Though I was joking about hosting an awards show, I have been pondering a way to recognize those things that matter most to the Assailable Cool community.

When our site is Fully Loaded, and running at capacity, there will be postings about favorite songs, great movies, life-changing books, and bright spots on the web. Currently under development at the secret AC R&D labs is a system that will lable and brand highlights in each category. Honorable mentions will also be noted with proper AC flourish.

In addition to mere recognition, each achievement (as a highlight or as an honorable mention) will earn the artist token Cool Points.

What's a Cool Point, you ask? It's soon to be the easiest mark of how cool something is in comparison to something else...on our site...

For Instance: Say Coldplay's new "Speed of Sound" was picked as the AC Song of the Week (Hmmm, AC SOW? Call the R&D lab, we're going to need some help over here...). Chris Martin & Company could be awarded 5 cool points for the honor. And say that they have continued success with the song (earning repeated honorable mentions), they could keep earning 1 or 2 Cool Points per mention. At the end of the year, you might find out that "Speed of Sound" (according to the AC community) was just as cool as Ben Folds' "Landed," but not nearly as cool as the second single from the new Weezer album.

The same could go for movies. If a movie changes our life, it will surely get a load of CPs. But for every cool media article we spot, or every award it wins, maybe they'll get another Point. This way, you'll easily be able to tell your "Hitchhiker's Guide" from your "War of the Worlds". ("Hitchhiker's" will be the one with more Cool Points. Trust me...)

And who knows what else will earn Points for all those cool people, places, and things out there...

But you wanna know the real fun?
You wanna know why you should care about Cool Points?
Well....

The best part about cool points is: You can contribute to their distribution. That's right! Assail away, because with every comment that adds to the cool of an item, it's another Cool Point headed their way. Love a band and want everyone to know? Write a great critique and get them a Cool Point! Hate a movie, and think you can convince others to as well? You better be persuasive, because you might take a Cool Point away; but you also might inspire people to thoughtfully retaliate, possibly earning back more Cool Points than you took away... See how it works?

The other best part about cool points: You can earn some for yourself! If you're a constant commenter that traditionally adds to our community cool, rest assured: you will be recognized.

Now, at the end of the year, will we host a big gala and give away gaudy awards to the entities that earned the highest Cool Point totals? Nah. But it wouldn't be above us to write a post about it. We might even try for some cool giveaways.

In the meantime, though, get ready for the flood... Next week's posts will include our first major media shout-outs. Be warned!

As always, thanks for tuning in. And stay cool.