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Emoticon — Why Now?
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Emoticon

At 11:44AM EDT we celebrate 25 Years Of 🙂.

[Carnegie Mellon professor Scott E.] Fahlman posted the emoticon in a message to an online electronic bulletin board at 11:44 a.m. on Sept. 19, 1982, during a discussion about the limits of online humor and how to denote comments meant to be taken lightly.

“I propose the following character sequence for joke markers: :-),” wrote Fahlman. “Read it sideways.”

Because it was such a momentous event, Wikipedia notes that someone actually scanned old back-up tapes for the event, which also included the debut of 🙁

And some opine that IT people leave shallow, unproductive lives 😉

4 comments

1 Jim Bales { 09.19.07 at 5:19 pm }

Thank you for dispelling — with this one post alone — the myth that IT people leave shallow, unproductive lives!

It is a factoid that I was able to use with great effect today.

2 Bryan { 09.19.07 at 5:42 pm }

Where would chat rooms and IM be without the professionals.

3 hipparchia { 09.19.07 at 10:01 pm }

im is the greatest thing since sliced bread. no, it’s better than sliced bread. 🙂

4 Bryan { 09.19.07 at 10:16 pm }

Sorry, but I prefer to slice my own bread. I know, it’s weird, but different sandwiches require different thicknesses and soup requires the “heel” with some substance. Too many years in other countries.