Diebold: Helping you pull the wool over your own eyes since 1859

15 Mar 2004

I wrote a while ago about the problems inherent in the various electronic voting systems being implemented throughout America. One of the main problems is the lack of a printed record, which would allow people to see and verifty that their vote was counted correctly, as well as allow for recounts in case of close results.

Manufacturers like Diebold have been strangely reluctant to include vote-printing options in their machines. At first they claimed technical incompetence (apparently, attaching a printer to a computer is a daunting task for Diebold), and then when they finally conceded that this technical miracle was possible, they put exorbitant prices on the printer add-ons.

Now comes the big surprise: As Robert X. Cringely describes in his column, the Diebold machines already have printers! The internal printers are required by law for end-of-day vote tallies at least. Modifying the systems to create user-verifiable printed records would require simple changes to the software, and minor enhancements to the computers’ casings to allow the printed receipts to be seen.

Fortunately for Diebold, the major media are still ignoring this story. Blah.

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pukeberg

12 Mar 2004

This is perhaps not a “word” in some sense, but rather a proper name of a store I’ve seen in Stockholm and an associated brand. I propose that the word “pukeberg” in English should be used to described the splatters of frozen vomit that can often be found on sidewalks near nightclub entrances in cold climates (e.g. Sweden).

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farthinder

10 Mar 2004

Although it seems like the name of a device to help prevent you from passing gas, a farthinder is actually what we call a speed bump in English.

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Mega-dildos, Rush!

09 Mar 2004

Not particularly new, but this hilarious audio cut-up of America’s greatest gas-bag has him hurling his venom at himself for a change. Incredibly funny for Limbaugh haters and lovers alike. I bet Rush would even like it himself, especially when he’s all hopped-up on goofballs.

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fart

09 Mar 2004

Today’s funny Swedish word is fart. This means “movement” or “speed”. Fortunately for English-based humorists, this is used to build lots and lots of compound words seen in road signs, shop windows, etc. Stay tuned.

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