At present, you probably use emoticons in order to make your feelings known via text or e-mail -- cushioning a slight reprimand to a co-worker or friend with a friendly: :)
Now there's a whole new symbol to add to your lexicon, the SarcMark, which looks something like a whirlpool with a dot in the middle (see image above). Here's what the website has to say about the product:
"With the spoken word, we use our tone, inflection and volume to question, exclaim and convey our feelings. The written word has question marks and exclamation points to document those thoughts, BUT sarcasm has NOTHING! In today’s world with increasing commentary, debate and rhetoric, what better time could there be than NOW, to ensure that no sarcastic message, comment or opinion is left behind Equal Rights for Sarcasm - Use the SarcMark."
You can download the SarcMark at the company's website for Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista and mobile devices for use in Word documents, e-mail, instant messaging and more. After downloading, all you have to do is hit "Ctrl" and "." and the mark will appear, instantly giving wry impact to the sentence in question.
The symbol costs $1.99, which seems a small price to pay for conversational clarity.