Hey, We're Dying Over Here

Oh sure, you just wander by, peek in the window, then go about your merry way never giving a thought to the fact that we're sacrificing years off our lives to bring you poorly written, useless information so you can avoid doing something socially useful.

That didn't come out right.

Well, except for the dying part.

They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop.

Yeah baby! Long hours! Exhaustion! Sweat...wait a minute..."paid"?

Bloggers profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major upfront investment.

Actually, we just thought it'd be a good way to meet chicks.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet drinking.

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., a funeral was held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another technology blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

At the same time, approximately 289, 908 other people died of cardiovascular diseases, but they weren't bloggers, so blogging didn't kill them because is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people does not qualify as an epidemic, but Matt needs 800 words for his column so he's going for stating the screamingly, mind numbingly obvious like it is a secret of the universe, plus the totally gratuitous and insulting explanation as a topper.

Blogging has been lucrative for some, but those on the lower rungs of the business can earn as little as $10 a post.

Wow! Where do we go to sign up for that lower rung?