Council spam filter fouls community spirit

A Lancashire man was unable to prevent a neighbour building an extension to his home because of the local council's spam filter. Ray Kennedy, 51, of Middleton, sent three emails to Rochdale Borough Council, but the first two were blocked since they contained the common construction term 'erection'. By the time his third email arrived permission for the extension had been granted. ...more

All I want for Christmas is... part I

What piece of computing technology would you most like to get your hands on this Christmas? Here is the wish-list of another of the writers you've seen in the News section this year - online editor Matt Whipp. Wishing for.. ...more

NEC-Mitsubishi adds 18.1in TFT to its LCD1830 stable

For just ?899 (?1,057 inc VAT), you could be the owner of the spanking new Multisync LCD1830. The flicker-free panel boasts a viewing angle of 160 degrees in both horizontal and vertical planes and has Omnicolor support, allowing on-screen six-axis colour management of both RGB display colours and printing colours. Two analogue VGA input ports allow connection to two PCs. ...more

Europeans beginning to compete with the USA in e-commerce stakes

The latest survey of online spending habits reveals that Europeans are beginning to compete with the USA in the online spending stakes. European consumers spent an average of €430 (?276) over the last three months. This is still less than the USA, where the average consumer spent the equivalent of €543 (?349). ...more

Microsoft anti-trust ruling, the confusion continues

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has finally come to a judgement over the Microsoft anti-trust case, and it's a bit of a curate's egg. In part, the circuit judges have affirmed the decisions of the lower court and in part they have reversed them. Microsoft has been found guilty of anti-competitive practices, but the ruling to break-up the company will be challenged. ...more