"Some ideas in the (MCot

book and on this board that were immediately practical and there were some that did not seem immediately apparent but made sense later on."-AndruP
I think this is a great point, Andrew. Daniel's vision for the site is that it be practical, with lots of good information that people can put to use immediately, rather than just another forum for idle speculation. I'm completely onboard with that, as I think most of the active members are. But what is practical for some may not be practical for others, depending on what is going on in their practice and understanding at any given time. As an example, direct path ("non-dual") teachings may look very different from Theravada teachings, but are no less practical for some people.
While Mahasi-style vipassana is about sitting quietly, with proper investigative technique, and learning about the workings of our own minds, direct path teachings rely heavily on pointing out instructions and verbal reminders. Several members have written to say that they have made breakthroughs in their practice just by reading the posts here. Both of these modalities, i.e., the developmental approach of Burmese vipassana and the direct path approach of Dzogchen or Advaita, can (and in my opinion should) be part of a comprehensive package of practice.
Although the boards have been a bit chaotic of late, there is some really high-level and practical discussion going on. It has been painful at times, but I would say the benefits have outweighed the pain. And, although I agree with Daniel that the signal to noise ratio was a little out of hand for awhile, I think we're back on track now.