May
31
2006
0

Extreme… Ironing??

So I know there are a lot of so-called "extreme" sports out there. I also know there are a lot of weird people. So it stands to reason that we'd eventually hit upon some really weird extreme sports. Enter "Underwater Ironing."
 
Yep, a team of, umm, ironers, has just set a world record. A team of 55 took their irons to 30m deep and ironed their laundry. No word yet on whether the starch harmed the sealife.
 
 

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Written by Tim in: Current Events, Humor |
May
30
2006
0

Robots in School

Playing hooky just got easier. Except, with a $70,000 price tag, a forged parent's note might be cheaper. 
 
This article describes a robot used to stand in for a sick child missing school. One robot "sits" in the child's classroom, and his twin sits with the child in the hospital.
 
The two robots communicate live video and audio via the Internet, so the teacher can see the student in his hospital bed, and the student can have a virtual presence in his classroom. 
 
The child holds a video game-like controller that allows him to control the camera and even raise the robot's hand.
 
The children in the classroom soon learn to think of the robot as the child himself according to reports.
 
No commentary just yet; I haven't decided if this is a great idea or if it has potential for tremendous misuse. On the surface, however, it seems like a neat way to help sick kids.  

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Written by Tim in: Technology |
May
24
2006
0

Poor Guy!

From UPI, it seems that  Guy Goma (about whom I blogged earlier) may be deported as an indirect result of his accidental interview. 
 
BBC's fake interviewee — an illegal immigrant from the Congo mistakenly plucked from the lobby and interviewed as an expert on British TV — may be deported.

Guy Goma became an overnight sensation after overstaying his tourist visa and several months of unemployment when he was mistaken by a BBC News 24 producer for Guy Kewney, who was supposed to be interviewed about a court case involving Apple Computer and the Beatles Apple Corps Ltd.

Goma — who coincidentally has a master's degree in business from the Congo — tried to blunder through the question and answer session, the Sunday Mail reported.

His cryptic responses in broken English left his identity and expertise in question. The interview session — which has been downloaded 1.6 million times off The Mail's Web site and aired countless times on television — has brought Goma worldwide acclaim.

But it also brought the immigrant to the attention of British authorities who may deport him. That would be unfortunate because Goma recently applied for a technology position and wanted to capitalize on the publicity he'd received.
 
Poor Guy. 
 
(Thanks to Aunt Mary for the tip) 
 
Update: It seems that he's now ok, his paperwork came through, and he will be allowed to stay in the UK. What's more, he's quite famous as a result of all the media attention, and he is hoping to use that to his advantage in his job search. Official Website Here . 

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Written by Tim in: Current Events, Humor |
May
15
2006
0

Mistaken Identity

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a "Technology Thought," but it's much too funny to not mention!

It seems that two guys named Guy got confused. Smile The real guy, Guy Kewney, is a white, bearded technology expert. But a second guy, Guy Goma, is a black taxi driver.

Guy Goma, the taxi driver, went to BBC studios to interview for a low-level IT job. While waiting for his job interview, a producer came to the lobby looking for Guy Kewney, the expert, who was supposed to be there for a TV interview.

Somehow the two got confused, and taxi-driver Guy went in thinking he was there to interview for a job, and the producer thinking he was there to interview on live TV! He walked in and was fitted with a microphone, the cameras started rolling, and it was only as he was introduced as a technology expert that he realized he was in the wrong place.

It is unclear why the technology expert Guy was not there, but he was at home watching the interview with "him" on British television, quite perplexed! Meantime, taxi-driver Guy (and IT job applicant) is attempting to answer questions fired at him about a recent lawsuit involving Apple computer.

BBC: Were you surprised by this verdict today?

Mr Goma: I am very surprised to see… this verdict to come on me because I was not expecting that. When I came they told me somehting else and I am coming. So a big surprise anyway.

BBC: A big surprise, yeah, yes.

Mr Goma: Exactly.

The inverview continues here. But, to fully appreciate it, you have to see taxi-driver Guy's face when he is introduced as the technology Guy! Watch the video.

Poor guy! Laughing

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Written by Tim in: Current Events, Humor |

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