From the archivist
It started with a game that needed a few authentic AIM icons. Then I had 1,000. Then 10,000. At some point, I had a buddy icon problem.
Read how this happenedYou made it this far
You have scrolled past 1,024 buddy icons, so I have some suspicions. My blog is where the other shiny digressions end up.
Subscribe to Shedletsky.comA language of tiny pictures
A picture barely 50 pixels wide, sitting beside an AIM screen name, could announce a mood, a fandom, an inside joke, or who someone wanted to be that day.
Read the short historyRecovered from the early web
Buddy icons survive in old directories, fan sites, downloadable packs, and web archives. The archive preserves the original files, groups known copies, and records where each one was found.
How the archive worksArrow Symbol icons use directional arrow glyphs as a recurring mark beside text or phrases. They often sit on plain dark or bright backgrounds, with small hearts, names, or short lines of text layered near the arrows in repeated layouts.
![A static digital image displays repeated orange text 'katie <33 =]' above blue pixelated heart and downward arrow symbols on a black background.](/image/5970db888b18d399f5e62f1983960b76a60c30e6023a8315576252424d8a4059){kind=small}
![Blue text reading 'Thinking of Him :]' appears on a black background with animated pink heart and arrow symbols changing position across frames.](/image/6db4682cc5773d51552ca3e920d7aa11f57c7a10bc47dbd02f625c33e1028394){kind=small}
