Smiley turns 25
Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman claims to be the first to use the infamous 
“smiley face,” at 11:44 a.m. on September 19, 1982.
He posted the emoticon (emotional icon) to an online bulletin board during a discussion about the limits of online humor. I sometimes think emoticons are mostly a crutch to avoid the necessity of writing clearly. I suppose in this age of unthinking instant communication they are necessary to avoid online mayhem, but I try to avoid writing anything that demands Mr. Smiley to bail me out.
Dave, :-p (So there!)
