Domain: prnewswire.co.uk
Stories and comments across the archive that link to prnewswire.co.uk.
Stories · 3
-
UK Wifi Provider Tricks Customers Into Agreeing To Clean Sewers (upi.com)
An anonymous reader quotes UPI: Unwitting customers in the United Kingdom who didn't read the terms and conditions for use of a public WiFi hotspot agreed to perform 1,000 hours of community service, including unclogging sewers and scraping gum off the street. The gag was conceived by WiFi provider Purple. The company inserted the clause into its terms and conditions -- the technically legally binding agreement consumers approve in exchange for use of free Internet, though virtually few actually read the terms. The company said it did so to call attention to the fact consumers are regularly agreeing to terms that they may not actually like, including granting access to private information and data about their web browsing habits.
Other community service tasks agreed to by users included "providing hugs to stray cats and dogs" and "painting snail shells to brighten up their existence." The agreement also promised a prize to anyone who actually became aware of the prize's existences after reading the terms and conditions -- yet after two weeks only one person came forward to claim the prize. -
New World Record For Electric Car Speed: 204.2 MPH
Dupple writes with this excerpt from the BBC: "Drayson Racing Technologies has broken the world land speed record for a lightweight electric car. Its Lola B12 69/EV vehicle hit a top speed of 204.2mph (328.6km/h) at a racetrack at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire. ... The previous 175mph record was set by Battery Box General Electric in 1974. Drayson Racing is not the only electric vehicle-maker hoping to use motorsport to spur on adoption of the technology. Last week Nissan unveiled the Zeod RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car), which can switch between electric and petrol power. The firm intends to enter the vehicle into next year's Le Mans 24 race saying the competition would act as a 'challenging test bed' for technologies that could eventually find their way into road cars." This video from last year introduces the Lola; Drayson's YouTube channel has plenty more footage, too. -
First Free Mobile-to-Mobile Cross-Platform Calls
bombduck writes "Barablu demonstrates free calling from Nokia Series 60 based phones to Windows Mobile phones and PDAs using a Wi-Fi connection. Both Nokia E Series and N Series Wi-Fi enabled phones tested, showing not only Voice but IM, video and conference calling. "