Various media outlets are today carrying an AAP report of a survey that purports to show increased support for the NBN. Had these outlets dug a bit deeper they might have found that the story was somewhat different.
Following public outcry and world-wide ridicule, Pakistan's telecommunications companies have just announced they will hold off on plans to block 1,695 words and phrases in SMS messages.
News outlets all over the world have reported on Pakistan's plans to declare 1,695 words or phrases as 'obscene' and block their use in SMS messages; with the actual blocking to be done at every telecommunications company in the country.
It appears that the list of words was secretly distributed by Pakistan's telecommunications authority to all telcos in the country on November 14th with a seven day deadline for implementation.
Although the list includes a number of expletives, blasphemy and such, it also has a very large number of dual use words such as 'fairy' and 'quickie.'
There were also totally inexplicable items such as 'athlete's foot' and 'four twenty.' Then there were the completely bizarre - 'ass puppy?' Who on earth uses that term? I'm sorry readers, I have to look it up...
There seem to be two prevailing uses. One refers to a small amount of excrement that remains stuck to one's nether regions, the other refers to a person who follows another around, attempting to accrue coolness by association (which is pretty-much the same as the first definition!).
In the past couple of hours, reports have claimed that the decision has been deferred, although that seems to be based only upon a general disinclination by the telcos to apply the blockage and by a matching denial by the authorities that such demand ever existed.
David Frost
| SYDNEY, Feb. 22, 2012—Silver Peak Systems, the leader in data centre class wide area network (WAN) optimisation, today continues to revoluti…
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