I respect that some may like it.
For me, it's completely pointless and ruins the aesthetics (my wife said it best, "it looks like something's wrong with the tv...also, the time is RIGHT there").
There are so many more important/useful things that need to be addressed with regards to the Guide (scrolling still does not anchor on the left, search function doesn't show channel, logos not respecting transparencies, no filtering of the guide based on content, etc). It's not like you guys have to reinvent the wheel here. Use WMC's Guide for a few minutes and you'll find a lot of very useful details that quickly and logically accessible.
Just please make that garish vertical line an option.