Br-r-r-riliant!!!! :D Been looking forward to this, congrats and I hope many happy bucks and praises come your way!!!

From that Jefferson quote: "Society may give an exclusive right to the profits arising from them, as an encouragement to men to pursue ideas which may produce utility, but this may or may not be done, according to the will and convenience of the society, without claim or complaint from anybody." Yes, and our society has so granted Wil those exclusive rights to profit from his work where he chooses, and put in place many mechanisms to make any claim or complaint when people try for personal profit to deny him his rights - so, what WAS your point exactly?

Digital watches will always be a pretty neat idea, especially for those of us who don't automatically know whether it's AM or PM when we wake up.... just sayin'! Sound like a cool event, hope it goes well for all involved.

Couple of things - while yeah Wil's made some sales through this it's probably also the case that people who are just surfing by here and don't have any, how can I put it, like sense of loyalty or whatever, might have googled this guy and got themselves the download free, I mean it's probably generated publicity for both parties. They may not have converted into sales, bit Wil knew he was taking that risk when he posted about it (I imagine). That site has Dan Brown, Stephen King, Harry Potter, BBC books etc all on the same basis - to say that site (which seems to have multipleposters) is flying close to the wind legally speaking is something of an understatement! I started to look through (I don't like audio books, sheer curiosity) and it freaked me out, there's a lot of stuff in there that's on my bookshleves, sci fi & horror fantasy, politics, military etc, plus audio book of the new Star Trek movie - it really is like they just have no concept You Can'T Do That! Oh well - anyway WilW for Prez in say 8 - 12 years - not so much whether he'd be good, but sure as shit no bastard would DARE try to assassinate him! ;)

Poor Wil, this must be like getting a group hug from a bunch of slightly nerdy Rottweilers... ;)

Guess if I was surfing for, you know, free downloads and maybe just assumed if it's online with a legit-sounding domain name it's probably legal, I'd be really put off if a lot of downloads' comments sections were everyday guys like me mentioning they think they got a virus from the site, or something. I'd probably not feel so inclined to click where they ask, or tip any site that I thought might risk my security like that. And hey, you know people make mistakes and average net users seldom know exactly where they picked up a bug. Just saying...

I saw that and drew the same conclusion, but he/the site uses Paypal & google, so... maybe at least those aspects of that site aren't as far out into the unreachable wilderness as they think.

Holy crap he's taking donations via PayPal, surely they wouldn't be any too pleased either to be involved? That adds a veneer of legitimacy to the unwitting user of that site, if he was holding out his hat via some random money-wire the site would look more like... what it is, if that all makes sense.

"Digital content is the same as physical content in that if you can't afford it, don't fucking buy it, but don't steal it either." It's even better in that there are usually legit free downloads, eg trials or basic versions of software, Wil's free podcasts in this case, so there's NO sense of entitlement to some crumbs, nor is anyone starved of an acceptable product they desire purely by price. (Not that it would legitimise it, but I mean even that slim excuse is shot to shit.) I hope karma bites his thieving greedy arse - in my many decades of life, I've noticed that it usually does in the end...

Sheesh... go report him, he's got google ads and you could maybe mess with his relationship with google, which would be nifty. The guy's trying to pimp your life out on a sleazy street corner, and don't get me started on that "donate" button...

Thanks for these - finally dl'd them all to date this morning, to keep me distracted getting my flat back in order! Big fun, though many of us are never going to be able to watch those credits & not hear you guys singing them, are we... :o)

I just wanted to say a couple more things, which I hope are supportive and not like a rant or anything. "...though I'm aware that I may be projecting and anthropomorphizing, it sure does seem like she has sadness in her eyes." Actually, there's tons of evidence that our animal ancestors are the source of our emotions, which let's face it relate to some very primal bonding, and that human consciousness and self-awareness are very much afterthoughts. So it's not anthropomorphizing to imagine she's missing her pack member and feeling emotions, without the benefit of the refinement (and therefore understanding) we have. It's more the case that you and all of us with emotions are (can't think of the word for inverse of anthropomorphizing?!) when we feel primal emotions like grief - bleuch, clumsy sentence, but hope it translates... A lot of people have commented how our companion animals are family members and other people don't get it - let me tell you all, I have lost dogs, and four weeks ago today I lost my mum, suddenly, unexpectedly and way too young, and sure the grief's different in quality, the moments of missing each and the memories are different, but it's not the quantitive difference anyone who's never loved an animal would expect, no way no how. Cry all you need, I did for my dogs, and will continue to for my mum - love is love and doesn't come with a meter to allocate it according to the loved one's sentience or any other arbitrary measure. Actually probably the only people we CAN feel unconditional raw love for are pets, kids, and parents - and NO-ONE would question someone being cut up losing the last two. Fwiw, I'm dealing with my loss by watching shedloads of Trek, TNG & TOS, because I can't bear the news or anything where people are in realistic ('scuse me) jeopardy, and I heartily endorse losing yourself in a safe and distracting way while the shock heals a little. You've brought so much amicable pleasure to so many readers online, you did my weary soul the world of good during the elections last year, please know that there are so many of us out here in webby-land sending you love, and so many of us have every understanding of where you're at, because we've been there too. You and your family are in our thoughts, look after yourself, and please don't feel like there's a time limit for grief.

So sorry to hear that geekeen, hugs to you.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss Melissa. You did the right thing for her, and you're paying for that with your grief. It's not fair, but then again, what is? I wish you all the best, and know that she had a great life, and you did the best you could. One day that might make sense - but that won't be yet.

Beautiful quote - many thanks.

My heart's with you mate, even though we've never met - what a horrible time for you, doubly so with puss out of your home. My experience is, if you can give her some cuddles beforehand, or even after, it might make it just a slight bit easier? Fwiw, you're in my thoughts, even though I don't know you: if I could take this world of pain away and just make it my own I would, but of course, none of us can, can we? I posted a link (not mine, not commercial) about grief that helped me through losing those I loved, you can find it if you click my username thing.

Thanks Danyiel - only occurred to me to read my reply again off of Wil's loss, and saw your reply. Grief sucks! May you not have to face it for A Long Time, if ever, I nearly made it to 40, may you make it to many years older and older, and if I meet whoever invented this sytem I will personally kick their arse! I'm doing - okay. Not great. Not soaring. Okay. And that's fine by me!

At risk of being a plain pain in the arse, try reading this link if you didn't click it in my post above, great pages of wisdom, although all aimed at humans, and elderly ones at that. http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/en-gb/AdviceSupport/HealthAdvice/Issues/Bereavement/default.htm It's helped me recently - I hope it helps you, your situation SUCKS, I can't imagine how you feel, even though I've been there myself with dogs, and actual family too, your pain is your own. Know only that it will one day ease. And it will be because love defeats grief, not because you've forgotten her.

@cowboy, I tweeted (twittered?) @ you, I think, just signed up to do it - I feel your loss too, oh man do I ever. This shit sucks, we pay back the love and joy they give us with interest at first when they leave, doubly so when we're buying their FFS last few meals or whatever, and KNOWING what's coming. I feel your pain, and I've felt some for my pups, the day before at least. It SUCKS. Bear up, love your pussycat for all you're worth now AND after, and I wish, I so wish, I could help - but of course the final irony is, no-one ever can.

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that, poor Ferris... it must have been a huge comfort for her that you were with her though. And you gave her a great life beforehand - your posts that mentioned her were always a joy to read! I've lost two much-loved dogs in the last 3 years, and the first time, I thought the pain would never end, plus the guilt (!this may not apply to you at all!) of all the walks postponed or cut short, the times I could've afforded some steak for my hound but bought something for me instead, for simply not being able to save him... oh it was irrational, but endless. The second time, I learned to flood the grief-pain with love for my dog, as though he were still there (I don't mean that in any mystical way) and that helped when it got too debilitating. I mention that purely in case it's helpful, and knowing full well it might not be. I second the comments about getting another dog, preferably another rescue mutt, not as any kind of replacement, but as a tribute, because millions of animals in the US alone need homing and face euthenasia each year, and they DO help with some of the pain, just to know you're helping another little furry one out is some kind of comfort. Either way grief sucks, death sucks, whoever invented it all needs a kick up the arse, and I wish you and all your family the best at this horrible time. The pain will pass, and it won't be because you've forgotten her either. But it will be f*~^ing horrible first. God should weep at the pain we have to feel whenever we lose those we love. As an aside, I found these pages about bereavement (by a charity for the elderly in the UK) very helpful - http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/en-gb/AdviceSupport/HealthAdvice/Issues/Bereavement/default.htm Much of it isn't applicable for losing a companion animal of course, nonetheless I'm taking a punt on being inapproproate by posting it, because it's helped me, and it's wise stuff for anyone at any age who's dealing with grief.

I get it. Shambling, mindless creatures, apt to turn upon each other as to kill you, stinking of their own decay and yet so strangely kin to us that it's impossible to avoid the pity the monster evokes. Or, 24-hour drinking, as we here in the UK call it.

My mum, a wonderful, gorgeous woman who marched with the CND in the sixties, and always was on the compassionate side in politics, died suddenly earlier today. I'm still in shock, but am both comforted and distracted to read that life goes on. And I'm halfway through a second watch of all 7 series of TNG, which while they may not be the only thing you want to be known by Wil, mean a lot to me, and doubly so right now, because I know nothing I will see as I wait for the grief to kick in hard will violate her values, and everything in that fictional world is something she would and has supported. I'm not spreading this all over the net, but given how I plan to comfort myself, since I have no-one living with me right now, and no other family at all, this comment seemed worth making. Hope is never futile. And love is all that matters. That I loved her, she loved me, and that love and life go on is really making this easier to bear.

My sympathies to the bereaved. If humans - who like to perform genocide, ethnic cleansing, and rape as a tool of convenience, of expediency, have souls, there is no doubt in my mind that animals do - in fact, ask the great shamans who preceded the priests, animals are a part of us. Freddy had a good life, and if anyone would like to memorialise him and his ilk, PLEASE consider supporting any charity that prevents cats just as adorable, and great, from living hellish lives and dying screamingly brutal deaths. I'm on my third rescue hound, and also aware of the things I can do to make his kind happier. A few bucks when you have them to spare, will help countless Freddy-a-likes and others to be safe, secure, and free from pain or starvation.

Wil, in a rather horrific echo of Wesley himself, you have just come out of some random blog on the internet and quite possibly saved my life, my sanity, and most pressingly the chances of me making the rent for the next few months. I can't explain how, you'll just have to take my word on it. And the link from sojournerblog to Pressfield's book is just the icing on the cake. Thank you! is what I mean really.