Yesterday when I took some cardboard and scrap metal (old computers) to the recyclers I dropped in at some shops to try to buy a cruise control unit. Try is the opperative word there unfortunately. I dropped in at Supercheap Auto. They had a good collection of stuff for sale but a distinct lack of staff. The response when I found someone was strange. They said ‘if we have any left they will be by the CD players or in the glass cabinet’, pointing to a glass case. Now, this glass case was locked and even if I had seen a cruise control in it then it would not have been possible for me to actually get it.

In the end they did not have any. Repco next door got a similarly strange reaction. Just the look of the salesman when I asked about it… Well, it was, um, strange. I got a look from the guy which said ‘why would you come here looking for that’. Then I asked about a workshop manual for my car, and was told they didn’t have one of those either.

There are reports from the SMH about how earbuds for MP3 players may be creating hearing loss with some users. What was not mentioned in the article is that iPods sold in the EU all contain modified software to limit the volume thanks to a french requirement. The FAA have also release a set of draft regulations for space tourism. This includes the possibility of a no fly list for passengers…