Welcome to Computerworld's new column, which invites you, dear reader, to send in news -- in complete confidence of course -- on the good, bad and ugly events taking place in the marketplace. Each week we will celebrate the good, reveal the bad and spit out the ugly. Naturally, your identity will be protected . . .and there's more!! Forget the steak knives, if GBU publishes your 'pearls' or hot tips, we'll send you an exclusive Computerworld Good, Bad and Ugly coffee mug, possession of which you might reveal only to a select few, after your titillating story publishes.
The Good
At an IT industry forum held recently, futurists were asked for their predictions for the year 2020. One such visionary said that the "Future is Elvis. Presently, there are 39,000 Elvis impersonators in the world and, if they keep multiplying at their present rate, one in three people will be an Elvis impersonator within 20 years."
The Bad
Speaking at a pre-election breakfast last week, IT Minister Senator Alston talked about how happy we all are with "crappy apps". Nobody, he said, should assume punters want to get their hands on killer apps. Alston bemoaned the fact that "someone is always telling me what the next big thing will be". Oh Yes Minister, don't we just love our crappy apps! And what a mistake it would be, he said, to provide immediate access to broadband which is simply "uneconomic" referring to an opposition policy he called 'noodle nation'.
The Ugly
Fake charity scams have started to take advantage of terrorist attacks in the US by seeking donations for bogus relief funds and agencies.
The fake charities are operating under titles such as "Express Relief Fund" or "Victim Survivor Fund" seeking donations via the Internet or through e-mail. Now that is just plain ugly.
* Rush GBU tips to news editor Sandra_Rossi@idg.com.au