i am great...

Worked out what was wrong. OnSPEED had done something to the proxy settings. Which kind of makes sense because it works by routing everything through its servers and compressing the data. I love the fact that I can spot what is wrong when I finally see it. All those years of playing with computers has paid off. I really do think I deserve a 30" Cinema Display. Roll on the next problem. Although, I do have to say here for all you Windows users, I rarely have any problems on my Mac, and when I do, it usually pretty clear that it is something I have done, rather than some mysterious interaction between apps. Just thought I'd say that.

Despite my little problem, I think OnSPEED actually works, so for all of you on a slowish connection, give it a try. I was so impressed that I am even going to provide a link to their site.

Oh, and by the way, for some reason, the full TypePad posting toolbar, which I thought was only available to Windows users, IS available to Mac users if you connect using Netscape. I really don't understand that one.