line where the 'o' and 't' overlap empty space. A typewriter doesn't 'know' what particular letter is next to another and can't make those types of aesthetic adjustments. Thanks to Rational Explications for pointing that out. posted by Ace at 08:18 PM Comments Powerline is working for me, at least. I pointed out these two things in the other thread, Powerline has the kearning thing up, and they also have the fact that Staudt is mentioned as applying pressure to Hodges in the memo, but Staudt retired in 1972, whereas this memo was written (supposedly) in '73. Posted by: Rob on September 9, 2004 08:28 PM Thanks for the link, Ace. What a great day this has been for the blogosphere. Posted by: Mark on September 9, 2004 08:42 PM Wow, Powerline just posted another update. This one shows an actual Sept. 6th memo from Killian with the "6" and "th" normal, with no spaces between each other, compared to the forged document which has the superscript. This thing is like swiss cheese. Posted by: Rob on September 9, 2004 08:43 PM From the AP (see below for link): "Independent document examiner Sandra Ramsey Lines said the memos looked like they had been produced on a computer using Microsoft Word software, which wasn't available when the documents were supposedly written in 1972 and 1973. Lines, a document expert and fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, pointed to a superscript - a smaller, raised "th" in "111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron" - as evidence indicating forgery. Microsoft Word automatically inserts superscripts in the same style as the two on the memos obtained by CBS, she said. "I'm virtually certain these were computer-generated," Lines said after reviewing copies of the documents at her office in Paradise Valley, Ariz. She produced a nearly identical document using her computer's Microsoft Word software." http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/9623049.htm Posted by: AP on September 9, 2004 09:26 PM The wonderful irony is that one of the NY Times favorite things is to report on other "news" organization's errors. However, this faux pas, at least indirectly, makes Kerry look bad also. So; does this news fit to print? Posted by: Randall Baker on September 9, 2004 09:27 PM Funny, I must not communicate well when I write. The biggest evidence that this is fake is the guy I interviewed, who invented the computer database program that determines forgeries based on fonts available during certain eras. The font is impossible. Posted by: Bill from INDC on September 9, 2004 09:28 PM It's probably already been mentioned, but that superscript is also a smaller font. So while there may have been machines that could do this whether manually or automatically way back when, the chances of being able to insert a different font seem wildly remote. Posted by: rdbrewer on September 9, 2004 09:52 PM This is so much fun. Thank you! Posted by: Jane on September 9, 2004 10:22 PM Post a comment Name: Email Address: URL: Comments: Remember info?	Now Available! The Deplorable Gourmet A Horde-sourced Cookbook [All profits go to charity] Top Headlines It's finally legal for kids to play pinball in South Carolina It is the end times! 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