KEY POINTS:
Barry has used yahoo.com for his email address for the past eight years. "I have set up a nice home page with selected world news, etc," he says. "So I was somewhat annoyed when I logged on yesterday afternoon to find that my email has been hijacked by a new hybrid Yahoo-Xtra. My home page has disappeared and been replaced by Kia-ora New Zealand News. Surely this hijacking should be made illegal?"
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J. Luke writes: "At least twice a week for roughly the last three months my wife and I receive a phone call claiming we have been selected for the trip of a lifetime. Through their thick Indian accents they explain how we have been selected from the phonebook and are about to enjoy a magical carpet ride of travel. They go through fine detail of what this prize entails and how much it would cost should we pay retail prices. But of course this all hangs on the condition that we supply our credit card details for the prize to be transferred. We noticed early on that they very quickly gave up when we told them we didn't have a credit card. My wife and I have started to have a bit of fun with them, questioning them as to why they want this information, who they are and generally just annoying them. The last time they rang, 20 seconds into their spiel I blurted out "I'm not giving you my credit card number" and they hung up immediately.
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What's wrong with a sign (above right) that just states the basic facts, like "road widening and resurfacing?" John Laker asks a very important question.
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There has been outrage in Italy after the outgoing Government published every Italian's declared earnings and tax contributions on the internet. The tax authority's website was inundated by people curious to know how much their neighbours, celebrities or sports stars were making. The site proved so popular it was overwhelmed and impossible to access. The Italian Treasury suspended the website after a formal complaint from the country's privacy watchdog.
(Source: bbc.co.uk)
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A Romanian man has lodged an official complaint with the local trading standards agency after he got drunk on a single can of beer. Iancu Boroi, 35, said he had bought the beer at a supermarket in Arges in southern Romania but was so drunk after drinking just one can that he nearly passed out. He said: "I am more than capable of holding my drink and it is ridiculous to think one can of beer can get me so drunk. There must have been something wrong with it and I am demanding compensation."
(Source: Ananova.com)
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We appreciate your feedback: "To reproduce the dumb chainsaw murderer dress-up story is sick," exclaims Ross. "It is not humour. It is not news. At best it is a sad reflection of where society is heading. Wait for the insane copycat performances. Whoever selected the story for Sideswipe should be sacked and referred to the medical authorities."
