There is something about Everything2 interface that has been bothering me. It has been like a cough tickling at the back of my throat, a toe cramp that doesn't quite materialize. Ok, let's think about this.

The page layouts are spartan, even minimalist. No, that's not a problem. There are no gaudy colors distracting from the content. There are no headache breeding pattern backgrounds ambushing the text. The pages pack in volumes of information about current topics and the state of E2 as it fluxes around you without being overwhelming or distracting. Well….most of the time, anyway. Still, no beef there.

After nibbling away most of my fingernails, I finally figured it out.

E2 has no signature mascot with which to adorn each and every thrill packed page. What we need is one of those O'Reilly style animal mascots to serve as out totem spirit, to act as a guide and a beacon for each and every noder to find occulted information and achieve their potential.

But what would we choose? After some serious reflection, I asked myself, "What animal springs to mind when I think of E2?" and mulled the question over. Nothing came at first. Then it hit me. It was easy. It has to be a monkey. Oh sure, I've seen handfuls of cats and birds, lizards and spiders. But I don't think a single substantial E2 session has passed for me where I haven't run into a monkey reference. And the monkey nodes are everywhere. Check it out.

So my Everything 2 mascot candidate has to be a monkey. But it can't just be a plain 'ol monkey. That would be somewhat lame. So perhaps we should look toward monkey variants that are appropriate to E2, that have something to say about it's nature. Perhaps I shall nominate a monkey with a typewriter and his uncountable brethren (why stop at simple countable infinity?). Fairly appropriate, no? Or perhaps a Sumatran rat monkey who spreads a memetic virus rather than the traditional zombie plague. So many possibilities. Fortunately, we have a collective creativity from which we may draw. Someone call Bonzo and have him break out his typewriter. There's a good idea in there somewhere.

Admittedly, I am quite new to this space. Perhaps such a concept is antithetical to the nature of E2. If so, then I shall tuck another learned lesson under my belt and forge on. But maybe, just maybe, I'm on to something.

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