I agree with Celivia, a definite 'no' from me to the coloured text or background.

CJ

While we're discussing punctuation, what's this thing?

:)

Is it meant to be a substitute for an exclamation mark? If so I'm less than impressed! In fact, I'm less than impressed whatever it's meant to be!

Yep. I'm also up for the same list as you said, Bronwyn...minus the glorious technicolour! Ye gods and little fishes - just imagine a BD extravaganza: it'd make your eyes water.

Um...the symbol you asked about also puzzled me for a while until I worked out that (I think) its a typeface smileyface. Which, because of the limitations of type face, turns it (to me, anyway) into a twisted grin. Gives an extra dimension to BD's posts, as he scatters them about like pearls before swine. (Can you imagine what he'd do with a full catalogue of icons: e.mails from him must be like Kindgergarten Playtime texts.)

Technically, it's an emoticon [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon ]of the simplest kind. They used to be handy on the old listservs and usenet groups that were the Internet before the Web was invented in the early 90s.

On reflection, I agree that they're far too geeky nowadays - besides which, it's apparently a dead giveaway about one's age :(

I undertake to eschew them henceforth.

Romany

Thanks for your explanation, and colourful references to our dear BD. LOL, yes, I hate to imagine.

It obviously got CJ thinking too, "I undertake to eschew them henceforth."

Never known you to be persuaded that easily before, CJ. I do agree though, you have got an image to maintain!

It is good to see Fractelle, who started this thread, recovering so well from the recent injury to her vascular system. Given her ambidexterity, it is to be hoped that she doesn't have to just hunt and peck at the keyboard with her right hand only, and that she has recovered full use of her left arm.

Given that this thread is due to slip off the default index page at 2:17:51 PM today*, I thought, having at one point very nearly hijacked her thread, that it is only fair to mark its imminent departure from view with a red flag. In the context of thread hijacking, Fractelle may find this old topic, 'Goldbach's conjecture and thread hijacking", interesting: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=7755#123285

She is particularly to be commended for the accuracy of the thread's title. Apropos of that, many OLO users have not yet voted. Voting is compulsory. Voting instructions are contained in the 46th post in the thread.

She may, or may not, be pleased to learn that her own confession in her opening post, that "I am as guilty as any when it comes to misreading or misunderstanding another’s post" may well be demonstrated in action here: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=7755#123285 I gain the sense from the immediately preceding post of phoenix94 that she and phoenix94 are both really making the same point. What isn't clear, perhaps, is that phoenix94 may have been being critical of the replacement of 'quiet' fires with catastrophic wildfires.

Perhaps it was the literary style used by phoenix94 that put her off. Pervades our whole literary heritage, the old KJV, doesn't it?

It has been a phun thread. Thanks.

* Footnote.

It may well be that the topic does not disappear from the default index view until 2:17:51 PM tomorrow, Tuesday 16 September. I suspect the OLO topic drop-kicker may work on a 31 day month, not the actual calendar month applicable. We'll see.