Pictured is the icon for the OS X 10.5 application simply called Mail. The number of unread messages in the inbox appears in a bright red indicator as part of the dock icon. If there are no unread messages, there’s no red indicator. This is certainly better than leaving the red marker there with a zero in it. Because the icon is blue and grey, the red highlight is visible from across the room, and it means promise.

The promise of greetings and news from a friend, relative, or lover. The promise of plans for the future. The promise of anything you might imagine from someone important to you.

Promise awaits. Open the message and see what it is!