...it's the comments that have. Isn't there anybody out there who can appreciate a good piece for what it actually is, not what you think it ought to have been?

With apologies to the couple of you commenters who don't fit this mold, I find it rather depressing to dip into the comments subbasement occasionally and find little more than whining. If I may be so bold as to remind you writers and proofreaders and would-be readers, this isn't a piece about proofreading in general, much less about class in America or the inadequate class-based bona fides of one writer.

This is what's known as -- take this down, now -- a personal essay, not a new or unusual genre to be sure, but a worthy example of the type. Its subject is nothing more and nothing less than one person's life (broadly speaking) and her own experiences as a proofreader (more specifically). Where I come from, meaningful literary criticism bases itself first on the project set out by the writer herself, not the hangups and predilections of the reader-as-critic.

From where I sit, she set out to put on display a slice of her life's arc that tells a coherent, moving story within the four corners of the page, with implications that touch the life experiences of plenty of other folks, whether they're proofreaders, Burger-King-table-wipers, teachers, cashiers, marketing executives, land conservationists, carpenters, or artists. In short, it may -- or may not -- have personal resonance for anyone who's ever been seduced by a career that is both less and more than what they thought they wanted to do and be.

And in the view of this humble reader, she did a pretty fine job of accomplishing the task she set for herself. Three cheers for you, sister, and never mind the bollocks.

Your legion of fans will miss you, but Glenn Greenwald will be a special treat to find here.

Hope you enjoy it, and return to the front lines rested and ready.

Business as usual or not, this is a big story getting bigger all the time, and I suspect (though I can't say I've verified it) that Mark Benjamin has just broken an intriguing new angle of it wide open. Good work, Mark Benjamin, and good work Salon. Please keep it up. How often can "follow the money" prove itself good advice?

Forgive me if I'm repeating what someone else must already have said -- I don't have time to read all the comments on this article -- but how can you write three pages about the pros and cons of the iPod era and not even mention pocasts? I love music, but these days 90% or more of what I listen to on my gadget are podcasts -- some obscure, but most of them on-demand replays of broadcast content (KCRW, NPR, Democracy Now, BBC, etc.) that I couldn't happen to catch at the moment of their broadcast, or that I could only hear through streaming otherwise. This, to me, is the more revolutionary use of the iPod, more important (if less common, I guess) than being a mere portable music player: the ability to sort through spoken-word information and entertainment from a national or worldwide menu, anytime, at my convenience. In this sense, the iPod is to the radio medium what the internet is to print media, and that's saying a lot. There are downsides to this -- you run a greater risk of info overload -- but I'll take my chances if it means I can do the dishes, drive to work, or chop wood and carry water while listening to the news/info/commentary source of my choice.

I still listen to music mostly on the stereo in my living room, or the CD player in my car, one disc at a time, over and over like the old days. Meanwhile, it's a new broadcast (or several) every day on my iPod, and that's the iPod's killer app if you ask me. Am I alone on this?

Here's one more voice in the chorus of those who'd like to see Tim Grieve take off on assignment more often. His absence from War Room last week was like switching to decaf for a few days, but I got through it, and this was worth it.

Salon, you've got one of the internet's very best political writers in your stable, but he's chained to his laptop every single day. Let him out more, encourage him to go if necessary -- he needs the sun -- and it'll do you both good to see him stretch a few new muscles now and then.

Meanwhile, Mr. Grieve, thanks for an illuminating tour of a singular place.

... to you, Mr. Grieve, and to all your Salon colleagues. Your coverage of election day, and all through the weekend, has been superb. I could get the numbers elsewhere, but I stick around War Room because it's much, much more satisfying than mere links to wire copy and ballot returns; it's a state of mind. And you, of course, set that tone for all the others who helped to keep this blog running overtime for the past 100 hours.

Thanks for that, and to Salon to devoting the resources to keeping the posts coming frequently from writers all over the place.

And yes, it's a night to celebrate and to remember. Now let's all get a little sleep.

Nicely done, Tim. Your analysis accomplished what others are using far more words to say much less well.

I have no rant of my own, so I'll just leave it at that.

Glad to have you in the Cap for the proceedings. Keep it up.