The Weekly Round-Up: 16.10.09

How many times have you heard a tale of woe that features 1) an incriminating photo from an office party and/or 2) a comment on the skills of a co-worker along the lines of "witless, talentless buffoon of a man" and 3) ends with a shake of the head, a wince and the punchline: "And then I realised that I'd sent the email to my boss Andy and not my mate Andy."

Plenty of times, the Round-Up is sure.

You've probably got your own horror tale of relationships needlessly ruined by a thoughtless click of that wicked Send button. You might even still remember the sickening feeling that rose up from the pit of your stomach as you realised you'd hit 'reply all'.

You might even have, burned into your soul, the memory of a failed attempt to call back a message sent in haste, so the words "Joe Smith would like to recall the message 'Hot stuff'" still haunt you.

The Round-Up feels your pain. Which is nice but largely useless. However, more usefully, it seems Google has also felt your pain.

Late last year Google unveiled its 'Mail Goggles' an application designed to stop you sending emails that maybe you shouldn't.

If, for example, you set up the Mail Goggles application to work on a Friday night - after having stopped in at the Dog and Duck for a few glasses of refreshment - it will ask you maths questions before letting you send an email, thus making sure you are in a fit state to message. The idea is, of course, to prevent any drunken missives reaching bosses and ex-lovers which would only be regretted in the cold, sober light of the next day.

But the latest innovation from the Gmail Labs under the category of "embarrassment-reducers" aims to stop you sending email to the wrong people.

The feature, called "Got the wrong Bob?", is based on the groups of people you email most often and will try to identify when you've accidentally included the wrong person on an email - before it's too late.

"We hope these features save you a bit of trouble - and a lot of blushing!" said Google.

While this might save some people from email-related blunders, the digitally accident prone among you should still be able to find plenty of ways of embarrassing yourselves with texts, instant messaging and tweets…

Of course, an embarrassment shared is an embarrassment halved, so the saying goes (sort of) - and the Round-Up is here to help. Email your tales of tech woe to editorial@silicon.com and we'll publish the best - go on, it'll make you feel better.

One of the great attractions of the internet is the ability for users to reinvent themselves. Want to be eight foot tall and have pulsating purple hair? Go for it!

Want to roam a virtual world as a fire-breathing sheep? Knock yourself out!

In contrast, the world of the office: it's all suits, shirts and nice polished shoes, thank you very much, and maybe chinos and a sports coat on a Friday if you're lucky.

So guess what happens when the virtual world runs smack into the real world of sales spreadsheets and Tuesday morning team meetings?

Two words: dress codes.

While workers might create outlandish avatars to escape the restraints and monotony of their everyday lives, such behaviour may soon become a thing of the past as they are forced to dress their avatars appropriately for work and adhere to a code of conduct within 3D virtual environments.

After all, while your virtual world giant panda avatar might be great for hanging out with your mates, it might be a slightly terrifying sight when it ambles up to Mary in accounts and asks about its expenses.

And now analysts have drawn up a set of guidelines, explaining to employers how to make the best use of online environments.

Recommendations include creating separate avatars, one for work purposes and another for personal interactions, and extending the codes of conduct for other web activities, such as blogging, into virtual environments, while adding policies around what to wear.

Back in the old days the phrase "on the internet, nobody knows you are a dog," pretty much summed up the web.

Perhaps we should now amend that to "on the internet, everybody knows who you are and that you're wearing an ill-fitting suit, just like in the real world." Which rather takes all the fun out of it.

As it happens, the Round-Up has its cat as its instant messenger avatar. Perhaps Mr Tiddles will have to be persuaded to have his photo taken again, this time wearing a top hat and a bow tie…

The Macs versus PCs debate that kicked off on silicon.com a few weeks ago continues to roll along. Who'd have thought it?

First the CIOs gave their opinions, and then this week it was the chance for readers to have their say on why all PCs should be cast out and replaced with shiny Macs - or the other way around, depending on their point of view.

Surprisingly apart from the odd cry of 'fanboy' or 'are you serious?' this has turned into one of the most interesting reader-led debates on the site recently. Considering it's one of the issues that can get the fanboys on both sides manning the barricades, does this show a new maturity and sense of reconciliation breaking out in the tech world?

The Round-Up sincerely hopes not.

And finally - what else is happening in the world of technology that the Round-Up has cast its hawk-like eye upon this week?

It's called getting off on the wrong foot. Windows 7 gets patched before it's even released.

Want to save your CIO from being embarrassed in front of their peers? And no, it's not as simple as hiding their comedy tie and making sure he brushes his teeth.

Thinking of migrating to Windows 7? Well here's a few things to think about first.