Actually, if you go the the bottom of the page here... http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~sef/sefSmiley.htm ... I don't think he is claiming that he started the use of it, he seems to only be concluding that. He says "...but it is pretty clear from the timing that my suggestion was the one that finally took hold..." Of course, everyone interprets written words in different ways... -- --- David A Woyciesjes --- C & IS Support Specialist --- Yale University Press --- (203) 432-0953 --- ICQ # - 905818