News Briefs

OK, a quick round-up of what's been going on in the world of late.

Firstly, and most importantly, the EU is redefining the definition of an island !!! According to the new proposals, an island is no longer an island

1) When there are less than 50 permanent residents
2) If it is less than a kilometre from the mainland
3) If it is attached the mainland by a bridge
4) If it contains the capital of an EU state

So, following these new regulations, hundreds of Scottish islands would cease to exist, Lundy (where I went on holiday in September) would become an inhabited rock and the United Kingdom would also lose it's island status !!!
I would just add that this reaffirms my opinion of Europe...

A interesting twist on the old Nigerian email scam, if you receive an email from George Bush asking if you can help him out financially with an oil venture, have a good laugh at the information it contains, as you (if you live in the USA) are already paying the sums requested.

Another IT related newsbite is that a new strain of an SQL-worm has been slowing down the internet over the weekend (so that's why the connection in Hechtsheim is so bad...). The way around it? - update your SQL Server software.

Ever wanted a US Department of Defence military website? Well, now you can, in addition to being able to create any account or domain name you like, you can also alter those of other people as well. Visit The Register for the full story.

On Saturday a tube train came off it's rails in London, injuring 30 people (there were 800 people on board at the time). Reading the accounts, it sounds quite scary.

Okay, now that you're aware of what's happening in the outside world, you can return to your cosy bed...

Bye