emoticon

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Facebook's 'Reactions' Buttons Are Here

Users now have 5 new emotions to choose from other than 'like'

(Newser) - The long-coveted "dislike" button hasn't arrived, but Facebook's newest enhancement may appease those who've been clamoring for more than the ubiquitous thumbs-up icon. There are five new "reactions" buttons joining the like symbol, TechCrunch reports: love, haha, wow, sad, and angry, all accessible when you...

This Guy Used an Emoticon on the Senate Floor

And slammed the GOP in the process

(Newser) - What do Republicans plan to do if the Supreme Court strikes a big blow to the Affordable Care Act? In the words, er, meme, of Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, that would be a bunch of characters (some of them difficult to reproduce) that form an emoticon known as the "...

You Could Get in Serious Trouble for Emoji Threats
You Could Get in Serious Trouble for Emoji Threats
experts say

You Could Get in Serious Trouble for Emoji Threats

Experts say they would be admissible in court

(Newser) - If someone threatens your life via emoji, do you have any legal recourse? Mashable calls the topic of emoticon threats "unexplored territory in cyberlaw," but experts say the answer is yes, such threats would be admissible in court. Mashable's piece specifically looks at the case of Fletcher...

Down With Emoticons
 Down With 
 Emoticons 
SMILEY MUST DIE

Down With Emoticons

Enough is enough: We're smart enough to know when you're happy, sad

(Newser) - Since its inception in 1982, the "smiley" has been used in a number of ways, all of which make Mary Elizabeth Williams "want to smack the half circle off its stupid face." Even though bright people use emoticons, "when I see a smiley, my first thought...

Emoticons Invade Academia
 Emoticons Invade 
 Academia 

Emoticons Invade Academia

Teaching millennials causes new frustrations for college writing professors

(Newser) - College professors have lamented the state of student writing for centuries. But today’s Internet-obsessed culture brings new, infuriating errors to Writing 101 as students brazenly use colloquialisms like “:-)” and “LOL” in essays. “Occasionally, I've seen someone using the number 4 for the word 'for,'”...

Russian Slaps ™ On ;-)
 Russian Slaps ™ On ;-) 

Russian Slaps ™ On ;-)

Entrepreneur seeks to nudge businesses into paying $$$ for use of emoticon

(Newser) - A Russian businessman says he has been granted the trademark for the ;-) emoticon and will start charging for its use, the BBC reports. The entrepreneur, president of the Superfone mobile phone advertising company, doesn't plan to go after individual users but intends to ask corporations to pay for a...

Say Hello to Generation Duh
Say Hello
to Generation Duh

Say Hello to Generation Duh

Tech-savvy, yes, but far dumber than age cohorts past

(Newser) - Today's youth are dangerously dumb, Mark Bauerlein writes in his new book, The Dumbest Generation. Here's why:
  1. Check out Jay Leno's "Jaywalking," where "the ignorance is hard to believe."
  2. They boast "a new attitude," taking pride in their illiteracy.

Happy 25th Anniversary! :-)
Happy 25th Anniversary!  :-)

Happy 25th Anniversary! :-)

First emoticon launched global communication revolution

(Newser) - They didn't seem significant at the time, but three keystrokes typed exactly 25 years ago tomorrow marked a groundbreaking change in the way we communicate. The keystrokes— a colon, hyphen and a right parenthesis—formed the first smiley-face emoticon. The were created on a computer bulletin board by artificial intelligence...

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