Wednesday, July 31, 2013

JK Rowling Claims “ANGER” At Lawyer For Leaking Her Pseudonym – Righteous Indignation?

In another interesting twist, Ms Rowling has said she feels "very angry" after finding out her pseudonym Robert Galbraith was leaked by a legal firm.

As widely covered by the media, JK Rowling has penned a crime novel (The Cuckoo's Calling, the first in a series) under the pen name “Robert Galbraith”.

As it turns out, Chris Gossage, a lawyer at her law firm Russells, told his wife's best friend Judith Callegari, who promptly blabbed it to whoever wanted to know in the Twitter universe.

Galbraith/Rowling stated: "I feel very angry that my trust turned out to be misplaced. To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. A tiny number of people knew my pseudonym and it has not been pleasant to wonder for days how a woman whom I had never heard of prior to Sunday night could have found out something that many of my oldest friends did not know."

Needless to say, Russells Solicitors went into “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa” mode, apologizing "unreservedly". In good lawyerly fashion, the firm pointed out that the secret was leaked "during a private conversation" and that "the disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly. On becoming aware of the circumstances, we immediately notified JK Rowling's agent."

Rowling reacted to the apology by suing the lawyer and the friend. Her attorney, Jenny Afia, argued in High Court that her client felt "angry and distressed that her confidences had been betrayed.”

Russells agreed to reimburse Rowling's legal costs and to make a "substantial" donation to The Soldiers' Charity, which helps former military personnel and their families.

What do you think – another clever marketing move?

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Pippa Middleton Takes Legal Action Against @PippaTips - The Streisand Effect

Mat Morrisroe and Suzanne Azzopardi started tweeting as @PippaTips. Their hilarious tweets spoofed
Pippa’s predictable party tips.

Some gems include:

@PippaTip: avoid awkward silences by talking

@PippaTip: when driving at night lights aren't only a legal requirement, but a fun way of seeing the road and other things

@PippaTip: if you're shopping on a budget, try purchasing things that cost less to buy

@PippaTip: breakfast is a yummy way to get rid of hunger after waking. Toast (re-cooked bread), cereal or eggs with bacon are always winners

@PippaTip: the weekend is a good opportunity to do things you don't have time to during the week

@PippaTip: headache tablets can be a great in helping deal with a headache

@PippaTip: form friendships by being nice to people you like

@PippaTip: a refreshing afternoon nap can be enjoyed by taking a nap in the afternoon

With more than 50,000 Twitter followers, the dynamic duo launched "When One is Expecting: A Posh Person's Guide to Pregnancy and Parenting". It’s a parody of Pippa’s quite unsuccessful book Celebrate.

Ms. Middleton was not amused and instructed her lawyers Harbottle and Lewis LLP to demand that the @PippaTips Twitter account must be deleted

Part of Pippa’s chagrin could be the fact that the spoof is outselling the original on Amazon. Celebrate ranks at #3,370, while the @PippaTips book ranks at #961.

Sales in bookshops are still better for Celebrate. Pippa did not do herself a favor with her public outcry. It generated a lot of publicity that only helps to boost sales for @PippaTips. It’s a classic example of the Streisand Effect.

Saturday, July 06, 2013

What If Ancient Rome Had Internet? This Is How Social Media Could Have Looked....Feel Free to Add Your Own!

Sometimes I wonder ancient Romans would have used social networks. Feel free to add your own 2 asses!

Amazon.com

Buy the latest Roman Gazette Bestseller list scroll “De Bello Gallico” by Gaius Julius Caesar now! 15% discount if you order before the Ides of March. 

Best customer review: “An amazing read” Octavius
Worse customer review: “Hate it, hate it, hate it”! Widow of Vercingetorix 

eBay

Sword used to kill Gaius Julius Caesar. Features original blood stains. Only used once for murder. Condition: fair. Current bid: 100 dinarii excluding shipping.

Facebook

Like pages:

How to poison without leaving a trace” – Empress Livia (1,000,360 likes from the female Roman population and all slaves)

Kinky stuff” – Caligula (likes from Emperor Tiberius)

How to commit patricide” – Brutus (likes from all Roman nobles)

Texting

"Noticed that my husband is sexing another hussy" (Caesar’s wife to BFF)

"I am here, let’s kill the SOB" (Brutus to fellow conspirators))

"Why does oracle4u keeps texting me “Beware of the Ides of March” (bewildered I am NOT bold Caesar to his mistress). 

YouTube

Most popular:

- How to cross the Alps with elephants (posted by Hannibal) 10 minutes

Cleopatra taking a bath (posted by MarcAntony) 3 X-rated minutes

- Speeches by Cicero (too many minutes of "Furthermore, consider that Carthage must be destroyed")  

Netflix and Hulu

The black widow (documentary about Empress Livia 1 hr and 10 min.)

My Space

Emperor Nero featuring playing the violin against a stunning Roman background

Google+

- Friends circle Roman oppressors
- Friends circle Roman wives scorned
- Friends circle slaves revolt

Pinterest

Featured boards:

- Enemies I conquered (by Caesar4u)
- Enemies of Caesar (by Pompey)
- Toga fashion (by Valentinus of Roma)
- Lares (by Matrona)
- Favorite Scrolls (by Virgil)
- Volcanoes (Pliny the Younger)

Twitter

Kicked the s*** out of those #barbarians! #RomaVincit (Posted by #Caesar4u)

Lost another bloody #elephant. Stupid #Alps! (Posted by #Hannibal)

Hate my Daddy#Caesar4u sucks! (Posted by Julia, Caesar’s daughter)

Google translation (utilizing Babylon.com software) of an e-mail in Gallic to Latin:

“You Jules Bold murder wives and children. The Parisii and Gauls cannot take this. Wine and Women superior to Matrons Roman are. So exhaust fluid from this. Fornicate you!”