Ultra slow roll out "Before Christmas I signed up for a new rental (wired up for fibre to the door and internally)," writes Paula from Hamilton. "I was reassured by the agent and internet provider Spark that there was copper, so fibre was a 'choice'. I moved in early January. Aftermany phone calls, emails and site visits, I still had no internet. Seems someone forgot to update the system after the new build and fibre is the only option. After more emails I agreed to sign up to fibre two weeks ago. The last site visit was yesterday, but as every part of the process is contracted out to different contractors, we won't be wired up until February 26. I am wondering if they should consider renaming it to ultra-slow fibre?"
Who needs friends like this? After the Ship Your Enemies Glitter service earned its creator (who says it was a media prank) US$85,000 ($118,000), it was only a matter of time before someone else would try getting in on its success. Now we have Ship Your Friends Nothing. According to the site, "Nothing is more exciting than walking to the mailbox and pulling out an envelope with your name and address hand-written on it! And nothing is more disappointing, confusing, frustrating and possibly scary (in that order) than opening that envelope to find ... absolutely nothing."
Groundhog Day drama A mayor in Wisconsin has learned a valuable lesson about his city's weather-predicting groundhog: Don't get too close. Jimmy, the official groundhog in Sun Prairie, bit the mayor's ear during a Groundhog Day celebration on Monday. The groundhog's handler was holding the animal next to Mayor Jonathan Freund's face when it promptly bit down. Freund flinched, but he went on with his declaration that Jimmy had predicted an early spring. WISC-TV reports that the celebration became even more precarious when Jimmy's handlers, Jerry and Maria Hahn, said the mayor had gotten it wrong and there would be six more weeks of winter. The city later issued a statement saying only the mayor can translate Jimmy's prediction.
