cool smiley gets a nose

[eclipse]

This is going to be all about this little guy:

               

Since before I can remember, if you type the number 8 immediately followed by a closing parenthesis like this "8)" it was converted to 

This was great until somebody tried to do a numbered list like this:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)

which became this:

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
   <<<< Everybody starts wondering what's so cool about line 8
9)


or (like happened again today) a poster randomly uses that combination of characters - something like this:

"my youngest kid (who just happens to be 8) came home today and said... "

turned into

"my youngest kid (who just happens to be came home today and said.... "

and suddenly readers are wondering why your kid is so cool and why your punctuation is kinda off.

So today this guy  gets a nose - or to be exact - a hyphen between the 8 and the )

From now on you have to type  "8-)", not "8)", to get 

Apologies to everybody who used this guy in the past. Your old posts will have 8) in random places instad of  .

Those of you that just click the little smiley's above the post box don't have to change anything.

[Aames]

Well that wiill clear up a lot of confusion!   Thanks, eclipse!

I sometimes wondered myself, what was so cool about the number 8.  So I went on a fact-finding mission.
This is what I found out:

8   is the largest cube in the Fibonacci sequence.
 
A base-8 (octal) numeral system was devised by the Yuki of Northern California, who used the spaces between the fingers to count.

You can split a pie into 8 pieces with three straight cuts.

There are 8 furlongs in a mile and 8 pints in a gallon.

1 human being out of 8 is a Chinese farmer.

In numerology, 8 is the number of building, and in some theories, also the number of destruction.

Eight are the main directions shown on any compass: north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest.

Bagua", in the Mystical Numbers of Taoism, represents the number 8 and symbolizes the Eight Signs of Change.

8 is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word "prosper". In Northern China, people often say: "If you want to be rich you must stick to the number eight".


The Buddha's Eightfold Path to Enlightenment is declared to be the way that leads to the cessation of suffering.

Hachiko is the word for the Japanese Kanji symbol 8.  Hachiko is a representation of the  divine and perfect symbol of eternity 8 because it starts in the heavens, reaches down to earth, and then climbs back up to heaven.

Then there's Mattel's Magic 8 Ball -- And among those of us who grew up in North America in the 1970's - who can forget the iconic School House Rock song "Figure 8" ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jeq5a8bBh8c

Yes.  8 is indeed:   

[gary]

Hummmmm and all this time I thought it was because my Bday falls on the eighth

[Compassion]

Hummmmm and all this time I thought it was because my Bday falls on the eighth

Hey! A reason to celebrate is always a good thing ... which '8th' might it fall on? Has it just passed or is it coming up?

[gary]

Nov.

[rosie]

Oh, one of those obnoxious Scorpio types. Mine is a little over a week later. 

[gary]

Oh, one of those obnoxious Scorpio types. Mine is a little over a week later. 

LOL....Every woman in my life took a step back when I told them I was a Scorpio............some took a few states back

[Holly]

A Libra would weigh all the possibilities before any step she or he took.  There lies many possibilities!  What's a 2 and a 9?  Looks like a swan and PD fish, OMG!  No wonder my B-Day has had problems.

8 is a good number!    to all you 8 B-Days out there!!   I will switch.

Thanks, eclipse.      8 )

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