Don't Panic! Lighten Up!S

Camera

Watching the watchers who watch the watchers who . . . . .

El Reg Street View snappers caught on camera. Surveillance feedback loops threaten fabric of time and space!

It's been live for less than a week, but Google's Street View has already got the press and privacy outfits in a bit of a tizz over the possible implications of having the UK's highways and byways, and indeed the citizens unfortunate enough to have been walking Blighty's leafy boulevards when the Orwellian Opel came a-calling, plastered across cyberspace.

Amid all the hand-wringing, however, there are some resolute souls who care not one jot if they're nailed by the search monolith's roving spymobiles: The El Reg counter-surveillance surveillance operatives, who submitted snaps to our now-legendary snoopcar sighting mashup. See real-time interactive map here. (Opens in new window.)

Smiley

Toddler buys real digger online

backhoe
© unknownPipi's parents nearly had to dig deep
A New Zealand couple nearly found themselves in a financial hole when their three-year-old daughter bought an earthdigger in an internet auction.

The child, Pipi Quinlan, was trying out her online skills while her parents were asleep in bed.

They only unearthed the truth when they received an email demand for NZ$20,000 (ยฃ8,000) from the seller.

Pipi's mother, Sarah, had left the computer logged on. The owner of the digger is not insisting on the sale.

Mr. Potato

It's Made of 100% Cotton; Its Sales Are 99% Ironic

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© Amazon.com
Something strange happened this week in Amazon.com's apparel section.

For a day or two, a black T-shirt featuring an image of three wolves baying at a full moon claimed the top slot at the online store's clothing bestseller list,, beating out the usual, unremarkable mix of Levi's 505 regular-fit jeans, Crocs clogs and Adidas running shoes.

And really, why wouldn't you buy the shirt, which is priced from $7.65 to $17.93, depending on your size? Just read the long and growing list of customer testimonials promising earth-shattering experiences or psychedelic vision quests upon purchase.

Umbrella

Just Quackers! UK Government spends 300,000 on Three-year Study To Show Ducks Like Rain

It seems obvious that, given the choice, ducks would prefer the weather to be a bit wet.

Nevertheless, the Government felt it was important to make sure exactly what type of water they liked best.

So it spent ?300,000 of taxpayers' money to find out - a sum described yesterday as 'a bonkers waste of money'.

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Nice weather for ducks: It's true, they do prefer rain, according to a Defra study

Mr. Potato

'Extremely Bored' runaway juror faces jail time

Hillsboro, Oregon - A man who left jury duty after lunch because he was "extremely bored" will be back at the courthouse Tuesday to be arraigned on a charge of contempt of court. A police report said officers found the 25-year-old man near his home earlier this month and asked why he skipped out. He said he was bored, and "just couldn't take it" anymore.

Pumpkin

Russian man goes to court to prove he is not dead

A man in the Russian southern Urals region of Tyumen has gone to court to challenge a death certificate issued in his name, the regional Prosecutor General's website reported on Wednesday.

The 45-year-old man said that three years ago his estranged wife had identified the body of an unknown person to be his and a death certificate was issued.

Magnify

Glass water bowl and sun start fire at Washington home

Bellevue - Fire officials in Washington state said a sunny day and a dog's glass water bowl combined to cause a blaze that charred the back of a home. Bellevue Fire Department Lt. Eric Keenan said investigators determined the glass bowl of water focused sunlight enough to act like a magnifying glass and start the fire on the home's wood deck Sunday.

Video

UK: Star Trek fan turns flat into replica space ship

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© CatersTony Alleyne has transformed the one bedroom studio apartment into the deck of the Starship Enterprise.
A Star Trek fan has boldly gone where no man has gone before - by transforming his entire flat into a replica of the programme's starship.

Tony Alleyne has spent eight years recreating scenes from the cult sci-fi show at his studio apartment.

But what started as a therapeutic hobby for the 56-year-old devotee, following a painful divorce from his wife, has led him to deck the whole property out as the Star Trek Voyager.

Smiley

Man Calls 911 Over 28-Year-Old Son's Messy Bedroom

Bedford, Ohio - An Ohio man who argued with his grown son over a messy bedroom said he overreacted when he called 911. Andrew Mizsak called authorities Thursday after his 28-year-old son - who's a school board member in the Cleveland suburb of Bedford - threw a plate of food across the kitchen table and made a fist at him when told to clean his room.

The son, also named Andrew, lives in a room in his parents' basement.

The father declined to press charges and told police he doesn't want to ruin his son's political career.

Bulb

Banana used as gun in holdup, then eaten

Winston-Salem, North Carolina - Authorities in North Carolina say a store owner and a patron thwarted a teen accused of trying to carry out a robbery by concealing a banana beneath his shirt to resemble a gun.

Winston-Salem authorities say 17-year-old John Szwalla entered the Internet cafe Thursday and demanded money, saying he had a gun.