Emoticons were once a small expression of individual creativity. They still can be. However even this tiny bit of expression is being "alienated" by Microsoft. Messenger does not ban emoticons, on the contrary it encourages them. In doing so it interprets emoticons so they are no longer the property of the sender but become a cute little graphic designed by Microsoft. Thus some emoticons are acceptable and some are not interpreted and thus have a second-class status. New emoticons cannot be created without the approval of corporate power. This is a tiny tiny issue. And its very tininess signals the all-pervasive power of the corporations! :=) Derek McMillan _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp