By now the more perceptive among our readers will have noticed Brainsnap's new look. Why the change? Money of course! Exhaustive focus groups have pinpointed a suitably profitable target audience: the lunatic fringe.

There are apparently lots of wealthy loonies running around. At the behest of our corporate board, the site has been revamped to better serve the only acceptable purpose in a capitalist economy - producing a profit.

The editors pledge that the new Brainsnap will be jam-packed with values. That's how Corporate is telling us to reposition ourselves, anyway. Look for slick lifestyle pieces aimed at the wild-eyed millionare set soon. (I just follow the script Marketing hands me.)

Yes, the venerable dissidents' slogan "Out with the old! In with the new!" has been co-opted by Madison Avenue. And why not? Why should revolutionaries have all the fun?

Appearance is more important than content. Media masters can now safely dissociate emergent slang/fashion/music from any countercultural connotation, leaving only frictionless profit without risk of societal upheaval. Style over substance! Trendiness is a sound business model!

It is an aspect of the modern marketplace that I will, I'm sure, lament from a tropical beach after I've cashed in my stock options.

(Editors note: Try not to sound bitter, Comrade Byron)