Category Archives: Completely Different

True tales from tech support. Reed 'em and weep. Probably with laughter.

The Daily Telegraph has the sequel to the story about the grad student who tried to bluff his way through economics lectures in Bejing. If that was bad, the aftermath may be worse as it involves lawyers.

Student lecturer may be sued: An Oxford engineering student who posed as an expert in global finance to deliver lectures to business leaders in China, was told yesterday that he could be sued.

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This story is so weird that it feels made up. I imagine it also corresponds to many academics' nightmares (not mine though!)

'I blagged my way through, reading a torn-up textbook and ad libbing': An Oxford engineering student was surprised but undaunted when he was approached to deliver a series of lectures in Beijing on global economics.

Matthew Richardson knew “next to nothing” about the subject but, believing he would be addressing a sixth-form audience, he felt he could “carry it off”.

Mr Richardson, 23, borrowed an A-level textbook entitled An Introduction to Global Financial Markets from a library and swotted up on its contents on the flight from London to China.

From it he prepared a two-hour presentation, believing he had to deliver the same lecture several times over to different groups of students over three days.

Mr Richardson, who has the same name as a New York University professor who is a leading authority on international financial markets, was met at the airport and taken straight to a conference centre where, over lunch, “the horrible truth became apparent”.

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Not safe for (some) work: Wonkette has a very funny, but not very clean, suggestion for a new Edwards campaign slogan. I think this would have to be done via independent non-campaign expenditures….

Lost driver shuts down border: American takes wrong turn, hits Canadian border carrying hand grenade.

No, not just any border crossing — the Peace Arch Crossing.

Why, you might ask, was this lady carrying a hand grenade in her glove compartment? Is this the latest in fashion? Or is this what they carry in Houston these days for self-defense against carjackers?

Or is it just that anyone who could take a 400km wrong turn, following signs to Vancouver, B.C. instead of Vancouver, Washington is just a bit, well, nuts?

Shields said the woman's husband apparently is a member of the U.S. military posted at the army base at Fort Lewis, Wash., just south of Olympia, Wash.

RCMP were determining if the grenade was a dummy or contained explosives but said it was likely live.

The woman, originally from Houston, Tex., was turned over to Canadian immigration authorities.

“It's quite likely this woman did not know that the grenade was inside her vehicle and she is apparently quite shaken up by the whole ordeal, so charges are quite unlikely,” said Shields.

“Likely the woman will be returned back to the U.S.”

Lucky us.