There are basic elements of class snobbery that apply in an online environment the same as they do everywhere else, says Stephen Fry on BBC 4 radio: "For some of us a MySpace page is just pretty low rent. It's a pink, sparkly thing that's very charming for a 14-year-old
girl, but a serious adult with a MySpace page has a problem. And Facebook is becoming a bit low rent, too. You know that awful thing they say: 'What's so good about Sainsburys? It keeps the scum out of Waitrose.' It's that awful British snobbery. In the same way, if someone's email address is hotmail or AOL, you kind of think 'Hmmn, I see, they're not a real player, are they?' I mean, please don't be offended if you're thinking 'How dare you - it's a perfectly respectable address'. Of course it's a respectable address. It's ridiculous and, like all class things, absurd, but the web has it."
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Why passport photos for babies must follow the eyes-open rules: "Eyes open and mouth closed is the standard photo used for passports, so facial recognition cameras around airports can recognise your faces," a reader writes. "The worst thing that could happen to border security would be to let a child out of the country who was part of a custody case, or a child who was kidnapped ... Facial recognition is used worldwide, so you should view your night of struggle getting the photo as an insurance policy for your child."
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The owner of UK muesli company Southern Alps, Andrew Garner, responds to the reader who was horrified to see the product wasn't from New Zealand. He says he is marketing New Zealand. "I was born in New Zealand and left after finishing university to tour Europe. I eventually married a Dane, had two kids and ended up staying in Europe. Eight years ago, my wife and I started a muesli company. Given that muesli is originally from the Swiss Alps and I grew up in the South Island, we agreed to call the company Southern Alps. All our muesli products are named after locations around the South Island (Mount Cook Kaikoura Organic Granola, Queenstown Winter Porridge). Each muesli variation has a brief description of the location and how it has inspired the product. They are widely available in the UK and to a lesser extent in Switzerland, France, Holland, Ireland and the US. Were we right or wrong to call our company Southern Alps? Who knows? But I'm very proud of it. For Europeans, it has helped raise interest in New Zealand and for me it reminds me of home."
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I don't often listen to Rock FM. Maybe I should. Two Sideswipe readers hoodwinked me into publishing their Rock FM pictures, which is all part of the radio station's "Show Us Your Rock" competition. Listeners make a Rock FM logo and display it "somewhere awesome", then send the station a photo for a chance of winning $10,000. Well, one guy defaced (with permission) an Air New Zealand plane and then sent it to Sideswipe, saying something about the Iron Maiden tour. Another sent in a very handmade Rock FM logo, hung on a bridge over Auckland's Southern Motorway, wondering if the recession has hit their ad budgets. So there you have it. I was duped! Top effort to both these blokes. Surely one has to win the cash?
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See today's Herald cartoon
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Today's Webpick: What if God disappeared? Click here. Plus, the Blood Bath, Bath Mat and other unusual bits for the home. Check them out here.
These are the very best online videos from Ana's online magazine Spare Room.
