Random thought of the wee morning hours: There are several banner ads out there lately which, through technologies such as Flash and Shockwave, annoy viewers with not only animation but also an automatically activated sound clip.

Such banners, I think, are wrong on so many levels. If you’re at work and just happen to have your speakers turned on… if you’re listening to MP3s and are suddenly interrupted by random sounds of race cars, bicycles, and babies crying… if you’re on a computer without an easily accessible volume control late at night… OK, I think you get the idea.