Elsewhere is a collection of unusual technology stories from around the world.
Hi, nice to bother you
Globetechnology.com
Just
when you thought the spam problem couldn’t get any worse … According to telecommunications experts, the advance of voice over IP services could lead to just that – on your home phone.
Says the story: “”The fear with VoIP spam is you will have an Internet address for your phone number, which means you can use the same tools you use for e-mail to generate traffic, said Tom Kershaw, a vice-president at security specialist VeriSign. “”That raises automation to scary degrees.””
Another one out of the park
MIT Technology Review
It appears sports metaphors aren’t overused enough. Now university researchers are putting them to work – batting averages, specifically – to measure the popularity of items on Web sites.
Ready, set, spam!
New York Times
When is the best time to get unsolicited e-mail? Let me check my watch: oh, right, never. When is the best time to send it? Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Just in case you wanted to know.
IT is gonna get you
The Register
It used to be that the only reason a pop or rock band cancelled a tour date was because they’d too one too many scotches on the (big white) rocks. Nowadays, there’s another, much more modern reason for wimping out: a computer crash. At least that’s the excuse Gloria Estefan gave for cancelling a show in Dallas. The wiseguys at The Register, though, suggest “”Ms Estefan’s IT infrastructure may have become self-aware. If it has, then it will certainly have a preference for Rush, rather than MOR Latino pop and is likely to remain defiantly non-functioning until a group of Canadian Rock Gods takes to the stage.””
Let’s text about sex
CNN.com
A little queasy about face-to-face chats with medical professionals about certain, um, activities? Now patients to UK hospitals and sexual health clinics have the option of getting SMS messages providing advice and appointment reminds.
Comment: [email protected]
