Turning out the lights on the old Fray.

Tomorrow, May 31^st, is the old Fray's last day of service. On Monday, we should be back—with entirely new and significantly improved software and interface.

Transitions are a melancholy time: One looks back with nostalgia and ahead with apprehension.

It's easy to observe that the Fray is "just a chatboard." It's equally obvious that most human relationships are "just chatter." We bond through talk, and the Fray is nothing but talk.

Over the years, Fraysters have formed genuine friendships and rivalries. The software going into retirement tomorrow has united lovers in matrimony, mourners in loss, friends in laughter, and critical thinkers in lively debate.

Over the course of today, we invite you to The Best of the Fray and ask you to add your words to this version's closing chapter. Click this link to read the discussion.

Please do join us next week for the inauguration of our new Fray. We'll be passing out a free cookie with each new account. GA … 10:30pm PDT

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Secret, a wildly successful self-help book-turned-infomercial (or is it the other way around?), is the object of a severe critique by John Gravois in last week's Culturebox. Prodded by some recent backpedalling from Oprah (who had previously endorsed The Secret on her show), Gravois fanned the flames of a nascent backlash against this latest cultural fad. (Note: due to a recent server outage on Slate, the links to some of these messages may no longer be functional.)

For Ellendiffrnet, positive thinking is no substitute for a solid work ethic.

curiousgemini goes a step further, blaming the cult of positive thinking for everything from lotteries, unemployed actors in Hollywood, and the Iraq war.