Obscure Box
A gruesome feed
Sometimes a news feed offers too much. Take this offering today from ninemsn.com.au. A gruesome story with an equally gruesome offer of “Photos Video Watch live” if the feed is followed. Thankfully the full story “Teen rushed to hospital after tongue piercing” (Tuesday 4 May 2010) doesn’t contain any video or ability to watch live [...]
The Gates’ Breath meets the Hourglass Syndrome
It was back in August 2008 when I first mentioned my frustration at what I called the Gates’ Breath, in Just wait a Gates’ breath. Now the brainy people at chip manufacturer Intel have revealed figures on a similar condition that’s called Hourglass Syndrome. The Reuters story Stressed by slow computers? You are not alone [...]
Not the drumming gorilla we're used to
When the drumming gorilla first hit the web he was a big hit. I recall sitting in one office where the e-mail went from desk to desk, on each occasion the tune was the same. Phil Collins – he of Genesis and solo career fame – was heard singing the opening lines of his classic [...]
Dodgy TV phone polls revealed
Ever thought those TV phone polls and competition lines were dodgy? Well Britain’s ITV network has been fined a total of £5,675,000 (about A$11.8-million) for a series of phone poll scams. The BBC’s report “Ant and Dec return comedy prize” (Friday 9 May 2008) says the comedy duo are “absolutely appalled” after they were given [...]
What does keep prices down?
Fuel price watchdogs and motoring bodies have been arguing that increased competition – not regulation – is the best way to keep prices down for motorists. Hence their puzzlement at the Rudd Government’s introduction of a national FuelWatch scheme. (I’ve written about this for The Courier-Mail newspaper.) The government has argued that the new regulation [...]