Beaver Shortage Smites B&S

Did Byte and Switch do a Bait and Switch?

We certainly didn't mean to. When we promised readers a canned beaver for helping us find a new mascot, we meant to make good. Honest! After all, an award was clearly in line for anyone who could help us get free of that fat, smelly, buck-toothed bugger, Bob the Beaver.

After painstakingly tallying and retallying the dozen-or-so suggestions, we were ready to make an award -- to KingofSAN, who was first to suggest the winning critter, Oscar the Octopus (see Oscar's Debut).

(We know we owe Stephen Saunders, CEO of our parent company, Light Reading, for bringing to our attention that Oscar is in fact not prancing pink and smiling, but a dismal grey and glowering. But, hey! Owning the goddam company has its own rewards.)

So. Imagine our chagrin when we found out the prize we meant for KingofSAN was "not available at this time"!Frantic pleas to the supplier followed. Alas! Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance... All in vain!

So it is that, with due humility, sackcloth, and ashes, we have proferred KingofSAN a substitute prize, a mousepad with Bob's image on it, commemorating... Well, we're not sure what, but it seems to have appeased the King and his court.

Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch