(Video via Laughing Squid via The Memphis Blog)

From a leaked AT&T memo:

Fact of the Week: On June 25, the day Michael Jackson died, text messages sent on our network spiked at 65,000 messages per second — the largest volume ever recorded — surpassing events like American Idol voting and New Year’s Eve, when millions of our customers wish their friends and family a happy new year via text.”

Macworld:

In a statement sent via e-mail Thursday, Microsoft confirmed it removed the ad—one in a series to promote IE8—based on viewer feedback, and meant no harm in it.

“We make a point of listening to our customers,” according to Microsoft. “We created the OMGIGP video as a tongue-in-cheek look at the InPrivate Browsing feature of Internet Explorer 8, using the same irreverent humor that our customers told us they liked about other components of the Internet Explorer 8 marketing campaign. While much of the feedback to this particular piece of creative was positive, some of our customers found it offensive, so we have removed it.”

Sadly, this includes the copy I linked to yesterday.

I’ve revamped the CSS here on ForkBombr. If you read my content via RSS and never visit, come drop by and take a look.

Gone is the dark background, the type is all a little smaller and the logo now lives in the sidebar. A few other loose ends have been tied up.

If you’re using Internet Explorer 6—and I know 16% of you are—you may have some issues with the new layout. But really, it’s time to move on. Find Windows Update in your Start menu and run it. There are lots of updates just waiting for you and your computer.

Thanks.

Safari’s had it forever, but Ars Technica’s Ryan Paul does a nice job of describing the feature:

With a stroke at the keyboard, users can erect stiff privacy barriers that will prevent their Web surfing habits from penetrating the browser history and defiling the sensitive auto-completion system with incriminating data where it might arouse the suspicions of subsequent users.

Perfect.

@mynameispj (my co-editor from back in the high school newspaper days) sent me this on Twitter after reading my take on the Internet Explorer/Nickelback thing:

Seriously. I’m reposting this because it’s beyond absurd. Really, Microsoft? Really?

He was talking about this link, on CNET. The headline reads: “Microsoft resorts to vomit to market IE 8.”

I wish it didn’t but it does. The article contains this ad:

Yes, you did just see what you think you saw.

The ad is actually for the “Browser for the Better” campaign, which is a partnership between Microsoft and Feeding America in which they will give 8 meals away for every copy of IE 8 that is download.

Microsoft, I’ll download your browser for my PC—not use it, mind you—just to help someone out. But that ad is just about the weirdest thing you could have done.

The Walkman made music mobile. For the first time, you could take your favorite tunes - albeit in cassette form - anywhere. It is this freedom that Apple capitalized one with the first iPod in 2001.

The first Walkman, the TPS-L2, had all sorts of cool features like dual headphone ports (so you and your girl could slow dance together behind the school gym), independent volume control for the left and right audio channels and a talk-over feature (so  you could talk to your girl over the music), all tucked inside a sturdy blue and grey metal case.

Read all about the TPS-L2 and the subsequent Walkman devices over at Wikipedia.

File this under “Shit you couldn’t make up if you tried.”

Microsoft is offering a “special edition” of Internet Explorer 8. What’s so special? You get a Nickelback MP3 and access to “Nickelback webisodes and online content.”  And a browser that doesn’t respect open standards.

If you want a sub-standard browser and a sub-standard band’s new single, click here. Be warned, the Nickelback song starts playing automatically, of course.