Odd news... November 08

[Bungleau]

Originally Posted by Bungleau Also from USA Today... Victoria's Secret hired students to tout its Pink loungewear on 15 college campuses, collecting old sweats to donate to domestic violence shelters. It also asked for online votes for students to add their schools to the 33 who have their logos featured on Pink products. MIT students hacked the voting system, giving themselves millions of votes before Victoria's Secret staffers cut them off Something about that just made me smile really, really big

Came across news today that the NHL, which had allowed fans to vote online for the 2008-2009 All-Stars, is concerned that someone might be stuffing the ballot box.

Seems that all the Montreal Canadiens representatives are leading their respective categories... they've all got over 200,000 votes, and there's only one other player with more than 100,000 votes. Apparently someone developed an auto-voting script... the NHL is investigating.

Score another one for the crackers

[Luvian]

Originally Posted by Bungleau Came across news today that the NHL, which had allowed fans to vote online for the 2008-2009 All-Stars, is concerned that someone might be stuffing the ballot box. Seems that all the Montreal Canadiens representatives are leading their respective categories... they've all got over 200,000 votes, and there's only one other player with more than 100,000 votes. Apparently someone developed an auto-voting script... the NHL is investigating. Score another one for the crackers

Dang they're on to us! But at least it's too late now to go back and change the world edition of Monopoly.

[Bungleau]

Hmmm... from Fox Sports News...

Serie A team scores after dropping shorts ROME (AP) - Serie A side Catania has come up with a creative way to score from a free kick: block the goalkeeper's vision by having players drop their shorts down in a wall. The Sicilian team carried out the maneuver to perfection when Giuseppe Mascara scored in Sunday's 3-2 win over Torino. Three Catania players dropped their shorts down near their knees so Torino goalkeeper Matteo Sereni couldn't see Mascara's kick. "This is a strategy that (Catania coach Walter) Zenga tries continually in training," the club's chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco told RAI state radio Monday. Former referees coordinator Paolo Casarin called the move "unsportsmanlike and in bad taste. "It's a trick that should not be tolerated anymore by the referees," Casarin said. Lo Monaco responded, "A trick? I wouldn't say so. It's up to the referee to decide if it should be penalized, otherwise I don't see where the problem is....Good taste is relative."

Picture at the link... one way to get bigger...

[Bungleau]

Okay... either one of these was odd, but both?

First...

Driver sentenced for throwing axe at motorist Motorist accused of throwing wrench at vehiclePORT ORCHARD, Wash. – A 32-year-old man was booked and jailed for investigation of reckless endangerment and fourth-degree assault on Friday after allegedly throwing a wrench at another vehicle on a highway. The tool broke a vehicle's driver's-side window, showering glass inside the vehicle, and struck the driver in his left shoulder on State Highway 16. The man driving the vehicle wasn't injured. The State Patrol said investigators were unable to determine the reason for the assault. Witnesses traveling westbound on the highway told troopers the man had been passing vehicles and traveling at a high rate of speed when he threw the wrench "for no apparent reason." The man was arrested at his house. ___ Information from: Kitsap Sun, http://www.kitsapsun.com/

Second...

Driver sentenced for throwing axe at motorist LINCOLN, Neb. – A driver who threw an axe at another motorist, wounding him, has been sentenced to 37 days in jail. The man, 51, was sentenced Friday in Lancaster County Court for third-degree assault and criminal mischief after pleading no contest to the charges. Authorities said two vehicles were traveling near an intersection on June 13 and one cut in front of the other, prompting both vehicles to stop. The man threw a 3-foot axe through the other driver's passenger window, striking him in the ribs with the blunt end. ___ Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com

OKay... I know you get frustrated by other people, but unless you're a combatant in a war, launching things out the window at them is *NOT* the best way to take care of things! I mean, not only do you get the chance to meet Bubba and his other cellmates, but you'll probably end up losing your axe or wrench, too!

[Bungleau]

From Yahoo Odd News...

Man nabbed after hitting girlfriend with sandwich PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – A man faces a domestic battery charge after allegedly hitting his girlfriend with a sandwich as she was driving on Interstate 95 on Friday. Police said the 19-year-old man became angry and hit the woman in the arm and face with a sandwich, knocking her glasses off. The victim nearly lost control of the car because she couldn't see the road and the man then allegedly ripped off the rear-view mirror and used it to shatter the windshield. The man was freed on $7,500 bail. Police haven't said what type of sandwich was involved. ___ Information from: South Florida Sun-Sentinel, http://www.sun-sentinel.com

I didn't realize that knowing whether it was a reuben or a hoagie was relevant...

[Bungleau]

From Yahoo Odd News...

New constable allows friend to fire gun into air SAN BENITO, Texas – A newly elected constable was questioned by sheriff's deputies after allowing a friend to fire his county-issued handgun into the air at a party. The constable, elected earlier this month, was at a friend's house late Saturday when Cameron County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of shots fired. The constable and the homeowner appeared to be drunk and the friend admitted to firing the gun, according to the incident report. Neither man was charged. ___ Information from KGBT-TV: http://www.kgbt4.com

Yep... loaded weapons in the hands of drunken police officials... only in Texas....

[Harkoliar]

Wife's iPhone plea as hubby emails raunchy pictures to lover Email Printer friendly version Normal font Large font Asher Moses November 19, 2008 - 10:37AM Advertisement A US woman has discovered her husband using his iPhone to send raunchy pictures of his genitals to a lover, which he tried to explain was caused by an Apple bug. The embarrassing high-tech domestic dispute quickly became public after the woman, Susan, made a post on Apple's discussion board for iPhone technical support. She was desperate to determine whether her husband's excuse was legitimate, holding out hope despite claiming she had already caught him making late night phone calls and messages to other women. "Please help! I took my husband's i-phone and found a raunchy picture of him attached to an e-mail to a woman in his sent e-mail file (a Yahoo account)," Susan wrote. "When I approached him about this (I think that he is cheating on me) he admitted that he took the picture but says that he never sent it to anyone. "He claims that he went to the Genius Bar at the local Apple store and they told him that it is an i-phone glitch: that photos sometimes automatically attach themselves to an e-mail address and appear in the sent folder, even though no e-mail was ever sent." Susan then pleaded with the Apple experts on the discussion board to tell her if they had ever heard of the bug, saying "the future of my marriage depends on this answer". Susan did not leave any contact details so it is not possible to contact her to verify the story. Her account on the Apple site says she is located in New Jersey. Most of the initial responses informed Susan that it was not possible for images to be attached to emails automatically. Curiously, two newly registered users then posted responses saying they had experienced the glitch several times but didn't know how to fix it. They were quickly shot down by regulars of the discussion board who queried whether the posts were made by Susan's husband or online miscreants. Susan did not publish the photograph online but described it in G-rated language for the benefit of the morbidly curious onlookers. "It was a close-up shot of him pleasuring himself taken at the exact moment of maximum pleasure ... It's such a good shot that one must wonder if he actually practiced it a few times before getting it right," she wrote. Susan thanked the discussion board users for their assistance but not before declaring that her lawyer was "working on the divorce complaint".

http://www.smh.com.au/news/digital-l...770499391.html
Actual post:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread....readID=1786497 (thread locked now though )

[Bungleau]

From [url="http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20081119/tc_afp/britainusitinternetcompanyapplegoogleoffbeat"]Yahoo Tech News...[.url]

iPhone sex: Google application baffled by British accents (AFP) LONDON (AFP) - A new voice-recognition search tool for the iPhone has problems understanding British accents, leading to some bizarre answers to spoken queries, a newspaper report and users said Wednesday. The free application, which allows iPhone owners to use the Google search engine with their voice, mistook the word "iPhone" variously for "sex," "Einstein" and "kitchen sink," said the Daily Telegraph. Comments left by users on the application's website seemed to confirm the problem. "Awesome job google. only problem is every time I say the word 'fish' it registers as 'sex'," wrote one, identified as Kevin. A video demonstration of the Google Mobile App on the online giant's website shows an American engineer successfully asking for pictures of the Golden Gate as well as cinema timetables and temperature conversions. The website also includes a link to a video showing people with Irish, British and Chinese accents asking for relatively complicated searches, with apparent success. But British iPhone owners had less luck when speaking the word "iPhone" into the application -- a Scottish user was offered a porn website after it mistook his search for "sex," the Telegraph reported. A user from Surrey, south of London, had his request mistaken for "myspace" and "Einstein" was another option offered for "iPhone" spoken with a Kent accent, it said. The only British accent which correctly understood the request was for a user from Yorkshire, northern England, although he was also offered "bonfire." A Welsh accent gave the suggestions "gorillas" and "kitchen sink." "I've got a traditional Kentish accent and the thing kept on spitting back ridiculous things," said Roger Ellinson, 26, from Maidstone in Kent, southeastern England. "I asked it to find my nearest pizza take away and it came back with something about volcanoes," he added. "I asked it to find my nearest pub and it gave me a link to some kind of weird dating website," said Ellinson. "I'll have to try to put on my best American accent to get it to work." On its website, Google points out that the new voice search system "is currently available only in U.S. English." One British user, Edward Parsons, says on the site's comments board: "This is fantastic, except for the North American accent bias. "It actually works pretty well, but I have to disguise my (North London) accent with a terrible folksy Texan tourist voice to get results. I can see this is going to be the source of much amusement and confusion."

See.... we Americans really *ARE* trying to take over the world! Once we've convinced all the Brits to talk like Texans, it's just a short step the rest of the way...

[dplax]

Try making Microsoft Sam speak something in another language like French or German...

[Firestormalpha]

Something from the travel pages.

Monkey see, monkey chew While on safari in Kenya, we stayed at the Kichwa Tembo camp on the edge of the Masai Mara Game Reserve. As our guide showed us our tent, he stressed that we had to keep the tent door closed or the monkeys would take everything. When the monkeys stole the sugar cubes for our morning tea, we thought it was cute—but when we saw one trying to eat a lightbulb, we knew our guide was serious! Jennifer Klein, Glendale, Calif. To be fair, they look yummy My wife, her sister, her sister's husband, and I went to Amsterdam and visited the red-light district. When my brother-in-law and I heard moans of delight, we weren't surprised, until we realized they came from our wives, lagging behind us as we walked past prostitutes in picture windows. We turned and found our wives peering through a window, their tongues hanging out. The source of their pleasure? A bakery display of waffles topped with chocolate, strawberries, bananas, and mounds of whipped cream. Robert N. Turner, Centennial, Colo. When dinner bites back While in Tunisia, we stopped at a small hotel for lunch. The menu was in French. My companion chided me for ordering poulet rôti, since I could eat chicken at home. He chose the cerveau d'agneau. "Agneau means 'lamb.' I love lamb," he said. His enthusiasm dimmed when his plate arrived. "This is really bony," he announced. He sawed until he freed a bit of flesh. "Chewy," he said, as he ate it with difficulty. Then he hissed, "Teeth! Those are teeth!" It was true. The waiter, who hurried to our table to see what was amiss, snickered at the "gourmet" who'd just eaten the lips off a sheep's head while ignoring the brains—baked to perfection and presented in their original container. I laughed so hard, I could barely finish my superb chicken. Jennie L. Brown, Bowling Green, Ky. Toilet story No. 1 I was practicing my Italian at a coffee bar in Assisi. I'd seen my Italian friend Liana avoid a charge for water by asking for it from the faucet, so I did the same. The barman gave me a funny look, but I felt proud of myself as I watched him fill the glass at the sink. When I told Liana about it later, she burst out laughing. Instead of asking for water from the rubinetto, I'd asked for it from the gabinetto (toilet). Celia Orona, Lakeside, Calif. Get back or we'll butter you! My friend Sue and I went to St. Croix for a vacation and got rooms in a bungalow on the beach. One night we heard tapping on the sliding doors. We had no phone to call for help, so we searched the kitchen for weapons. Butter knives in hand, we approached the doors. Sue pulled the curtains—the tapping came from two gigantic crabs. What a relief! Antoinette Kish, Katonah, N.Y. These kids have priorities My husband and I took our teenage daughters on a three-week camping safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The campsites provided the bare necessities, and few had flush toilets. This worried our daughters, but we all got used to it. We enjoyed seeing exotic animals in their natural habitat. At Serengeti National Park, our daughters came running up to us. "Mom! Dad! Guess what they have here!" They were so excited, we assumed it must be a very rare creature. "Flush toilets! Clean porcelain potties!" Talk about an appreciation of the "wild life!" Glenda Durano, Albuquerque, N.M. We'd go for the coffee After a week in Punta Cana, my family and I went to the airport to fly home. Gun-toting military policemen with drug-sniffing German shepherds were circulating through the crowd in customs. We didn't pay much attention, but then the dogs seized upon my suitcase, snarling and clawing. One of the men motioned to me with his gun to open my suitcase. "This is probably what the dogs smelled," I said, holding out a bag of fresh coffee. But the dogs were still feverishly clawing at a pocket on my suitcase, so the man opened it. A slight smile crossed his face as he slid three tennis balls out of my bag to the eager yelps of the dogs. Then the man told us that trainers use tennis balls to reward the dogs when they find drugs. Becki Chianese, Monmouth Beach, N.J. We are so going to hear from his lawyer My husband, Scott, and I went to England in 2004 during a heat wave. We were in a sweaty crowd wherever we went. At the British Museum, Scott went to the restroom. I sat down to wait, and I realized I was sitting next to travel guru Rick Steves, who's from my home state, so I had a conversation with him. When Scott returned, I pointed and mouthed, "Rick Steves!" He just nodded, and we walked away. His lack of reaction surprised me, but I let it go. Back home, we were showing our neighbors pictures of our trip, and I said, "This is where I sat next to Rick Steves." Scott asked, "When did you see Rick Steves?" I reminded him of the moment at the museum, and he said, "I thought you were saying, 'He stinks!'" Sheryl Knowles, Marysville, Wash. The Taj Mahal of toilets Recently, my husband and I went to a remote village in India's Jharkhand State to see how our relief organization could assist the people there. I was nervous about the bathroom facilities I would find in an area with no running water or electricity. We were told that I would be the first fair-skinned woman to visit the village and that the people were excited about our arrival. After a lovely welcome, I learned that the men had been busy erecting a bathroom for my use. I was never so touched to see a toilet in all my life. Duska Cornwell, Charleston, Ill. Well, you raised him I flew to Spain with my son and his family. It was quite warm on the plane, and we complained, but no adjustment was made. I dozed off for a bit and awoke to find a very crude man down the row from me sleeping with his shirt off. I was horrified to realize that the "crude man" was my son. Beverly Lerner, Houston, Tex. Bright side: No Dumpsters For our anniversary in Las Vegas, we wanted a view of the Strip, but when we checked in, we were given a room with a view of Dumpsters and the airport. We were told to call every hour or so to find out if a room with a better view had been cleaned. After four hours, we got a new one. We opened the door, ran to the window for our killer view—and counted 22 cranes and 35 port-a-potties! Bill and Cathleen Huckaby, Lodi, Calif. But did it have Lyme disease? One night at a mountain resort, my non-nature-loving mother-in-law, Ruth, noticed a puffy brown thing stuck to her arm. She thought it was a tick and put it in a baggie to have it examined for Lyme disease. Then her son-in-law looked at it. He stared, squinted, and then poked and smelled it. Finally he told her, "Ruth, this is a raisin." Anne Noonan, Orono, Minn. Hello, kitty! When I helped my daughter move, we took a red-eye and brought her two cats. When we got to security, all the TSA employees gathered around the monitor and laughed at my bag. I had accidentally placed one of the pet crates on the belt for the scanner—it was literally a cat scan! Elizabeth Crawford, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.