Disqus
The Japanese Smiley for "In Love"
I just got a great email from NetLingo.com – all about Japanese Smileys!
For those of you that don’t know, NetLingo.com is a great source of Interweb jargonry (OK, that’s not a word) – in fact, they put it better themselves:
NetLingo has thousands of definitions that explain the online world of business, technology, and communication — including the largest collection of Internet acronyms and text messaging shorthand.
So today, they mailed about Japanese Smileys, which have the same effect (graphics from text/symbols) as our traditional 
friends, but look arguably a bit cooler. They originated (surprise, surprise) from Japan, and don’t required the “head tilt” that the “traditional” smileys do. Here are some of my faves below, but of course check out the NetLingo site for the full ticket:
(^_^) – male smiley
(*^o^*) or (*^.^*) – exciting
(?_?) – confused (or wondering)
(*_*) – frightened (or in love)
(=_=)~ – sleepy
Disturbingly, I think I may have, in a slightly Freudian slip, picked out the character traits I find most like myself. Hmmmm, that’s a bit odd. Eek.
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
