This is the story with web-based services: they work until they don't. If it's alright today doesn't mean that it will stay alright tomorrow. Take HaloScan, the weblog comments service provider, for instance. Their solution worked nice and smooth until one day my old comments went missing. A few thousands of them. And what good is a blog when it stops being a conversation?

Yes, my HaloScan account is free. That means it goes against the basic rules of thermodynamics. Yes, the universe abhors both vacuum and free services, I know. The universe loves entropy and fuck-ups. But still, I cannot remain calm, cool and collected. Not without my comments.

Did any on-line service mess you up? Eat your emails, throw away your posts, forget your passwords or lock you on one of those e-mail lists with no way to unsubscribe other than shooting at their servers?