How do I love thee, propellerhead? Let me count the non-binary ways.

I suffered for thee; through the infernal humidity and hubris of WinHEC in New Orleans did I moisten my underarm areas. I raged against the status quo in the PC industry at Xchange Tech Builder in San Diego and finally, I cried havoc and slipped between the hogs of war at E3 in Los Angeles. Sure, I could have written three articles, and sure, you could have read them, but that would have meant three times the suffering for both of us. It would have meant three opportunities for you to point out that the use of the word pusillanimous does not belong on a tech web site.

Actually, I have become a Law & Order junkie and I'll be damned if I miss an episode so that I can bring you up to the minute show news, and badly composed pictures. Any show that requires a Wednesday write up isn't going anywhere with me.

Of course, my official position is bumptious twaddle: it dawned on me that I was in a unique position these last weeks. I was able to transition from a forum for hardware developers (WinHEC ), to one for system builders (Xchange Tech Builder ), to one for enthusiasts (E3 ).

Then, totally cynical and bored, I realized that there wasn't a whole lot I could tell you about each event without dragging you in to the deepest, darkest recesses of my worn psyche. It's not a happy place, and today is a holiday, so why? Why bring you down? For the cheap thrill of a few flames?

Let me more positive in my outlook, and bemoan the loss of my June fix of Computex in Taiwan by drawing succour for our Taiwanese vendor friends, looking to manufacture and sell products into the worldwide PC market. Surely, these last three events are meant to be guidance, helping the industry define products for the coming year?

Do they? And while we are asking all these questions, Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?

On with our mute scherzandos.