PREDICTABLY, wide coverage was given to the recent assertion by psychologist
Kimberly Young that Internet addiction is a disease. Feedback is reminded of the
claim that procrastination is a mental illness, which we read about in a Sunday
paper at midnight on a Monday, with neither the washing-up nor the next day鈥檚
column finished . . .
So what is the cure? Why, online counselling, obviously. All you have to do
is go to http://netaddiction.com/clinic.htm. There you can purchase one
session of 鈥渆-mail counselling鈥� by Young herself for just $15, or three
sessions for $35.
If you then find yourself addicted to online counselling, just send Feedback
$1750 plus travel costs and we鈥檒l come round in person to unplug your
computer. Or, for $0, you could visit http://psychcentral.com/caught.htm,
where John Grohol points out that 鈥淚nternet addiction鈥� is about
as worrying as liking to watch football or talking on the phone a lot.
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READER John Knight from Sheffield wants to ask a question about a CD single
he bought recently called Treat Infamy by Rest Assured. The single is
an import and it has a sticker on it with the information that it is 鈥淒er Dance
Hit mit dem `The Verve鈥� Sample鈥�.
Knight鈥檚 question is: what language is this sticker in?
LIKE it or not, we live in a Microsoft world. Microsoft Office has become the
de facto standard software for small and large businesses. It has become so
bloated with fancy features that a full copy of the new version, Microsoft
Office 2000, will eat up over 500 megabytes of your hard disc.
Out of necessity, Feedback loaded it. Disc 2 immediately threw up a string of
scary error messages. 鈥淔ile CRSWPP.DLL on Web Publishing Wizard Disc cannot be
found鈥�. Then the same for FLUPL.HLP, FLUPL.OCX and a dozen more.
Oh yes, says Microsoft, we have found this happens when people are using some
US Robotics/3Com modems. The trick is to shut down the PC, restart and choose
the Disc 2 installation 鈥淩epair鈥� option.
This works. But USR/3Com is one of the most widely sold modem brands.
Accessing the Internet with a modem is a way of life. Didn鈥檛 anyone in Microsoft
think to try using Office 2000 with a modem before releasing it to an
unsuspecting public?
MEANWHILE, here is another of Microsoft鈥檚 grievous insults to persons of
British nationality, not to mention Australians, New Zealanders and many others.
Reader Simon Painter uncovered the last
(see Feedback, 12 June) and now he鈥檚
spotted another. The options for a language he was given when downloading MS
Messenger were as follows: 鈥淯S English鈥�, 鈥淐anadian English鈥�, 鈥淥ther
贰苍驳濒颈蝉丑鈥�.
NOT CONTENT with today鈥檚 top executives, scientists and high-flyers, it seems
the International Executive Guild has decided to list tomorrow鈥檚 leaders as
well. To uncover them, the guild鈥檚 researchers are sifting through 鈥減rofessional
associations and societies, trade organisations, newspaper and magazine
articles, professional reference publications, Web presence, and referrals from
existing members鈥�.
Reader Tom Oliver was extremely pleased to see that after such intense
investigation the guild had chosen him as being highly suitable, explaining
that: 鈥淎s a highly respected professional in your field of expertise, we believe
your contributions merit very serious consideration for inclusion on The
International Executive Guild鈥檚 Who鈥檚 Who CD-ROM.鈥�
Oliver, who is currently a 17-year-old sixth form student, didn鈥檛 know that
his success in his school鈥檚 mahjong society was so widely known.
HERE are two learned papers we can鈥檛 wait to read. 鈥淲hat guides the selection
of alternate foot placement during locomotion in humans?鈥� by A. E. Patla et
al, appears in Experimental Brain Research, vol 4, p 442, while
鈥淓verything you ever wanted to know about the JVAS gravitational lens system
B1030+074 but were afraid to ask鈥� by E. Xanthopoulos et al was
presented at the Boston University conference on gravitational lenses in
July.
READER Ian Chamberlain has come up with a new class of spooky coincidences
that could rival our old friend nominative determinism.
Chamberlain was discussing the relative merits of modern versus classical art
with a policeman friend. The policeman, a traditionalist at heart, said he
preferred Constable to modern artists. This set Chamberlain thinking. Could
one鈥檚 work influence one鈥檚 taste, artistic or otherwise? Would, for example, a
surveyor prefer Landseer, and a geologist like Klee?
Feedback would like to hear from any readers who can offer further examples
of this phenomenon. Correspondence should be marked 鈥渙ccupational
辫谤别蹿别谤别苍迟颈补濒颈蝉尘鈥�.
IS THERE a new planet in the firmament that astronomers haven鈥檛 told us
about? The Ideal Homes at Courts catalogue is advertising its 鈥淪olar
System鈥� range as a 鈥渧ersatile and deservedly popular range of contemporary and
`retro-chic鈥� furniture鈥�.
The following styles are on offer: meteor, planet, comet, Mars, Saturn,
Neptune and Blondie.