That's right, 25 years ago this week a Carnegie Mellon professor by the name Scott E.Fahlman gave the world its very first emoticon - the happy face :)

It would be some 15 or so years later before it would be discovered by school girls with a weakness towards dotting their "I's" with hearts in script and other overly cheerful emailers and IM'ers.

Sometimes, it takes a long time for innovation to hit critical mass. I guess if there is anything we can learn from the emoticon it is to be patient. If you build it, they will eventually come.

For the record, my favorite emoticon (and the only one I use) is this:

\m/

(hook 'em Horns!)