Free WiFi signal gets a big boost in the UK

According to a press release pre-dated for this Saturday (presumably not under embargo though?), McDonalds burger joints in conjunction with 'the cloud' will soon offer free Wifi hotspots for fast food junkies all over the UK.

This comes on the back of an announcement that Wifi enabled devices such as apple's new iPod 'Touch' are becoming very popular indeed.

Many people have now bought, by accident or design, devices that can access WiFi networks to access online information and emails and the rise in popularity is starting to force more providers to offer a free service. Announcements like this will start to break the subscription or pre-pay mould, something which is long overdue in this country and might actually see users switch the Wifi capabilities of their mobiles or PDA's on!

Talking of mobiles, Apple's much sought after mobile phone may lack the HSDPA or 3G, broadband support, but it will apparently allow free access to 'the cloud' and not just in McDonalds either. So bloggers, techno-geeks or even just the curious will soon be able to enjoy the internet on the go, without paying the exorbitant prices that cripple everyday usage in the same way that telephone charges used to, before the introduction of flat-rate and broadband services.

I look forward to seeing more of this kind of thing on the menu in the future.

McHacked off?

They may sell millions of burgers every hour and they may even believe their food can be healthy as part of a balanced diet but it seems that someone has been busy programming an online game which won't be flavour of the month in the McDonalds boardroom.



The tutorial section of this new online game seems to include some rather unusual dialogue which probably isn't quite what the fast food chain would like to see on their menu.

Here's some of the text which will be making the marketing boys sick:

Agricultural sector:
If we had to rear all the cattle we need in our part of the world, our cities would drown in an ocean of cow shit. Pastures and soy culture need a lot of land and South America is one of the best places for it. Obviously you have to conquer your land as our forefathers did. Remember the old saying: \under every forest there is a lawn".

Soy culture:
You can increase terrain productivity using genetically modified plants. GMOs allow us to use more aggressive pesticides to minimize insect damage.

Feed lot:
Every good American wants a fat and greasy burger. Unfortunately, the cows coming from the pastures are slim and won't yield fat meat. So we must keep them here for some months and overindulge them with hyperchaloric soy-based fodder. Make sure there is sufficient fodder for all the cows and avoid the epidemics.

Hormones:
You can fill the cows with hormones to make them fatten more quickly. This could have some risks to consumer health, but make no mistake: in love and war everything is licit.

Fast Food:
People live fast and want to eat quickly. Fast food restaurants are the cathedrals of our age and everything must be efficient and optimized. Avoid customer queues by supplying hamburger for the kitchen and making human resources prompt and motivated.
Managing the crew is an art: to keep your employees motivated you can reward them with an "employee of the week" badge or reproach them. For the most ungrateful the best solution is firing. Eliminate the weak links!

The website closely mirrors the McDonalds style on their worldwide site and the McDonalds logo also seems to make an appearance, unlicensed I suspect?

I can't imagine this website will be around for too long as it stands, not without the McLawyers getting involved so be sure to check it out while you can!

I'm Lovin' it!