Barker Bites Back
A look at some newsy stuff and interesting bits as well as those hopefully amusing byways of technology.
Tuesday 19 December 2006, 2:10 PM
A merry Christmas for Hamleys shoppers
Some lucky children will have a very merry Christmas indeed this year, thanks to the website HotUKDeals and a glitch on the Hamleys site that saw it doling out cumulative discount of 60 percent on its festive goods.
You don't have to be a five year old mathematical genius to work out that 60 percent off means two train sets instead of one and some nifty extra track thrown in. (My personal preference would be some bits to add to my Scalextric, if Santa is listening - but that is neither here nor there......)
Anyway, it fell to The Guardian to spread the happy news about the bonus for children and the chagrin for the kids' favourite toy story, where the ever watchful HotUKDeals consumer site had picked up the good news and spread it as fast as it could. And that was very fast indeed, according to The Guardian, which reported that Hamleys shelves were "pillaged" after the error.
"It's like the Vikings have been to Hamleys" was the comment of one surfer, the paper reported. "If you get on to their site, it's been emptied and pillaged."
But, as Hamleys admitted that it had "fallen foul of the loophole, " it promised "to honour any orders made as a result of the blunder". Well done to the Royal Family's favourite toy shop. I am off down there immediately to buy something in support in its hour of need.
That's if there is anything left of course.
You don't have to be a five year old mathematical genius to work out that 60 percent off means two train sets instead of one and some nifty extra track thrown in. (My personal preference would be some bits to add to my Scalextric, if Santa is listening - but that is neither here nor there......)
Anyway, it fell to The Guardian to spread the happy news about the bonus for children and the chagrin for the kids' favourite toy story, where the ever watchful HotUKDeals consumer site had picked up the good news and spread it as fast as it could. And that was very fast indeed, according to The Guardian, which reported that Hamleys shelves were "pillaged" after the error.
"It's like the Vikings have been to Hamleys" was the comment of one surfer, the paper reported. "If you get on to their site, it's been emptied and pillaged."
But, as Hamleys admitted that it had "fallen foul of the loophole, " it promised "to honour any orders made as a result of the blunder". Well done to the Royal Family's favourite toy shop. I am off down there immediately to buy something in support in its hour of need.
That's if there is anything left of course.
Monday 18 December 2006, 3:21 PM
Cloning Cherie Booth and pals
Matrix Chambers, the legal home of Cherie Booth and, according to the Legal 500, "arguably the finest concentration of talent at the Bar", finds itself the victim of cloning. The web site of these finely attuned legal minds has allegedly been commandeered by another outfit of possible lawyers, or possibly plain shysters.
At least that is according to The Observer newspaper, which reported on Sunday that the fine legal minds of Matrix Chambers have resorted to legal action over the activities of Lando Attorneys who have allegedly cloned the entire look and feel of the Matrix Chambers website and a lot of he content too.
As any legal advisor will tell you, taking legal action is last resort for any lawyer, but this has been prompted by the damage to Matrix Chambers' considerable reputation that could follow from any action.
'Matrix is very annoyed,' Lindsay Scott, Matrix's chief executive, told The Observer. 'They have cloned part of our website. Matrix is taking all appropriate action to ensure that the cloned site is taken down as soon as possible.'
At least that is according to The Observer newspaper, which reported on Sunday that the fine legal minds of Matrix Chambers have resorted to legal action over the activities of Lando Attorneys who have allegedly cloned the entire look and feel of the Matrix Chambers website and a lot of he content too.
As any legal advisor will tell you, taking legal action is last resort for any lawyer, but this has been prompted by the damage to Matrix Chambers' considerable reputation that could follow from any action.
'Matrix is very annoyed,' Lindsay Scott, Matrix's chief executive, told The Observer. 'They have cloned part of our website. Matrix is taking all appropriate action to ensure that the cloned site is taken down as soon as possible.'
