I like coffee too, but...............

[Ted O. Jackson]

> And dear Dr, if you happen to read this, I can't find anything wrong with
> using smileys. When I started writing letters on Internet I thought it
> looked rather childish with these characters, as I knew myself of being a
> master of handling irony and sarcasm... Fast det framkommer bSigmattre nSigmar jag
> skriver pRho svenska...
> Yes,we use the english language, but I think even englishspoken persons use
> the language somewhat differently depending where you're from. And Internet
> is (accept it or not) actually more than an american playground. It's simply
> not possible for everone to recognize and understand every subtile tone in a
> ironic/humoristic sentence if it's in a language you were not born with.
> It can do no harm using these helpful smiley-things in situations when you
> don't want to be misinterpreted. The doctors could always chose to close
> their eyes at the end of the line:-n.
>
> Dan (much too humble for his own good) Lindfors

Dan,
Don't you think there's a temptation to rely upon computerspeak to
replace verbal/written creativity?  Writers got along for centuries
without computer hieroglyphs.  If I read Dr. Bob right (or leftist!)
he's saying we're all intelligent enough to get the irony in each
others posts.  This is a pretty intelligent bunch.  Even a non-
doctoral subhuman like me can figure that out.  And what's wrong with
a little ambiguity anyway?  It certainly makes for a more interesting
discourse when things aren't spelled out.
theo