This really is a retrograde step. The site is no faster than it was last week. If anything, it's slower due to smilies, avatars and stars loading every time a page opens. The useful images, such as those contained in people's informational posts, are relegated to the visual equivalent of blancmange. The images are being loaded at their full size anyway and only being displayed at a smaller size, so what's the point? Having to click on an image to see it full size is not a solution; it's an ugly hack.