It used to be that error messages were by far the least interesting thing you could run into on a Web site. It wasn't too uncommon to hit a 404-File Not Found, a 403-Forbidden, or other simple numbers that didn't exactly tell you why your Web journey had come to an end. Now, with the latest generation of Web-focused companies tailoring their offerings to younger viewers, and less so to the initial Unix-loving geeks who dominated the Web at its beginning, even the error messages have been upgraded.

YouTube, the video sharing site which has gained an overwhelming amount of publicity of late that saw the site's traffic compared to the New York Times, and is rumored to be valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, took itself off-line late tonight, and threw up a silly image to explain just why they had to ask users to accept the technical difficulties, along with a note that "We're currently putting out some new features, sweeping out the cobwebs and zapping a few gremlins. We'll be back later. In the meantime, please enjoy a layman's explanation of our website..."

Below is that image.



Just last week, when teen-home MySpace went on the blink, users were asked to satiate themselves with a Flash game of PacMan. At least the sites are having a sense of humor about them amid the stress of being down. Now, if only they'd learn they need to forge a redundant fail-safe infrastructure like the rest of the for-profit world.

Listening to ''Together We Will Conquer (Radi'', by Paul Van Dyk (Play Count: 5)

"I was a Republican until they lost their minds."

Listening to ''Pizza For Eggs'', by Underworld (Play Count: 5)

Having always worked in private companies, and having not yet ever reached the promised land of an IPO and public markets, the world of stock markets and public trading always has belonged to other folks. I'd often hear stories of how some saw their options first become real, and then rise and fall with the whim of the traders, but it wasn't brought home to reality - sounding more like fairy tales. But some got new cars, and some got new scars, and most lived to tell about it.

I can't recall whether it was through the gossip mill or from friends who worked at these newly-public companies, but many would tell stories of how their options would be priced at the lowest point of the stock's crest in the most recent month or quarter - meaning that regardless of its present condition, they were guaranteed to have been in the money, at least a little bit. This was normal, and if I remember right, was used as an incentive - like a company perk.

However, with increased corporate scrutiny from the SEC following all the mega-scandals at the beginning of this decade, more than 60 companies are under fire for such shenanigans, and among the most well-known is Apple Computer, where a good chunk of my investments are right now. (Okay, a huge chunk.)

After market close today, the company disclosed that it may have to restate previous quarters' earnings due to the practice, which they originally hinted was not going to be significant. As you know, any uncertainty is not good news to the markets, and it's highly unlikely that Apple stock will get away with not being punished tomorrow, even if the issues took place years ago, and the people involved are themselves gone.

As the Wall Street Journal notes, it's not clear "just what the irregularities are", and that today's announcement marked a "noticeable shift" in the company's position on the option grants. Just two weeks ago, Apple said it wouldn't need such an adjustment.

For those of us holding Apple stock, the next week or so should be a bumpy ride. Next week is the kick-off for WWDC, and many new products are anticipated. We could go down before we go up, and then back down again. Buckle up.

Listening to ''The One (Driftwood Remix)'', by Dee Dee (Play Count: 7)

My wife is a history buff. I am a baseball buff. Our two passions will intersect tomorrow evening when we take a trip a few blocks over from our hotel to see the Boston Red Sox take on the visiting Cleveland Indians at historic Fenway Park, site of back-to-back walkoff wins by the Red Sox in the last two nights. I first made the trip to Fenway Park myself in May of 2005, when on a business trip, I had planned ahead and scored the much-prized tickets. Though I enjoyed the game a great deal, the outcome was not what I had hoped, as the A's, coincidentally visiting Boston that week, managed to cough up the lead against Boston in the 9th inning, capsizing on a Kevin Millar home run over the Green Monster.

It seems that the Red Sox play amazingly well while I'm in town, for some reason. They came back against their rival Yankees in the 2004 ALCS from an unprecedented 3-0 deficit. They had a record of 0-3 prior to my coming to Boston, and were 8-0 the rest of the way, including the 2004 World Series. In 2005, I saw them defeat the A's in brutal fashion, and it was repeated the following day. On this trip, the Sox have wowed fans in the bottom of the ninth both Tuesday and Wednesday. Needless to say, if you're a betting man, it's clear the Indians aren't going to give you any kind of returns tomorrow. You can put it in the bank.

While I'm very much obviously an Oakland A's fan, I am absolutely a baseball fan first and foremost. In the last years, I've capitalized on business travel to see Fenway (now twice), Wrigley Field, Camden Yards, and Bank One Ballpark. My hope is that I can someday catch all 30 teams, and somehow get work to pay for it. That would be grand.

Listening to ''Track 06'', by DJ Lithium (Play Count: 4)