First of all, Al, I'd like to make one thing clear. Never once (and you can check the archive to confirm this) did I say that people could do whatever they wanted on this board. Not that I am saying that I am out to control thought, but I'd just like to make that clear.

On the issue of the blank posts, I apologize. I was becoming a little overzealous about the removal of previous bookmarks, and went a little too recent. I should not be editing like that, and I thank you for calling me on that.

I would like to say that what you were doing was one step, one that I tolerated for quite some time. The response, however, of some people mimicking the behaviour for no more reason than as a callous way of turning the tables on what they saw as an annoyance (a response I would claim is no more mature than my removal of the blank posts), did bother me and, perhaps undeservedly, led me to the action I took.

Finally, I would like apologize to those who feel slighted at my editing here. Please know that my intention is not to muzzle you and, as Al has so candidly pointed out, it is your right (and perhaps responsibility) to call me on bullshit like this. There is a 'yell at me' link above. Feel free to use it.

It looks as though it's only going to get worse before it gets better...

Oil prices set to rise yet again

Some interesting web services today. But first, the article prompting a look at this: Googlopoly: A Market Free-For-All. Apparently, free search engines are bringing down the world and causing a global cancer epidemic... or something.

Anyway, two services that are brought up by this:

• Mailinator.com - provides free temporary e-mail addresses


• BugMeNot.com - provides logins for free registration sites; bypassing all the demographic information


Whether these services conform to acceptable net standards is up to you. I find it interesting that they exist. Once again, someone steps up and fills the void, as it were. Of course, they are not without controversy. The ethics of bypassing registration data vs. the ethics of collecting demographic data and infringing on the privacy of browsers. (For the record, BugMeNot.com does not add pay sites to its database, only registration sites. Any pay sites found can be removed.)

Speaking of net controversy (and from a bit of a biased standpoint), there's an interesting article on Informit.com about the new browser wars. This is more of a standards war than Netscape vs. Internet Explorer, but your choices are at the center of this battle. Of course, laziness has dictated the choice thus far, with IE taking 95% of market share, simply because it is prepackaged. Of course, for security, customizability and usability, the competition blows IE out of the water. This article does not so much delve into this part of the debate, but does give pause about how important the browser is in the online industry. Despite what any company decides, it is your choices that will dictate the explosion of P2P, the implosion of Real Player and everything in between.

And, because I'm not all serious, but scary too, here's the Internet Furry Proximity Locator. Now you, too, can find out how close this disturbing net phenomenon has come to you! (If you don't know what a furry is, be glad. (Although I'm sure sooner or later, someone will explain it to you (I'm looking at you, NKMF.)))

cool David Suzuki.org OECD stat there, but isn't 1999 kind of an outdated now?
peep the Billboard Charts from 1999 and you'll see what i'm getting at. (the ones in bold are the artists that hold the highest, "who'tha fuck?" factor)

1 Livin La Vida Loca, Ricky Martin
2 If You Had My Love, Jennifer Lopez
3 No Scrubs, TLC
4 Fortunate, Maxwell
5 Kiss Me, Sixpence None The Richer
6 Where My Girls At?, 702
7 Who Dat, JT Money Featuring Sole
8 That Don t Impress Me Much, Shania Twain
9 Every Morning, Sugar Ray
10 808, Blaque

hey what the fuck!?!!! TRAIN 48 is the best television programming available!!!! A 'grade twoer' could tell you that shit.

hmm... fuck

"According to a 1999 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study, Canada’s economy ranks 28th out of 29 industrialized countries in terms of energy efficiency. That means to generate a dollar of GDP our economy needs to use more energy than just about every other industrial country.

So, as energy prices increase - and that includes gasoline - Canada will be hit harder than most everyone else. And our competitiveness will suffer. Right now, our economy is predicated on having access to cheap and plentiful energy supplies. We are ill-equipped to deal with rising prices – yet that is exactly what the future bodes."

now here's a headlining photo worth posting...

uh, Taylor, do you actually watch that show? Train 48 is hideous.

yeah, yeah, election blah blah blah... TV, come on! Let's talk about something really exciting!

I think I've stopped watching television, it's just too terrible any more.
Except for the news, when all our favourite politicians are analysed in more ways than humanly possible...
god forbid a man with a moustache win anything, eh? What kind of news is that? lame-o
the newspaper isn't much better though, I have to admit.
Although the political cartoons this weekend were funny, check them out if you haven't... hellection haha!

scary...

Anyways, his wife is exciting too! Olivia Chow

Haha, clever: "Jack's moustache is growing on me," she said.