[metapost] makecirc question

[W. Trevor King]

This is probably off topic, but I'm having trouble finding a more appropriate forum.  If anyone here knows of a better place, please let me know.

I was using makecirc in conjunction with some standard metapost code, and getting strange labeling behavior.  From the makecirc manual, it appears that the solution is to use `puttext' which seems like a renamed version of metapost's `label'.  I took a look at the makecirc code, but I don't understand what the funny `@#'s mean.  I'd like to know if

 a) someone can use makecirc with standard metapost labeling commands (in which case I'm just missing something obvious) or
 b) someone can explain the '@#' in the puttext macro definition.

I've attached a simple example showing my problem.
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verbatimtex
\documentclass [10pt]{article}
\begin {document}
etex;
input makecirc;
initlatex("");
beginfig(1);
  dotlabel.bot(btex $A$ etex, (0,0));
endfig;
beginfig(2);
  centreof.I((0,0), (0,1cm), cur);
  current.B(c.I, phi.I, "I_2", "");
endfig;
beginfig(3);
  dotlabel.bot(btex $A$ etex, (0,0));
endfig;
verbatimtex
\end{document}
etex;
end.
endinput;