Continuing my prolific blogging re: the iTest...

I have had to play my reluctant role of kindergarten teacher in restoring sanity to the artofproblemsolving.com AHSIMC forum. The kids were irritated at typos (which I was too, a lot) but also with some of the answers. Of course, like any forum over time, this place has degenerated into the same people posting over and over again, and unfortunately for us, its some people with an axe to grind.

I am disgusted at the lost potential of working closer with the site folks, as Mathew's a good guy and a Vestavite. But just when I think I've brought the forum back under control, along comes an inexplicable post from the site creator condoning the high school rudeness and general belligerence on the forum, as well as telling us how to market our own competition! (They don't like us calling ourselves a "premiere" competition. They probably won't like it when we actually are one, either!)

I don't mind kids running their mouths on an online forum - that's what this outlet is there for. And of course they are going to lack discretion. But when some middle age guy who is supposed to know better comes along and doesn't unequivocally denounce rude, insulting behavior on his own forum, where he is viewed as a figurehead, I wonder what on earth I'm doing as part of it.

I can't explain it. Maybe you can. Go to the site yourself and check it out and give me your thoughts at some point. I really don't have time for this type of stuff. I had no idea this guy ran his business like this when I signed on, and now its probably too late.

In another oddity, some random student decided to email us his half-finished college admissions essay, calling it "the answer key."

Looking at the plethora of Griffin iPod Nano accessory ideas and 2006 iTest logos that have been coming in has been a blast, but there's been several bizarre ones too.

We are full-speed-ahead on pursuing the iTest trademark, and I gave the go-ahead today to the legal team to lay waste to another party that's challenging our trademark instead of moving us to the Supplemental Register. Simultaneously, we await the IRS' final word on our tax exempt status, a decision that will definitely affect us one way or the other.