Ian originally declared that I would be providing ‘cool tech reports’ and so far most of my posts have been odd news stories. So here goes with some vaguely tech stuff:

Gran Turismo on the PS2 has prompted Japanese sports car makers to start to market their wares outside Japan. As a result of the game the Subaru Impreza will be appearing in the US and the Mitsubishi Evo series and Nissan Skyline GT-R will be properly marketed in Europe and the US.

Oftel have released their latest complaints figures. To say BTOpenworld aren’t doing well would be a slight understatement.

George and co’s efforts to make everyone crap themselves over ‘weapons of mass destruction’ seem to be working. I just received the renewal documents for my home insurance. There are some amendments to my policy covering war and terrorism. I am no longer covered for:

damage to life or property by any means, including but not limited to nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological means when these activities are carried out wholly or partly for political, religious, ideological or similar reasons

When your insurers feel it’s worthwhile protecting themselves against claims for when your flat is nuked, then it’s time to worry.

Mystery car drives householder to edge of despair

Ok. Although I have been reading one particular blog for four years now, I am a bit disappointed in SpunOne of the Fazed.net variety. I have realised that his website is a reflection of his social life. Whereas before his girlfriend left him on the spot one day to go to Boston, the nasty woman illfated, his site was a pandoras box of good commentary, links and his own media archive. Now that she has been gone for a year, SpunOne has decided to use the Fark.com model and avoid talking about his personal life altogether. Funny, when reading his site before, I thought I knewthe man better than some of my own friends. This sums it up: What happened to the SpunOne and if you are hiding him there will be big jihad!

After my earlier post about Cyprus, I had a vague recollection of ghost towns on the UN enforced border separating Northern Cyprus from the Republic of Cyprus. One such town is Famagusta. Before the invasion, the town was a popular beach resort, but it was abandoned in a hurry. Despite the abandonment, the town still has a chamber of commerce and a football team, waiting for the day they can return.
I love the idea of ghost towns, and one day I will get round to visiting a few. MetaFilter has a handy thread of links about just this subject.

The NHS’s new Director of IT has been brutally frank about the state of systems supplied in the last few years.

ITV (formerly ON) Digital, display more of the business acumen that got them where they are today, have resorted to the industry equivalent of searching for coins down the back of the sofa. They can have my digibox when they pry it from my cold dead hands!

When I was a student, there was a very large Greek contingent on UMIST’s campus. They were highly politicised and outnumbered the Turks by about ten to one. So they could push through a motion demanding that Northern Cyprus- held by Turkey since their 1974 invasion- was not recognised and could not be mentioned within the building.

Now, with the carrot of EU membership, Turkey is being persuaded into talks about reunification and improving its human rights record.