That's one of my favorites. In fact, I have it on a t-shirt from long ago.

Drew and his wife Natalie Dee each have their own comic, as well as a third one they do together - Married to the Sea. All worth a read, and they all update daily with new comics.

One of the reasons I really enjoy reading BBG is that you guys are some of the best writers in the gadget biz, especially John. Thanks for the continued entertainment.

This is definitely a "wonderful thing" - thanks in advance for the deeper story.

I saw the headline on Drudge yesterday, with a tiny pic of Branson embracing and kissing the cheek of a platinum-haired woman next to the 'mothership.' I was almost certain I recognized the woman as Xeni, but found no mention of her or any larger version of that photo on the linked story. I chalked it up to coincidence. I guess I was correct after all.

Well, congrats on making the front page of Drudge in a positive story; for most that is a more ignominious honor.

not sure what this means, but

"TL;DR"

is submitted for your amusement.

For what its worth, the price looks like 560 euros per this site: http://www.harleydavidson-bastille.fr/

Why don't the comments from the BB Gadgets post also show up here?

Sounds like an idea straight from the mind of Max von Sydow as Brewmeister Smith in Strange Brew

The one thing everyone has danced around is the money involved here. Removing the references and links to Ms. Blue's blog would (and probably did) take away some 'googlejuice,' to use a term from a previous link. Deciding to no longer support her goes farther than just changing a tag in a database.

Now I am no apologist for her actions, they sound pretty despicable if they are all to be believed. [No offense, Nina - I find your comments believable, it's rags like Vllywg I have more difficulty with, though I suppose rumors and gossip are their business.] And whatever Ms. Blue did specifically to make the Boinger(/s) come to the (allegedly difficult) decision must have been at least as bad as some of that described. But, there is definitely some damage done here, and by the looks of it, some collateral damage. Nonetheless, this editorial decision is absolutely your prerogative.

However, as much as anyone involved wants to act like this is a personal blog, the reality is that it is a business that looks and acts like a personal blog. We all buy our slice of the product every time we refresh a page and read on (and give eyeball counts to the ads). We are invested in it with our time and attention.

We have formed a vibrant community invested in the personalities and the filter that these unique and interesting individuals provide. I don't mean to say that we own anyone involved, far from it, but the content we read and follow with terms associated like Permalink, well, we feel like we are a part of it. We feel like once it's out there, it should stay out there. And we felt reasonably assured that things like Permalink meant that a link was permanent. More than a few people have expressed lament and consternation about their inability to continue to rely on those links and the like as permanent. I have gone back days and months (maybe not years) later to find something I recalled reading here. I like that it's here, waiting for me. This retroactive change in policy makes me doubt whether I can return and find something again. That is what troubles me.

I'm not going to get all overdramatic and claim to take my ball and go home. I have no doubt that there are tens of thousands of readers like me who are at least a bit miffed, but will continue to read, only a little more wary of what they see and worried about whether it will be around the next time they come looking for it.

I have enough respect for the people here that I believe you when you say your intentions were never to be secretive. And I believe that you were honorable in holding your collective tongues by not discussing specific reasons in the face of sharp criticism. And I think in the heat of it all, some things were said that shouldn't have been said, but we're all human and we make mistakes.

I am anxious to hear what you all decide to do after you have the time to think about this and make some collective decisions, whether there is a change or not. It's your decision and your call to make.

In any case, thanks for keeping this thread open, and for listening.

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I should have ended my post there, but here goes...

I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm right, but this is the internet, dammit, so of course I have an opinion of what to do. I suggest you put the posts back up, with strikeouts through the parts you don't like and a note added with as much or as little detail as you care to give. Break the links back to the things you no longer endorse, but give the enough text from the link that we could get there if we want to without having to consult the wayback machine. I'm no expert, but I expect that a broken link should take away most of the 'googlejuice' and that plus the note and strikethrough should give more than the desired punitive effect, with minimal collateral damage.

lots of good and not-so-good tips here. Hope it goes well. I agree with #24 as regards Ray Jardine's Beyond Backpacking. Great read if you want to go light, not so great if you're already on a trip. You might also check out http://www.gossamergear.com for some ultralight gear for your next trip, they make great ultralight stuff that I've used on multi-week trips and are nice folks (went far beyond my expectations on a non-warranty repair).

Thanks for the tip. I just stopped by Bakka Phoenix and preordered a signed book (to Greg...), since I will regrettably be out of town on the 1st. Good luck at the launch!

Cory, my wife and I moved to Toronto 3 months ago and have been bemoaning the lack of a decent pizza place here - Pizza Pizza is awful awful and Amato's is merely okay. We tried Massimo's for lunch today, and it was great. Thanks for the suggestion. Better news: we're in the delivery area!