Etc.
iLoo? Not true.
Microsoft Corp. said a company news release that it was developing a portable toilet with Internet access, called an "iLoo," was a hoax perpetrated by its British division.
The April 30 release, issued by the company's MSN Internet division in the United Kingdom, said Microsoft was developing a portable toilet with a wireless keyboard and an extending height-adjustable plasma screen in front of the seat. The iLoo was to debut at festivals this summer in Britain.
"This iLoo release came out of the UK office and was not a Microsoft sanctioned communication and we apologize for any confusion or offense it may have caused," Microsoft spokeswoman Bridgitt Arnold said late Monday.
The fake release generated coverage by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and Reuters.
It didn't take a deodorant company long to hear opportunity knocking after a magazine dubbed Battle Mountain, a town in northeast Nevada, the nation's armpit.
Old Spice deodorant has agreed to sponsor Battle Mountain's "Festival of the Pit" from Aug. 15-17 under a new name: "Old Spice's Festival in the Pit."
In response to the Washington Post Magazine article, the town last year launched the quirky celebration, with events such as a deodorant toss to replace the old-fashion egg toss.
The company plans to spend about $75,000 on the festival, with events such as an armpit beauty pageant, a sweaty T-shirt contest and a "quick-draw" antiperspirant contest.
Sorry, potential Klingon interpreters.
Officials have said they won't be needing your services, after all.
The office that treats mental health patients in Multnomah County, in Oregon, had included Klingon on a list of 55 languages that could be spoken by incoming patients.
But the inclusion of the Star Trek language drew a spate of tongue-in-cheek headlines.
And now the county has rescinded its call, stressing that it hasn't spent a penny of public money on Klingon interpretation.
"It was a mistake, and a result of an overzealous attempt to ensure that our safety net systems can respond to all customers and clients," Multnomah County chair Diane Linn said in a news release.
