I wouldn't say useless. Keeping your customers up to date builds rapport. That's useful if you want repeat business.
I meant the soothing gibberish. That's not keeping the customer informed, that's just delaying the complaining as much as possible (until the issue is resolved or you run for the hills).
I think SB should try to stick to a regular weekly update at least. He's working on things, he should let us know (setup a newsletter on the LSD site?).