BS: 25 years old today

Subject: BS: 25 years old today
From: Emma B
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 12:51 PM

Happy birthday to the emoticon :-)

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Peace
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 01:46 PM

Useless things with their bloody annoying sounds. A pox on them. And fook their damned birthday.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Emma B
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 01:53 PM

I take it you agree with the quote then Peace!

"if Fahlman is indeed the inventor of the emoticon, then he deserves to be dropped into a harbour wearing concrete overshoes, alongside, perhaps, the inventor of bestiality and the inventor of the Crazy Frog."

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: MMario
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:01 PM

far too deserving an end for the inventor of the emoticon.

I was thinking something more along the lines of staking over an ant hill and drawing a line of honey into his ear canal, to start with.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Peace
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:10 PM

*&%$$%# things!

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Metchosin
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:18 PM

Emoticons usually remind me of the little hearts that young girls used to dot their "i"s with in elementary school. A prepubescent attempt to be cute.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: jacqui.c
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:24 PM

My 7 year old grandson loves them though.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:25 PM

;>)

☺

(The smiley face that started it all is a bit older...something like 35 years. I remember seeing a girl with smiley face sewn into the crotch of her jeans in about '74-'75)

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:29 PM

Ah yes, they HAVE been a bit overused haven't they?

But when you need to communicate something -- for example, to indicate that you're not serious about something even though your words could be taken that you are -- they are quite useful. I object only to the animated ones, not to the ones created by punctuation (assuming that they are not overused).

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Emma B
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:35 PM

...."So..Show of Hands ARE on there after all... :0):0):0)"

a well known exponent of the art form :-)

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: CapriUni
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:46 PM

I agree with Bill D. and Rapaire.

It's also fun, occasionally, just to play around with them, to see how expressive you can get with static letters.

(I think the animated ones are a dirty, intrusive, and nasty cheat)

They have Emoticons in Japan, too (based on manga faces), but those are right side up: ^_^ is "happy," ;_; is "tearful," o_O is "astonished," and ^_^' is "embarrassed." (that apostrophe is a little drop of sweat on the brow).

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Micca
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:47 PM

emma, My Fave is the appropriate comment for this occasion to the inventor ,,!, (and I mean that most sincerly, folks)

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Emma B
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 02:56 PM

LOL Micca - apparently Fahlman loved that sort of inventive form but wasn't too keen on the "all singing all dancing variety"

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Amos
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 03:17 PM

I disagree; with the advent of text-only interfaces, a good shorthand for humor or other feelings was important. It's a lot easier than typing out **BSEG* :D


A

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Blindlemonsteve
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 03:21 PM

i used to be 25

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 03:23 PM

What a fount of wisdom radio 4 is!
G.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Amos
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 03:26 PM

Actually, I notice that the very first emoticons are much older than that. For example, when did the use of an exclamation point enter into written language? And, probably much later, post-QWERTY, the habit of cursing by writing "*&((*&(!@@#!."? Surely these and the asterisk used to blank out the names of body parts in Victorian fiction served as emoticons of some sort.


A

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 03:41 PM

Well, d-mn, Amos. I dunno when those things started. Probably when the bang and the star and the pound sign did. I'd look it up but I don't want to work my -ss off today to satisfy your c-rios-ty.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Emma B
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 04:11 PM

Good grief Amos!
You mean Peace was cursing?

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: SINSULL
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 04:20 PM

I hate the damn things. Say what you mean and keep your cutesy pictures to yourself!

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: MMario
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 04:21 PM

*sigh* Sinsull seems to be repressing her emotions again.

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 04:25 PM

What an evocative live that this, Bill D...

I saw a girl with a smiley face sewn into the crotch of her jeans
Says I "My pretty fair maid I hope that means what I think that it means."
Says she "Be off you false young man, and mind your p's and q's,
This smiley face is in its place - but the smile's not meant for yous."

Subject: RE: BS: 25 years old today
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Sep 07 - 05:10 PM

Well, that's the spirit I think she meant it in, Kevin....I only wish I'd had a camera as she sat across from me, knees up, heels on the chair cushion. *sigh* Tiny digital cameras were not even a pipe dream back then.

(Gee SINS, I kinda like the creative, expressive ones. It's the :) ones that bother me....they NEED a nose! ¤¿¤