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Emoticons - representations of facial expressions using colons, dashes, parentheses and other text symbols - originated in the days of the telegraph as a substitute for the facial expressions, hand gestures and vocal clues for different emotions that humans pick up during in-person meetings. Because printed words alone can't always convey the full emotional meaning of a conversation, emoticons have evolved into a separate language, especially with the world increasingly relying on texting, tweeting and e-mail. Called Stickers, Facebook's emoticons were born out of more than two years of research into the compassion of Facebook members, then fine-tuned by scientists specializing in human facial expressions. And while they were inspired by evolutionist Charles Darwin's studies in the mid-19th century, Facebook believes they could be a vital part of human-to-human relationships in the digital 21st century.

An anonymous self-styled 'grammar vigilante' has revealed that he has spent years changing offending shop signs in the dead of night. Wielding an 'apostrophiser' - a broom handle laden with two sponges and a number of stickers - the man has corrected tens of missing and misplaced apostrophes on shop banners across Bristol, England over the past 13 years.