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Nuts, you beat me to it! I'll just add some another link to places the numerous places the story has appeared: https://www.roalddahlfans.com/.... There seem to be excerpts of the story in various places, but I believe this is the complete written version: http://fliphtml5.com/ppjz/hbbt..., in case anyone would prefer to read instead of listen.

Visual reference
Knids: http://www.roalddahlfans.com/books/charglasknids.php
Clippy: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1991915_1991909_1991755,00.html

He's loveable, cuddly and his extensible architecture allowed attackers in 2001 to inject malware with a single click. But Clippy is not the only gadget phenomenon with unintended features. The world is full of crappy and predatory engineering.

Predatory Engineering: underrated power supplies that run hot; expensive computers with glass bezel displays under tension snapped together with no screws which crack if one attempt to open them; automobiles where software action can cause acceleration; software (not hardwired discrete component) ABS braking or shift management; personal accessories such as headsets with thin wound-foil cords that have no strain relief whatsoever and fail at the slightest jerk; $600 TVs which wind up in the trash because of malfunctioning half cent click-buttons or 5 cent IR receivers; trapezoid shaped mini-USB connectors which actively participate in their own destruction on every attempt to plug them in upside down; and more.

Crappy Engineering, such as power windows in cars with no crank or even provision for one. Parents love power windows and the assurance that comes from disabling the master button, they'll love their power windows all the way to the bottom of the lake as the screaming family tries to beat out the windows with their bare hands. The trick is to wait until the entire vehicle fills with water, then the pressure equalizes and you can open the door and tow your drowned kids to the surface. Good luck.

I love writing about modern technology.

Hah: Found it. Yes, it was Dahl, a story from 1952.

Sheesh, does Sir Richard Branson have a plan to deal with the Vermicious Knids?

A LONG time ago I saw a movie where this guy would place bets of various types where the prize was something welthy if he lost and the person's finger if he won.

Sounds like Man From the South

Some background: I've been running a site called Roald Dahl Fans for a few years now. Since the site appeals to both kids and adults, I've been struggling for ages to find a format that works for everybody. My biggest problem is that most kids would rather send me a question in an e-mail than spend two minutes looking for the answer at the site. I've gone to a lot of trouble to make the site structure as transparent as possible. I even grudgingly gave in and added a search function a year ago. (I know it sucks; I need to write my own. But considering that most of the queries I get now are idiotic beyond belief - i.e. "roald dahl" - I really can't be arsed.) So now I've got Jakob confirming my worst fears that thousands of kids are hitting the site and turning away in disgust at paragraphs - whole paragraphs! - of text. Just wonderful.

You know what? I like the way I do things. Do me a favor and compare my site to the official Dahl site. Is that the kind of site I should aspire to? It's got lots of sounds and animation and crap (of course, it won't work if you don't have Flash), and it's impossible to find a specific piece of information. And what text they do have, they don't allow you to copy and paste from! I couldn't believe it when they launched that thing. Of course it's popular, but are kids actually learning anything? (Not that every site has to be educational, but Dahl was all about literacy and that site has all the literary merit of a Pokemon episode.)

My question is - am I all wrong here to be imposing my idea of how my site should be used on visitors? Just because kids like flashy dancing widgets, does that mean I have an obligation to give it to them? (Actually, the real question here is "Why am I taking Jakob so seriously?")

Some background: I've been running a site called Roald Dahl Fans for a few years now. Since the site appeals to both kids and adults, I've been struggling for ages to find a format that works for everybody. My biggest problem is that most kids would rather send me a question in an e-mail than spend two minutes looking for the answer at the site. I've gone to a lot of trouble to make the site structure as transparent as possible. I even grudgingly gave in and added a search function a year ago. (I know it sucks; I need to write my own. But considering that most of the queries I get now are idiotic beyond belief - i.e. "roald dahl" - I really can't be arsed.) So now I've got Jakob confirming my worst fears that thousands of kids are hitting the site and turning away in disgust at paragraphs - whole paragraphs! - of text. Just wonderful.

You know what? I like the way I do things. Do me a favor and compare my site to the official Dahl site. Is that the kind of site I should aspire to? It's got lots of sounds and animation and crap (of course, it won't work if you don't have Flash), and it's impossible to find a specific piece of information. And what text they do have, they don't allow you to copy and paste from! I couldn't believe it when they launched that thing. Of course it's popular, but are kids actually learning anything? (Not that every site has to be educational, but Dahl was all about literacy and that site has all the literary merit of a Pokemon episode.)

My question is - am I all wrong here to be imposing my idea of how my site should be used on visitors? Just because kids like flashy dancing widgets, does that mean I have an obligation to give it to them? (Actually, the real question here is "Why am I taking Jakob so seriously?")

the link just changed on me ..

"But if they're so fierce and dangerous," Charlie said, "why didn't they eat us up right away in the Space Hotel? Why did they waste time twisting their bodies into letters and writing SCRAM?" "Because they're show-offs," Mr. Wonka replied. "They're tremendously proud of being able to write like that." "But why say scram when they wanted to catch us and eat us?" "It's the only word they know," Mr. Wonka said.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator was a great book ..
nice to know that world may finally catch up with Willy Wonka ..