I have to say article submissions show promise. Though I've got to see if the Diggs may have affected this. Next time i won't Digg, but submit to the same directory.
so how did it work out in the end? ( if you can remember that far back! )

I was a newbie back then Dave!... Have learnt a lot fast (I think).
It was actually a pretty good move I suppose, and maybe better than what I'm doing now. I think I only ever submitted the one article in the end.
The article submitted was rewritten by myself, cutting 200 words out, and was unique to the original.
The article at ezinearticles no longer ranks, but today the post on the blog ranks no5 in UK Google for the 3 word targetted phrase from 2,370,000 potential results and has stuck there for the best part of a year - behind articles from bbc.co.uk, cnet.com & pcmag.co.uk. The phrase probably brings a handful of similar searches a week, so is by no means a biggie.
I haven't done as much to that site in the last 6 months as I should have, as I've been concentrating on a different site. I left it ranking no3 for the term "digital tv" which has now slipped to second page.
I think I ought to do more with it because your reply, as well as recent comments from the reps on Setanta and Sky affiliate programmes has prompted me to check what it ranks for now and I don't think it'll require much to bring it up to date.