So much for potato-powered servers. It made a nice break from the perpetual din over nothing that constitutes most so-called news these days, but as this article posted at the Register reveals, the whole thing was an elaborate hoax!

[We don't have the slightest guilt over running the story ourselves, however, because we got the news from a BBC Web site, courtesy of MacSurfer, and your editor's function is to, well, edit. Verifying the provenance and veracity of every story is for people with more time or money! And what does this tell us, class? That wherever the Internet is concerned, trust no one, and especially (sadly enough) Mac sites. There isn't a one of them in the world with the resources to chase down and confirm every item that floods the email in-boxes. Something to consider, yes? For that matter, not even the well-financed media giants bother to do this anymore either, since their "reporters" are too busy being "content providers." Take care! -- JHF]

March 16, 2010