"Fifty people are dead as a result of violent weather that has raged across Yemen since early this month ... Fatalities and injuries caused by lightning strikes are also common due to the state's typography" - UPI news item, 25th August

Another example of when relying on a spell-checker is a bad idea - proof read it!

Thanks to my virtual friend Marjolein Katsma for spotting this.

I shall refrain from being really crass and commenting on the last item on that page ("next in Top News: Iraqi soldier kidnapped on Shiite holiday" - to be read in a Channel 4 announcer's Geordie accent for most impact).

Full article:

Severe weather kills 50 in Yemen

Part II in an occasional series onthe names of things, inspired by Gary Larson. Part I: Staplers

A few weeks ago, I spent a lot of time in traffic jams on the M6, and to pass the time, collected some names of caravans. Since then, I have added some more to my collection, and have found it quite an interesting exercise in branding.

Without going through the whole list, they seem to fall into several groups:

• The aspirational: Corniche, Stellar, Quasar
• The constitutional: Jubilee, Senator, Heritage, Pageant, Festival
• The butch and manly: Pioneer, Discovery, Challenger, Patriot
• The rural: Cheviot, Dalesman, Countryman, Highlander *
• The downright dangerous and asking for retribution: Firestorm, Tornado, Hurricane, [edited]: and another new one: Meteorite
• And to finish up: the frankly ludicrous: Pastiche. (Named after a Greek and Italian dish (pastitsio) made of leftovers, and basically meaning a mish-mash). And Avanté - what’s that?

Do you have a favourite name for a caravan? Polite suggestions only please.

"... see the future of web design and development.

Choose from 36 sessions delivered by some of the world's most inspirational designers and developers. These include Scott Guthrie, George Moore (Microsoft), Beau Ambur (Metaliq), Hoss Gifford (Third Eye Design and Flammable Jam), Jim McNiven (Kerb), Andy Hood (AKQA), Jason Arber (Pixel Surgeon), Paul Dawson (Conchango), Pete Barr-Watson (Microsoft) and Hugh MacLeod (Gaping Void). " - from a Microsoft e-newsletter

All you need to know about bleeding edge web design is encapsulated in the names of those companies - don't you think? Gaping void just about sums it up. I'd rather be informed and educated than inspired (or quite possibly frustrated) - but I'm an old fart, so what do I know?