The message board allows anonymous posting (at least until the Nigerian p0rn spammers discover this web site).  Anonymous posters have to fill out the annoying captcha (try to guess what the mangled word is in the picture) to demonstrate they are not just spam-bots.  If you are a member who would like to be a regular contributor, you may consider setting up an account so you can log in.  Logged in users can skip the whole capcha process.  They also can receive email notification when someone replies to a message thread they have posted in or started, and can pick a custom icon to display alongside their posts.  (If you signed into the previous web site even once within the past couple of years, your account is now active.)