Keith Houston
@shadycharacters.co.uk
Keith Houston's blog about unusual marks of punctuation. Author of SHADY CHARACTERS, THE BOOK, EMPIRE OF THE SUM and now FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY: A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMOJI (https://shadycharacters.co.uk/books/).
The unfortunate truth is that PLR is pennies per loan. Only exceptionally successful writers will make enough money for PLR to move the needle on their finances - which great for them, of course! I wouldn't begrudge them it.
Every time someone on here gets anxious about library use I like to slide in all 'diiiiid you know the author was probably better paid for your borrow by PLR than they would have been if you'd got it on sale from Amazon???'
September 7, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The unfortunate truth is that PLR is pennies per loan. Only exceptionally successful writers will make enough money for PLR to move the needle on their finances - which great for them, of course! I wouldn't begrudge them it.
From the Shady Characters archive comes the most iconic of all shady characters: the mighty, the maligned, the magnificent interrobang. Go to shadycharacters.co.u... to get the full story.
(Image courtesy of Penny Speckter.)
(Image courtesy of Penny Speckter.)
September 6, 2026 at 6:27 PM
From the Shady Characters archive comes the most iconic of all shady characters: the mighty, the maligned, the magnificent interrobang. Go to shadycharacters.co.u... to get the full story.
(Image courtesy of Penny Speckter.)
(Image courtesy of Penny Speckter.)
Hello! I’m Keith. I’m a writer and software engineer in Scotland.
I love the stop-start just after Norman Blake first sings “Was going nowhere” in Teenage Fanclub’s “Neil Jung”. A song, an album (Grand Prix) of absolute joy.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
I love the stop-start just after Norman Blake first sings “Was going nowhere” in Teenage Fanclub’s “Neil Jung”. A song, an album (Grand Prix) of absolute joy.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
Hi! My name is Tim, and I’m a writer and editor in Philadelphia.
I like how Bootsy Collins says “watch out!” in between verses of Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart.” Everything Bootsy sings/says on that song is perfect.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
I like how Bootsy Collins says “watch out!” in between verses of Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart.” Everything Bootsy sings/says on that song is perfect.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
Hi, I am Tressie, a professor & writer in The People’s Republic of Chapel Hill.
I like the way Lionel Ritchie stylizes “purpose” in “Just to be Close to You.” That sound is the sonic crossroads of The American South.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment that you like?
I like the way Lionel Ritchie stylizes “purpose” in “Just to be Close to You.” That sound is the sonic crossroads of The American South.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment that you like?
September 5, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Hello! I’m Keith. I’m a writer and software engineer in Scotland.
I love the stop-start just after Norman Blake first sings “Was going nowhere” in Teenage Fanclub’s “Neil Jung”. A song, an album (Grand Prix) of absolute joy.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
I love the stop-start just after Norman Blake first sings “Was going nowhere” in Teenage Fanclub’s “Neil Jung”. A song, an album (Grand Prix) of absolute joy.
Would you like to introduce yourself with a small song moment you like?
Shady Characters × Because Language! I joined Daniel Midgley and Ben Ainslie recently to shoot the 💩 about emoji – there’s a taster at bsky.app/profile/bec... to see if it’s up your street, or you can dive into the full episode at shadycharacters.co.u.... Thanks to Daniel and Ben for having me on!
Emoji in medical notes? Yep, they're going all kinds of places they never have before.
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
September 4, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Shady Characters × Because Language! I joined Daniel Midgley and Ben Ainslie recently to shoot the 💩 about emoji – there’s a taster at bsky.app/profile/bec... to see if it’s up your street, or you can dive into the full episode at shadycharacters.co.u.... Thanks to Daniel and Ben for having me on!
I had a lot of fun recording this one. Thanks to @becauselanguage.com for having me on!
Emoji in medical notes? Yep, they're going all kinds of places they never have before.
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
September 3, 2026 at 1:23 PM
I had a lot of fun recording this one. Thanks to @becauselanguage.com for having me on!
Reposted by Keith Houston
Emoji in medical notes? Yep, they're going all kinds of places they never have before.
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
September 3, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Emoji in medical notes? Yep, they're going all kinds of places they never have before.
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
New live episode with Keith Houston, author of "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
Watch or listen to the whole thing:
becauselanguage.com/145-face-wit...
@shadycharacters.co.uk @wwnorton.com
A quick question, now that the updated version of shadycharacters.co.uk has been live for a little while: have you noticed the difference? Any positives or negatives versus the old site? Please let me know here or at shadycharacters.co.u...!
Shady Characters
The secret life of punctuation
shadycharacters.co.uk
August 30, 2026 at 10:25 AM
A quick question, now that the updated version of shadycharacters.co.uk has been live for a little while: have you noticed the difference? Any positives or negatives versus the old site? Please let me know here or at shadycharacters.co.u...!
From the Shady Characters archive: what exactly are we supposed to call this mark: “#”? Read about the long history of the octothorpe (or maybe the pound sign), and its many names, at shadycharacters.co.u....
August 23, 2026 at 8:59 AM
From the Shady Characters archive: what exactly are we supposed to call this mark: “#”? Read about the long history of the octothorpe (or maybe the pound sign), and its many names, at shadycharacters.co.u....
Reposted by Keith Houston
The book includes articles that feature quotes from interviews with @craigmod.com, @wynkenhimself.bsky.social, the late James Mosley, Matthew Carter, @aresluna.org, @ftrain.bsky.social, @eod.com, @anildash.com, Steve Matteson, @shadycharacters.co.uk, @amyredmond.bsky.social, Erik Spiekermann…
August 4, 2026 at 8:19 PM
The book includes articles that feature quotes from interviews with @craigmod.com, @wynkenhimself.bsky.social, the late James Mosley, Matthew Carter, @aresluna.org, @ftrain.bsky.social, @eod.com, @anildash.com, Steve Matteson, @shadycharacters.co.uk, @amyredmond.bsky.social, Erik Spiekermann…
Reposted by Keith Houston
Our next live show is happening 🔜 !
We're talking to @keithhouston.bsky.social about his new book "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
All patrons are invited, including free. If you're not a patron, click through and sign up!
www.patreon.com/becauselangp...
We're talking to @keithhouston.bsky.social about his new book "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
All patrons are invited, including free. If you're not a patron, click through and sign up!
www.patreon.com/becauselangp...
Live show: Talking emoji with Keith Houston, 2026-08-15/16 | Because Language
Live show: Talking emoji with Keith Houston, 2026-08-15/16 by Because Language on Patreon. Join Because Language's community for exclusive content and updates.
www.patreon.com
August 14, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Our next live show is happening 🔜 !
We're talking to @keithhouston.bsky.social about his new book "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
All patrons are invited, including free. If you're not a patron, click through and sign up!
www.patreon.com/becauselangp...
We're talking to @keithhouston.bsky.social about his new book "Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji".
All patrons are invited, including free. If you're not a patron, click through and sign up!
www.patreon.com/becauselangp...
I'd add: and tell your friends about that writer, too
if there's a writer you like, and you'd like to keep reading that writer's work, *you need to pay for their work*
What’s a thing from your area of expertise (or special interest) that you think it would behoove everyone else to know?
August 14, 2026 at 6:58 PM
I'd add: and tell your friends about that writer, too
A quick thank you to Rob Watts for inviting me to talk about sarcasm and irony marks on his YouTube channel, RobWords! There's a lot to like about his whistle-stop tour of the interrobang, ironieteken, and other symbols. Watch here:
Why we don't have a sarcasm mark
Explore lost punctuation‽ Yes please. And see how language shapes perspectives with Ground News. Use my link to get 40% off the Vantage plan: https://ground.news/robwords
Why is there no punctuation mark for irony? Or to flag up a rhetorical question? Well, the fact is: there once was. Numerous in
www.youtube.com
August 7, 2026 at 1:40 PM
A quick thank you to Rob Watts for inviting me to talk about sarcasm and irony marks on his YouTube channel, RobWords! There's a lot to like about his whistle-stop tour of the interrobang, ironieteken, and other symbols. Watch here:
Reposted by Keith Houston
Type history meets weird words!
My chat with type historian @glennf.com Glenn Fleishman covers printing history, comics, and his favorite printing word from the 1800s: "flong." :)
Check it out on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
My chat with type historian @glennf.com Glenn Fleishman covers printing history, comics, and his favorite printing word from the 1800s: "flong." :)
Check it out on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
How comics are made, with Glenn Fleishman
Podcast Episode · Grammar Girl · August 6 · 27m
podcasts.apple.com
August 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Type history meets weird words!
My chat with type historian @glennf.com Glenn Fleishman covers printing history, comics, and his favorite printing word from the 1800s: "flong." :)
Check it out on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
My chat with type historian @glennf.com Glenn Fleishman covers printing history, comics, and his favorite printing word from the 1800s: "flong." :)
Check it out on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Reposted by Keith Houston
I'm going to make the brash (I say BRASH!) assumption that everyone and their mother has already told @shadycharacters.co.uk about Tom Scott's latest video, where he gets a little too excited about ampersands
youtu.be/8IsbKH-EsAY?...
youtu.be/8IsbKH-EsAY?...
I get excited about &.
YouTube video by Tom Scott
youtu.be
July 27, 2026 at 3:54 PM
I'm going to make the brash (I say BRASH!) assumption that everyone and their mother has already told @shadycharacters.co.uk about Tom Scott's latest video, where he gets a little too excited about ampersands
youtu.be/8IsbKH-EsAY?...
youtu.be/8IsbKH-EsAY?...
Birds! Books! Bots! Bathrooms! (Okay, that last one is a stretch, but I'm going to say that a 13th century latrine still counts.) Miscellany № 112, which takes in all this, is now up at Shady Characters: shadycharacters.co.u.... Enjoy!
July 26, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Birds! Books! Bots! Bathrooms! (Okay, that last one is a stretch, but I'm going to say that a 13th century latrine still counts.) Miscellany № 112, which takes in all this, is now up at Shady Characters: shadycharacters.co.u.... Enjoy!
The Japanese translation of “Empire of the Sum” was published last year by Hara Shobo, but my own copy arrived in the post only the other day. What a nice edition! Many thanks to Hara Shobo for sending me one. Take a look at http://www.harashobo... if you′re interested in ordering a copy!
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July 24, 2026 at 2:26 PM
The Japanese translation of “Empire of the Sum” was published last year by Hara Shobo, but my own copy arrived in the post only the other day. What a nice edition! Many thanks to Hara Shobo for sending me one. Take a look at http://www.harashobo... if you′re interested in ordering a copy!
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It's World Emoji Day! 🍾🎉 I was wondering what to post about today when I came across this incredible post on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/peo.... 10/10, no notes, as they say. The poop emoji's time has come.
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July 17, 2026 at 3:03 PM
It's World Emoji Day! 🍾🎉 I was wondering what to post about today when I came across this incredible post on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/peo.... 10/10, no notes, as they say. The poop emoji's time has come.
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Reposted by Keith Houston
I am once again begging Hollywood to stop using the Greek alphabet for an Ancient World movie, if they can't afford to even throw a couple of quid at anyone with an inkling of the language.
Unless they really think audiences are dying to see THS THDPSSSSPS
Unless they really think audiences are dying to see THS THDPSSSSPS
July 16, 2026 at 3:18 PM
I am once again begging Hollywood to stop using the Greek alphabet for an Ancient World movie, if they can't afford to even throw a couple of quid at anyone with an inkling of the language.
Unless they really think audiences are dying to see THS THDPSSSSPS
Unless they really think audiences are dying to see THS THDPSSSSPS
So, I’m walking down to the canal today with my youngest so he can ride his bike along the tow path, and what do I see but two clumps of reeds which have floated into the canal basin from somewhere farther along the canal. And I think to myself: “This is how papyrus arrived in Egypt!”
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July 11, 2026 at 9:10 PM
So, I’m walking down to the canal today with my youngest so he can ride his bike along the tow path, and what do I see but two clumps of reeds which have floated into the canal basin from somewhere farther along the canal. And I think to myself: “This is how papyrus arrived in Egypt!”
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Take a trip to the south of France at the height of summer courtesy of the Shady Characters archive: shadycharacters.co.u....
June 28, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Take a trip to the south of France at the height of summer courtesy of the Shady Characters archive: shadycharacters.co.u....
Reposted by Keith Houston
June 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Apropos of the Tartan Army's friendly invasion of Boston for the World Cup ⚽🏆, consider this: do we need a traffic cone emoji? Andrew Dobbie seems to think so, and has started a petition to right this wrong: www.change.org/p/the....
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Sign the Petition
The World needs a Traffic Cone Emoji to celebrate Boston & Glasgow Twinning
www.change.org
June 26, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Apropos of the Tartan Army's friendly invasion of Boston for the World Cup ⚽🏆, consider this: do we need a traffic cone emoji? Andrew Dobbie seems to think so, and has started a petition to right this wrong: www.change.org/p/the....
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When I was writing “Face with Tears of Joy”, I got very little response to my questions from Google, Apple, Meta and so on. Recently, though, I managed to speak to a real, live Apple emoji designer - Ollie Wagner, who helped design Apple′s very first set of emoji. shadycharacters.co.u...
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June 12, 2026 at 10:48 AM
When I was writing “Face with Tears of Joy”, I got very little response to my questions from Google, Apple, Meta and so on. Recently, though, I managed to speak to a real, live Apple emoji designer - Ollie Wagner, who helped design Apple′s very first set of emoji. shadycharacters.co.u...
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“The paragraph indent killed the pilcrow”
Russell Shaw noticed that he texted the same phrase to his kids 133 times. In hindsight, he sees profound meaning in it, and a lesson for other parents. theatln.tc/oSPD3CJx
🎨: Derek Abella
🎨: Derek Abella
June 1, 2026 at 7:04 AM
“The paragraph indent killed the pilcrow”