It’s World Emoji Day on Saturday, a day on which we celebrate all the non-verbal things we say in our WhatsApps, text messages and across many social media platforms.
This year alone, 217 new emojis have been approved for launch, including a burning heart and face in the clouds, creating even more ways to say what you mean when words fail, time constraints or you just can’t be bothered to chat.
According to CNBC, World Emoji Day was created in 2014 by Jeremy Burge, the London creator of the website Emojipedia. Since 2017, Apple has announced new emoji developments on this day and global brands and famous names have also hopped on board. On July 17, 2015, Pepsi launched PepsiMoji, Hollywood studio Sony announced casting news for The Emoji Movie on this day in 2016, and ever one to hitch her wagon to a marketing opportunity, Kim Kardashian launched her own Kimoji fragrance line on July 17, 2018.
While the hidden meaning of many emojis have become well known, and a recent online battle between Millennials and Gen Z revealed that emojis used showed your age – the crying laughing emoji is Millennial, while the skull is Gen Z’s preferred way to say ‘lol’ – there are some hidden details you might have missed.
From what’s written on the pages of the book emoji to exactly where the metro train is headed, we bet you can’t make it to the end of the list without scrolling through your iPhone to check on these details …
1. The date on the calendar
Frequent users of the more business-themed emojis might have noticed that the date on the calendar icon is July 17 – World Emoji Day. But which came first, the emoji or the celebratory day?
In this instance, the emoji came first, with July 17 chosen because it is the date that Apple’s iCal premiered at technology trade show Macworld back in 2002.
2. The snail and the lizard face the other way
Of the 116 animal emojis (and, yes, we are including the unicorn), they all face to the front or left, apart from two – the snail and the lizard.
The snail emoji was introduced in 2010 and remained the standalone right-facing animal, until the lizard arrived in 2016 to keep it company in its right-facing solidarity. Although the internet has some theories as to why this is, no one really knows.
3. You can create couples with different colour skin tones
Earlier this year, the couples emojis got more inclusive. Apple introduced the ability to choose which skin tones best represented users when posting a couple emoji.
Simply press on the couple, then select the tones that best represent you and your partner.
4. There is real text on the book emoji
You might need to find yourself a powerful magnifying glass to see it, but there is actual writing on the book emoji. The same text is on the clipboard, and paper and pencil emojis.
“Here’s to the crazy ones,” it says. “The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes …”
The text is a shortened version of the monologue from Apple’s 1997–2002 Crazy Ones/Think Different ad campaign, created by creative marketer Rob Siltanen, which ends: “Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
5. The deaf emoji signs a real word
The emoji symbolising deaf people, in which the person gestures with their index finger between the ear and mouth, is the sign used to signify deafness in American Sign Language and many other global sign languages.
6. Emojis within emojis
In what can only be considered the Inception of emojis, there are two which feature popular icons within them. The first is the fries in the food section, which features the smiley face emoji on the front of the red packet.
The second is the post house in the buildings section, which features a postal horn on the front to mark it as a post office. The postal horn itself is found in the objects section.
7. The pager emoji has a number
Much to the internet’s amusement, the pager emoji continues to feature despite the popularity of the once cutting-edge communication technology falling out of favour since the early 2000s.
The number on the pager reads: 555-3215. Triple 5 is commonly used in films and adverts as a fictitious area code, but no one seems to know what the “3215” signifies.
8. The metro emoji is en route to Apple’s original HQ
In the transport section, the metro train has IL2 written on the front where a train would usually feature its destination. Apple fans believe IL2 is a reference to Infinite Loop, the name of Apple’s original headquarters in Cupertino, California, which comprised six buildings.
Steve Jobs’s office was in IL1, and Apple employee Chris Espinosa told Wired: “Building 1 was occupied first by the exec staff and software group. Building 2 was all the Mac web.”
9. The credit card emoji has a signature
Although you might expect the signature on the gold credit card to be that of Steve Jobs or another original Apple founder, the name actually reads John Appleseed.
The original John Appleseed was a man named John Chapman, an American pioneer nurseryman who, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, introduced apple trees to large parts of the American east coast.
In Apple Inc lore, John Appleseed is the pseudonym of former Apple chief executive Mike Markkula, who used the name as his alias while publishing software for the Apple II.
10. The most used emoji on Twitter is …
… the crying laughing emoji. Twitter emoji tracker emojitracker.com scans the social media platform in real time, and shows that the tears of joy or crying laughing emoji is consistently the top choice.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Sawt Assalam, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Foah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Faiza, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: RB Dixie Honor, Antonio Fresu, Helal Al Alawi.
7.30pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nabil%20Ayouch%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nisrin%20Erradi%2C%20Joud%20Chamihy%2C%20Jalila%20Talemsi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
John Cena v Triple H
Matches to be announced
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended
Mrs%20Chatterjee%20Vs%20Norway
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ashima%20Chibber%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rani%20Mukerji%2C%20Anirban%20Bhattacharya%20and%20Jim%20Sarbh%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
