I don't like embedded images. They usually clutter up the discussion without much benefit. This is especially true of signature images: they take up more screen space than a few paragraphs, but they provide almost no value.
If you replace your signature image with a short direct link to an image, it would be easy for someone to write a GreaseMonkey script that expands these images.
But have you asked the COMMUNITY what it likes? Or do you just not care?
Really? People complained HARD about having a text ad under the first posting on each page. How are signature image ads not intrusive but a single text ad be something to complain about?