There is a great, as in amusing, report over at the Register today about a Government website that had been set up to help kids learn more about government services available for kids with some games and projects and sections aimed at parents and teachers. It all sounds pretty good so far doesn’t it?
Trouble was they used a name for the site that is already in use elsewhere on the internet for a gay porn site. I haven’t attempted to look myself but according to TheRegister.co.uk if you do a search for Busters World on Google the first site that comes up is probably one you would rather your kids did not see.
Apparently the site has been taken down for now while the Government Department responsible considers their options and presumably tries to think of a safer website name. I do have some sympathy with the civil servants behind this as they would hardy expect a name like this to be a poblem. It seems like a perfectly reasonable name for a kids related website.
This raises an interesting paradox. If the government are to check for porn sites before they name a website they will have to do searches for porn on government computers whilst at work which will, almost certainly, go against all their own rules about using government computers for browsing porn and could well lead to them looking at illegal content.
On the other hand, if they don’t do this it will allow the possibility of a similar gaff in the future. Which does rather prove the point that simple laws and blanket rules are a nonsense and common sense should always prevail.
This is classic. While a live video interview was being carried out on the Australian TV Channel 7News with Macquarie Bank’s Street headquarters to discuss some breaking news about interest rates an employee, described as being a mid-level client investment manager was browsing glamour images on his computer in the background.
At some point during the video a collegue presumably tells him they are filming behind him and he turns to see the camera whereupon his screen suddenly reverts to showing spreadsheets.
Maybe he was stitched up by a collegue but whatever the reasons, it is good to see the real world and how some bankers spend at least some of their time earning huge bonuses. The clip is below. Look to the middle on the left side of the screen and have a smile.
His employers say they are investigating and point out that they have a strict code on how their employees use IT resources.
It all goes to show that you should never let your guard down, especially when there are TV cameras around.
Apparently the Skipton Building Society have somehow manage a cock-up that has meant the details of accounts have been printed on the reverse of statements sent to other account holders.
Apparently the Skipton has appologised. Well, that makes everything ok then.
How do these cockups keep happening? The age of computers has enabled us to do things previously unimaginable. We can do great big tasks at the click of a button but please, before you press that button check that you are not about to commit some almighty error.
In the good old days a member of staff making a mistake might have meant a 10 or twenty people had errors made on their accounts. Now with one press of a button millions of errors can be made instantly.
Companies have to learn that they must allow staff the time to ensure these tasks are done properly. Check, double-check and triple check.
Otherwise you end up looking really stupid like the Skipton Building Society. Would you pick them as your first choice for investment having heard about this? I know I wouldn’t.
