Jude the obscure?

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the recruitment agency, Sydney-based developer Hothouse Interactive has released survey results it says prove geek-ism is now sexy.

‘IT nerds now sexy: Jude Law watch out!’ screamed the press release in big black bold capital letters 1.3cm high.

Hothouse chief Simon van Wyk was quoted as saying: ‘Women in particular are attracted to men who have the ability not only to survive but to flourish.

‘And if you are a female deciding what evolutionary road you want your children to follow, you will be looking for a wired IT professional who can install his own programs without begging a complete techie stranger to cover up technological inadequacies. Knowledge is the ultimate power and power is a huge aphrodisiac.’

The press release burbled on to claim that 56 percent of survey respondents said the IT professional was ‘aspirational and exciting’. The profession was unshackling itself from the image of a nerdy polyester-wearing boffin with limited social skills, it said.

And what about the other 44 percent? It has to be said that The Shadow was doubtful of the statistical significance of this groundbreaking research, to say the least. We’ve also always doubted the appropriateness of the ‘boffin’ appellation, a term generally applied to intellectuals – not system administrators.

A quick straw poll of female colleagues at The Shadow’s workplace revealed six in favour of scrumptious Jude Law and one who wanted to know who the IT professional was.

And it has to be said, it’s hard to imagine many women losing their heads to jump into bed with any of the world’s leading IT professionals. In fact, when these people do prove popular with the ladies, it’s arguably their bank balance that does the attracting.

Might we suggest Hothouse hoses down the conservatory, which is obviously boiling the brains of its public relations company?

SurfControl tees off

If you’re an IT industry exec, there’s no better place to do deals than the golf course. Security mob SurfControl invited its channel partners, clients and staff to hit the golf course in Moore Park, Sydney, recently for the 2nd annual SurfControl Golf Challenge.

Unfortunately the international beer tent – where beers from around the world were available for tasting – proved to be a bit of a distraction for the 50 golfers in attendance. The tent was later blamed for the form slump affecting some players. Yeah, likely story!

SurfControl partner mcr handed out MP3 players to winners Paul Emerson and Michael Montesin from Ernst & Young and Julian and Crispin Kerr from SurfControl.

IBM miffed over Acer ad

An advertisement produced by Acer Computer Australia and titled ‘Don’t be blue. Think’ was an obvious dig at one of Acer’s strongest competitors, IBM. ‘Blue’ referring to ‘Big Blue’ the colloquial name for IBM and ‘Think’ a subtle dig at IBM’s popular ThinkPad notebook.

A little Acer birdie told The Shadow that apparently IBM Australia was a little miffed about the ad after receiving a call from the vendor. Nice work Acer – The Shadow is waiting for IBM to retort with its own advertising featuring a subtle dig. Oh hang on, that’s right, IBM’s PC business is owned by Chinese company Lenovo. Oh well.

Questions over Carly’s payout

One HP shareholder stood up at the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Chicago recently and asked interim chair Patricia Dunn about the tonne of money Carly Fiorina walked away with after being fired from HP.

‘It seems like the worse you do, the more money you make,’ the shareholder said. ‘Why do CEOs need this kind of money?’

Dunn replied that Fiorina did not have a contract but was, ‘under the same plan for severance’ as all HP executives.

‘The board has taken the view that it is in the best interest of the company to not have protracted and potentially disruptive negotiations with people as they leave the company,’ Dunn said.

So you pay them $21.4 million to leave quietly?

Meanwhile, Bob Wayman, HP’s acting CEO, told shareholders that the company is making good progress towards selecting the next CEO.