Are you using dialup?

A few extra little features of this forum software that PHP didn't have (that I found), gives the user the ability to choose whether or not they want to view other people's signatures and avatars.

NOTE: This is in addition to whether or not you want your own signature or avatar to be displayed. So you can still create one for other's to see.

Go to 'User Control Panel' and select 'Edit Options' from the items on the left. Near the bottom of the page there are check boxes to turn these off.

Happy (faster) browsing
Rhino