Today we have a wedding day which didn’t quite go to plan – we do seem to take pleasure when weddings go wrong for some reason.

You also have the chance to find out just how good you are at using Google for searching online for information and there is the story of the terrorist incident which never was but which saw a coach-load of frightened passengers surrounded by armed police on an English motorway.

There is also a timely warning to check your computer for some nasty malware which could cut short your browsing from Monday…and I am sure you wouldn’t want to be without internet access next week to follow the tip to check your machine. OK let’s get started.

I’m pretty sure this flimsy wooden dock which looks like it is made from match sticks can take all our weight

As weddings go this one was hardly destined to make headlines.

Groom Eric Walber and his new bride Maegan are not politicians, sports heroes or celebrities so their wedding is simply not news…unless you throw in a bit of humor into proceedings.

We all like a good wedding and we all really like a good wedding when something goes horribly wrong…such as the entire wedding party getting a good old-fashioned soaking.

From the earliest days of slap-stick comedy we have loved to laugh at people who fall over and get wet.

So let’s move to the (rather flimsy looking) dock at the Bay Pointe Inn on Gun Lake in Shelbyville, Michigan, and see what happened during the wedding photoshoot.

Ok well you know the answer already – everyone gets wet.

Here is how it happens, courtesy of Anne Oppenhuizen of Inspiration Video, who captured the whole thing on film:

Video credit: InspirationVideo/YouTube

How would you like  a certificate from Google to show how hot you are at searching?

I remember when I was at university (I studied for my degree part-time as an adult learner) and we used to have lessons on how to use the computers to look up stuff.

We used to have to use things called Boolean Operators to tell the search engine what we wanted to find – the idea was that it can find precisely what you are looking for but you really need to be somewhat of an expert at searching to use it properly.

All I really remember about it was that it was exponentially more difficult than normal (ie Google) searching and that I never seemed to find what I wanted.

You would have to use three Boolean logistical operators (the words “or” “and” and “not” to you and me)  to narrow down your search and, to me, it just seemed like hard work.

I prefer Google’s method where you just start typing some words and it gives you a list of some of the most likely terms you are looking to find – Google is surprisingly good at knowing what I want to know.

But how good are you at using Google’s search function and do you know all the little tips and tricks to get the most out of this search engine?

Well now you can find out.

Google is holding a free online course which promises to make you an expert in searching for what you want to find quickly and effortlessly.

There is even a post-course assessment so you can determine how well you did  and if you pass you get a certificate emailed to you by Google.

You had better be quick though…the course starts on Tuesday and you can register here now.

Isn’t it sad how thanks to global terrorism we are now suspicious of everything?

It happened on Wednesday in the English midlands on one of the busiest major arterial roads in the UK.

It was what might properly be called a full-blown multi-agency armed response to a suspected terrorist threat.

The security forces were taking no chances at all after the emergency services were tipped off that smoke was seen coming from the hand baggage of a passenger on board a coach traveling from the north of England to London.

It was feared that the passenger was trying to set off some kind of explosive device, perhaps even launch a chemical attack on board the blue single-decker Megabus coach.

This is what happened next.

It was decided to stop the coach at a southbound toll plaza, secure the vehicle and its passengers and detain the suspect for questioning.

The operation involved:

• 17 police vehicles
• 13 fire appliances
• four ambulances
• army bomb disposal experts
• highly trained police marksmen and
• a specialist decontamination unit

Leaving nothing to chance…full-scale terrorist alert on M6 motorway. Pic: © Sky News.

 When the coach was stopped the passengers were held on board for three hours before being ordered off by armed officers, told to sit cross-legged on the road in a contamination zone and instructed not to attempt to communicate with each other until the all clear had been given.

And eventually the all clear was given when it was discovered that the “smoke” was actually the vapor produced by the smokeless cigarette the suspicious passenger was smoking.

The ironic thing is that the passenger appears to have been using his bag to conceal the cigarette so as not to draw attention to the fact that he was smoking (even though the use of electronic cigarettes is not illegal.)

If that was the case I don’t think the plan worked out too well.

How utterly paranoid we have all become.

Those rather annoying “air quotes” are even more annoying than you might think

Air quotes – love them or hate them – but I bet you have used them from time to time.

In case you don’t know, they are the quote marks gesture people make with their fingers to indicate that what is being spoken is meant to be ironic. Others use them to indicate humor while more people use them simply for additional emphasis.

I use them for from time to time and normally to indicate irony and I must admit I quite like them.

But, it seems, I am in the minority because a new survey has just named air quotes as the most irritating hand gesture ever.

Second place in the poll – which excluded obscene gestures – was the American-style ‘talk to the hand’ signal, intended to stop someone speaking to you and tapping your finger to your nose to signal “none of your business” was the third most annoying hand gesture.

Number four was the “blah, blah, blah” gesture where the hand is used to mimic a talking mouth (another that I like to use) while using your fingers and thumb to depict a gun was the fifth most likely to annoy people.

A spokesman for iPhone game Goggle Eyes, which commissioned the research, said: ‘While a hand gesture can be a powerful communication tool, using too many or simply some of the more annoying ones is a sure-fire way to losing credibility.”

My only dilemma is this…now that I know about this survey do I use the air quotes more or less often…only time will tell.

Will you be able to log onto the internet on Monday?

Hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide could be infected with malware which could see them unable to connect to the internet from Monday (July 9)

It is estimated that around 64,000 machines in the U.S. alone could be effected and the first that users know about it is when they can no longer connect to the internet.

The FBI became aware of the problem at the end of last year and had been routing infected machines through their servers to give people time to clean up their machines if they contained the malware. However they are turning the servers off on Monday and that might be the first time that people with infected machines even know they have a problem.

The malicious software is called the ‘Alureon/DNS Changer bot’ which was designed to re-direct you away from trusted websites, towards spoof websites in a bid to steal financial and personal information.

You can easily test your machine for the malicious software by visiting this site:

http://www.dns-ok.us/

If you see green background when you click the link then all is well. If you see a red one then you need to contact your ISP for instructions on how to clean up your machine.

Via: YourGadgetGuide

The house specialist will unravel your problem now

Normally I hate blog comment spam but these two spam comments amused me…especially the first one because I don’t have the faintest idea what the guy is trying to say.

(i) This comment came from Evan Lopes who wanted to promote his link for fluorescent grow lights for indoor plants.

“Hello!, I really like your writing very a lot! Proportion we keep in touch extra approximately your post on AOL?

“I require a specialist on this house to unravel my problem. Maybe that’s you! Taking a look ahead to see you.”

(ii)  This one was from someone calling themselves Online Reputation Management who was trying to promote a link to a blog which was just too boring for words. Online Reputation Management had this to say for himself:

“Thank you so much for giving everyone an extremely brilliant chance to check tips from this website.

“It is often very great and jam-packed with a good time for me personally and my office acquaintances to visit your web site at least three times every week to see the latest things you will have.

“And indeed, I’m just actually happy with your excellent tips and hints you give. Certain 3 tips on this page are truly the most beneficial I have ever had.”

Well I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but the aim of this website is to make it “jam-packed with a good time” for all who visit!

Bonus item – Special email mention:

A special mention here to my friends over at Legacy Hits.

Co-owner Marcus Wahl wrote what, for me at least, is the best email subject line of the year so far:

The Skeleton in the Sarcophagus

 

How could anyone fail to open an email with that for a subject line?

Clever stuff like that helps make up for the endless stream of dishonest, misleading drivel that I have to endure most days.

 

And finally…

Did you realize that without 3.14159265, an opinion would just be an onion?

Geddit?

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Have a good weekend and God bless.

Tagged as: Friday Newsletter