it seems like each post I make requires me to also enter “Budget” or “Light” in another text box to validate I am not some kind of spambot. I thought this was because I am new and it would go away after X posts. Is this something everybody does or am I still considered new?
You should only have to do it once after each time you log in. You can thank the god-awful spammers for it. A bit of a pain but far less painful of the mess they would leave in their wakes without it.
cookies off?
Excellent call!
Sounds like a cookie call to me too.