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Happy Birthday, :-)

Submitted by Catfish on September 18, 2007 - 1:22pm. computer language | internet | online messaging | symbols

Most people don't know it, but today is the 25th birthday of the smiley symbol a lot of us her, :-), on the internet. It was supposedly first used by a college professor at a university in Pittsburgh.

In honor of that, the professor and his colleagues are starting an annual student contest for innovation in technology-assisted, person-to-person communication. The Smiley Award, sponsored by Yahoo Inc., carries a $500 cash prize.

It's amazing that someone would even remember the first time this thing was used, let alone have a big time party for it. Still, I find it fascinating that particular symbology has spawned other types of symbols, and there are those who don't believe it's over yet.

So, there we go; congrats :-)!

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ammorton's picture

We can always count on you

Submitted by ammorton on September 18, 2007 - 5:35pm.

Catfish to keep us up on these things. It is pretty neat that something so simple as a smiley face, has become such a symbol for us all these years. So happy birthday to the smiley face!!

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Catfish's picture

I do what I can, Ammorton,...

Submitted by Catfish on September 18, 2007 - 7:38pm.

to keep people in the know. And I'm throwing this at 'cha ;-)

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step's picture

I love those internet symbols!

Submitted by step on September 18, 2007 - 6:27pm.

I have 2 smiley face pins on my bag. One is the "Have a nice day," and the other is the, ":-)" I get a lot of commnets on it mostly from those who don't have a clue to what it is. Happy Birthday!

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Catfish's picture

I'm surprise, step,...

Submitted by Catfish on September 18, 2007 - 7:39pm.

that some people would have no idea what that is at this juncture. Then again, there are still a few people who've never been on a computer, I reckon.

Course, we all know that Forrest Gump created the Smiley Face. lol

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xingtiao's picture

smiley badges

Submitted by xingtiao on September 19, 2007 - 7:45am.

That's interesting Catfish. I suppose you mean he was the first one to use a typed smiley symbol. I'm trying to remember when I first saw a smiley badge. The first time I saw one was in the badge form and I guess it was part of the sixties hippie badge craze. The first were the flower power badges and then there were slogans and flower power slogan badges and I'm thinking the smileys appeared later in that time and became a little craze in themselves and then the whole badge thing died for a while. Perhaps then a professor was playing with the keys on his typewriter or made a typo and saw a smiley looking cheekily up at him and it all went on from there.

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Catfish's picture

Yes, Xingtiao,..

Submitted by Catfish on September 20, 2007 - 4:08pm.

he was the first to use it online. Truthfully, I don't remember us using symbols of any kind back in the typewriter days.

The other happy face,... not sure who came up with that, but I like how they showed it in the movie.

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