History’s Unknown: Ancient Emoticons

The Modern emojis we use on smartphones and other devices were created by Shigetaka Kurita, who established an entire library of these little creatures in the categories of faces, food, weather, and other images essential to everyday life. A total of 176 emoticons. Shigetaka Kurita has stated “it’s difficult to express yourself properly in so few characters” referring to the limited of letters, words, and spaces on social media outlets such as Twitter and some emailing programs. These conflictions were Shigetaka Kurita prime reason for establishing the emoji.

I’m sure Shigetaka Kurita had some history in mind when first taking on this venture, however, many people who use emoji fail to make that connection.

Truthfully, Emoji or emoticons are a thing of the past. A refurbished alphabet of pictures dug up from the bones of past civilizations, such as Egypt and Greece covering law, trade, literature, and religion.

Researchers originally referred to the ancient emoticons as “funny signs” because they didn’t possess any tools to properly decipher or interpret the images.

A hieroglyph is a combination of logographics and alphabetic elements. An emoji is the same thing, take for example a smiley face, which means happy. Instead of writing the term “happy” we apply the icon to the text. This is exactly what a farmer in Ancient Egypt would do; drawing four donkeys on a tablet means he owns four donkeys. It was a record keeping system.

Linguists say emojis are the fastest growing language on Earth. So, are we evolving or devolving? I’d say evolving, after all let’s not forget the ancients compiled more information than even us modernists could interpret today. In fact, there are thousands of ancient texts, books, languages, and cultures historians and scientists still have yet to decode. The emoji serves as a visual language. 

Hieroglyphs, pictograms, and emojis are not bounded by any linguistic rules. Words and sentences follow a formula different from symbols. But symbols and languages both display emotions and ideas. However, the emoji has the advantage of existing in a time, where population, globalization, and diversity runs high.  

Emoji has the potential to become a global language as it’s usage has increased 777% and in many ways already is a language. In fact, before its popularity and compatibility in and with mobile devices, businesses were already using this little tool to communicate with customers; hamburgers identified fast food and weather icons informed the day’s forecast. 

Anatolian Hieroglyphics

Sumerian Hieroglyphics

Which Wave Are You Headed

Reminiscence back to that 80s flick, where you see Tom Cruise speeding down the freeway on his motorcycle in Top Gun (I left it a little blurring to give it that retro feel). 

When you look back to the eighties it is as if your looking directly into a world of science fiction. Think about it; the movies, the style, lol the hair, and the many innovations and inventions in technology. But what’s most scientific about this era is the music, and the immortal legacy it left behind. I’m not talking Sweet Dreams, Beat it, or When Doves Cry. I am speaking about that new wave, that retro they call the New Retro Wave.

For the last two weeks, I have been hardcore listening to eighties electro music, particularly something called Retro Synthwave or New Retro Wave. I guess it’s a thing, because to me it is a thing. It makes me think of lasers, sci-fi books and movies, which brings me to my point. The eighties were the prime era of Science Fiction novels and movies; Terminator, Explorers, Blade Runner, and of course Star Wars, and my unsurpassed favorite Alien. These films set the tone for writers like me. It was a foundation, a fresh wave of creative stories. And the titles chosen were very simple because they spoke for themselves, no complications or exaggeration at all. Today it’s hard to choose good titles because our predecessors got first pick of the very simplistic ones.

Let’s not forget James Cameron gave us iconic female characters such as, Ripley and Sarah Connor, Lucas awarded us with my ❤ Princess Leia, and their stories were organic, unique, and most importantly character development wasn’t an issue.

Sci-Fi movies and novels of the eighties had the advantage of being written during an infinite era, where technology was changing, evolving. A time where young people were finding new ways to live. An era that produced geniuses. And a time when culture became as modern as it had ever become. 

As for technology, there were all these perceptions, designs, and predictions of where it could leave us as human beings, hence the fresh concepts of flying cars, colonized moons, and laser-firing weapons. The fact we had to wait over thirty years for VR headsets and hoverboards was a fatality, but hey no empire is built in a single decade. Honestly, I don’t consider those “hoverboards” as real hoverboards. Where’s the hove?

When it comes to this retro electric music, I feel as if I’m lost in space, aboard the Millennium Falcon. Not fighting in any battle, just enjoying the endless starlight sky of…space

The beams, laser sounds, and hymns of other illustrious sounds related to the universe elevate my mind, striking me into trance from where I cannot and will not escape. My body bounces. My fingers twitch as if playing the keyboard.

Synthwave is a retro electronic music genre reviving 80s beats. Its popularity has grown in recent years, and while not mainstream yet, the synthwave has become notorious. The assistance of modern computers has provided retro electronic with the necessary instruments needed to manipulate a more advanced tone, while still retaining its past organic flow. 

Augusta Julia Victorem

“They ain’t see shit, we ain’t say shit, so it ain’t shit” – Tommy and Tasha, Power.

Today marks my bestest friend’s birthday, the big 21! In my book Julia is the champion of best friend’s, on a personal level that is because I have gone through so many close friends. Those “friends” can’t even compare, in short she is the best friend I have always wanted.

This past month has been full of the days I continually prayed for, where she is living her dreams and basking in endless happiness. Needless to say this woman has never done nothing that DID NOT exceeded my expectations. I have always been left stunned, amazed, and outwitted by her resilience, dedication, honesty, and above all else her ambition. She can be cold and ruthless, but I love her all the same. Julia Walton is a conqueror, natural born leader, hustler, and renegade! #facts 100%

We share a variety of different values, beliefs, and morals, but just as much common traits. Like any true friendship we have had up and downs, trials, and tribulations but remain close. The one thing that’s never really been a problem is the distance, we live hours away and remain as close as two peas in a pod. We inspire each other. We are partners in crime. I pray that in 50 years we are still just as close, sipping margaritas in the old folks home hahaha

I say embrace your inner basicness because you only get one great, basic white girl in your lifetime. Julia’s traits has become mine, I have adopted many things from her such as, coffee, veganism, health, exercise, Vlogging, candle shopping, and much more! I wouldn’t trade any of the experiences she has given me, being her best friend is the greatest gift this universe has offered me. I embrace it.

Your not just a friend, your family! I love you, Happy Birthday Mama 😊👏💯🍾🍷🍾🍷🍾🍷🍾🎁👑

Renegatus

Previously written in 2010. Edited in under 24 hours, and released from me to you in 12 hours may I present my new anthology Renegatus!! 

Written and translated by me, Timothy Mason, but the events depicted were witnessed by my alter ego, Ravengaddafi. For those who have read A Principality of Bullets you know him as the most infamous historian. 

He is a man of mystery, darkness, and pure cunning. Ravengaddafi is the first scholar, or person for that matter to travel across not only time, but a variety of different universes, galaxies, and dimensions.

So join him on an adventure of four crazy stories of renegade princes and righteous men striving for revenge, conquest, justice, and deception.
Enjoy!

And remember beware, for every hero is a villian, and every villain a hero

Link below, you don’t need a kindle device only the Kindle app to read. Kindle app works for all phones, android and iPhone! 😊

Renegatus by Timothy A Mason