I'm going to have a rant!

What sort of emoticon is that?

Did Will chastise you for noticing emoticons, as well?

I personally don't like them, either, but my sense of irony is far too obscure to survive for five seconds without them. In e-mails, I usually try to avoid them as far as possible and rarely use them; however, I find them useful in a forum like this where remarks are often short and bereft of context.

refrigerator