Things are a touch different around here today.

In the aftermath of September 11, what constitutes a journal entry and what belongs in the Ideapad have become hopelessly intertwined. There’s a chance that distinction would have returned in time, but many of my recent Ideapad posts were short on good links, while the Journal — read by only 10 percent of the Ideapad’s audience — was flourishing. My Auricle posts also ground to a halt this summer.

So: a little format change is upon is, a dash of Textism and a bit of old-school Wrongwaygoback and a pinch of Grenier and dollops of the other usual subjects. What appears in this column will at long last revolve more around essays (now titled) than sentences. Links will be posted in the right-hand column as inspiration strikes. Music will be discussed here, too, with Now Playing items appearing in the link list, natch.

Meet the new ‘pad, same as the old ‘pad. The fun factor will not abate, nor will the (aspiringly) insightful commentary on the Internet and media industries. We’re just shaking up the presentation a bit. Please let me know in a week or two how I’m doing.