Oh dear II: Video iPods shipped with virus

Apple is now admitting (according to Australian IT) that a small number of its video iPods shipped with a virus.  The virus can be detected using many popular antivirus programs.

Oh dear: The iPod is given a Shonky Award by CHOICE magazine

I need to first explain that "shonky" in Aussie slang means "dubious, failure, bomb, dud, underhand".  So, when the Australian CHOICE magazine have issued their Shonky Awards for 2006, and the iPod is on the list, it is not a good thing!  And what’s more, they have given the iPod the "CHOICE iSHONK for Dual-level Shonkyness", for the hardware failures, and for the difficulty in getting repairs under warranty.  Oh dear.

Bono and Oprah launch (RED) products

Bono and Oprah have gone on a shopping spree launching the (Product) Red line, a collection of products including phones, clothing, and a special-edition iPod to raise money for HIV / AIDs in Africa.  There’s a MySpace site about (Product) Red, too.  Buy (Red)!

Google / YouTube deal and the future of Google

Motley Fool has some discussion on the Google deal to buy YouTube, and the future of Google.  One sentence in there really jumped out: "It is a great time to be an entrepreneur, because people are playing on a bigger playing field than ever before with the Internet."  Very true, considering YouTube only began not much more than a year ago, and just sold for $1.65 billion. 

Dealing with an irate person

Open Loops has a good tip in how to deal with irate people: "Pace and Lead".  The "Pace" part is initially matching the emotional intensity of the person, then gradually toning your comments to a more normal level.  If the person with the problem sees the listener reacting in the same way as they are, they feel better heard and understood, whereas if the listener was calm all the way through, they would have given the impression that they were not understood, which only increases the frustration and anger.