So did Slush ask you to speak for him?  Just curious.

I would like something more official, like an actual comment from Slush about block 17925.  I have been following this thread for many dozens of pages and I have seen Slush come on here and say a block was miscalculated and see it adjusted.  I don't think "working as designed" describes a block where many people got about 1/10,000 of the estimated reward while others got 10-15 times more than the estimated reward.  That sounds like a problem.

Full time mining removes the probability factor over time so that it does not resemble playing the lottery.  Block 17925 looks exactly like playing the lottery.  It appears to be an anomaly based on what I have seen over time but nevertheless it indicates a problem.  If Slush says that problem doesn't exist or he doesn't want to address it that is one thing (and allows me to make an informed decision about where I want to mine) but if random interwebs guy says it (i.e. you) that means jack.

Finally I would point out to those with the browner of noses that this is a partnership.  No miners, no pool; no Slush no pool.  We all profit together or we all have no pool together.  It is in Slush's interests to keep his miners happy because that keeps the pool making profit for all.  This is not about us all simply benefitting from Slush's generosity.  I paid money to build my miners and I contribute actual computing power (such as it is) to the work of finding blocks.  Blocks don't just arrive in the mail and then get divided up by some benevolent pool owner.

Having said that I want to see a more or less reliable profit over time, which is the entire point of mining in a pool.  If I want to play the lottery I'll take up solo mining.