Elsewhere is a collection of unusual technology stories from around the world.
Nothing succeeds like excess
BBC Online
A screensaver released by Lycos Europe
that uses PC downtime to overwhelm spam sites with traffic is overwhelming the target Web sites, drawing complaints of vigilantism and comparisons to DDoS attacks. Uh-huh. And your point is?
Quick! Get out and commit some crimes now!
The Register
A software bug has left police in England and Wales unable to run fingerprint checks for moer than a week. This does not bode well for a proposed national biometric ID card system in the UK.
Bet he never wrapped his head around cruise control, either
Australian IT
An elderly motorist brought freeway traffic to a screeching halt when his onboard GPS unit told him to make a U-turn immediately — and he did. “”It’s not the first time we’ve had a GPS incident,”” notes an investigating officer.
From tiny cell phones do mighty oaks grow
ABC (Australia) News Online
Engineers have developed a mobile phone case with a seed embedded in it that sprouts if it is planted in compost. Given the rate of cell phone obsolescence, we’ll be up to our hips in posies in no time.
An Idea Whose Time Has Come(TM)
Wall Street Journal
Chicago restauranteur Kevin Boehm noticed a customer with the courtesy to take his cell phone call outside on a frigid evening. He was inspired to create a plush leather cell phone booth for the eatery, so talkers can take their calls without disrupting diners — or freezing to death.
How to get beat up in a sports bar
CNN.com
An inventor is being besieged by buyers for his key chain gadget that functions like a universal remote, and can turn off most TVs in restaurants, airports and the like. Try that at your local Shoeless Joe’s and see what happens to you.
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