In more sedate news, the Washington Post has an interesting, if overstated, article about how the ephemeral nature of the internet is affecting academic research. Apparently, sources cited in research papers and theses change their Universal Resource Indicators ('URIs') very frequently, rendering references obsolete and gradually delegitimating the citing work.

One solution to this problem is to upload a local copy of the document in question (with the author's permission), or maintain an updated bibliography for each paper on one's own website (at a static location), which could then be referenced once at the beginning of the article. All the more reason for everyone to have their own website.

Dell Computers has made a wise move in deciding to rehire its corporate technical support team around United States based members, after a slew of complaints about their offshore support team. Customers reportedly found the previous technical support team, located in India, unresponsive and difficult to understand.

Telstra conducts a similar practice here, much to the annoyance of many. Too often, a poorly trained and underpaid staff member will answer your call, read a canned response off a script, and leave you more confused than when you started. Hiring local employees promotes the local IT industry, but in an age of digital cost-cutting, many companies aren't willing to foot the bill for quality technical support.

JohIn also sends word of a rather bizarre bootleg Pokemon toy. deal non-demoninational-celebration-of-your-choice gift, assuming you aren't revolted by the eyes.

Lastly, this man appears to have taken blogging to a new level, by affixing left-oriented placards to public highways. Some of the images are amusing, but others appear to be doctored. Technically, this isn't blogging (keyword: web-log), but it highlights an interesting connotation of the word: independent-left-leaning-new-media. Kindly alert me if I begin to fall into the same trap.