Lauren Wu dot com

I proudly use Oddpost's email service. It's fantastic, even though I'm slightly annoyted that it only works in Microsoft IE and not Firefox. Given that Oddpost charges an annual subscription for 50MB storage, I was worried about whether it would survive now that Google Gmail offers 1GB free storage, Yahoo! Mail offers 100MB and even Hotmail 250MB.

Guess what? Yahoo! bought Oddpost! The Oddpost Team will now be working on a new Yahoo! Mail product. This is simultaneously great news and scary news. The great news is that Oddpost will no longer face any financial viability issues. The scary news is that Oddpost accounts will eventually be migrated over to this new product. Now, I have no qualms if I get to keep my Oddpost email address and the service remains largely unchanged (or changes for the better). But I have an uneasy feeling that they'll force me switch over to a @yahoo.com address &/or start giving me unwanted Yahoo! "features", like ads. I don't like Yahoo! Mail. Heck, one of the main reasons why I switched over to Oddpost is because it was nothing like Yahoo! Mail. Aiyah.

[August 2, 2004 Update]: Slashdot commentary on this topic

Stages of having babies:

• 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as the OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
• 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
• 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for Birth:

• 1st baby: You practice breathing religiously.
• 2nd baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
• 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.

The Layette:

• 1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the bureau.
• 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with really dark stains.
• 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?!

Worries:

• 1st baby: At the first sight of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick the baby up.
• 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
• 3rd baby: You teach your 3 year old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Activities:

• 1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Story Hour, and Mommy and Me Exercise Class.
• 2nd baby: You take the baby to Baby Gymnastics.
• 3rd baby: You take the baby to the supermarket and dry cleaners.

At Home:

• 1st baby: You spend a good bit of each day just gazing at your baby.
• 2nd baby: You spend a bit of every day watching to be sure that your older child doesn't poke, squeeze, or hit the baby.
• 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of each day hiding from your children.

Going Out:

• 1st baby: The first time you leave the baby with a sitter you call 5 times to make sure things are OK.
• 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
• 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

Swallowing Coins:

• 1st baby: When the first child swallows a coin, you rush them to the hospital and demand x-rays.
• 2nd baby: When your 2nd child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for it to pass.
• 3rd baby: When the 3rd child swallows a coin, you deduct it from their allowance.