Anna Bligh’s decision that there’ll be no more new pokies in Queensland for a couple of years will no doubt trigger yet another round of debate.

Should their numbers not only be capped, but reduced? Should their accessiblity and usage be more restricted? Should ATMs be permitted in venues where they are installed? Is it the problem gamblers (all too often from the ranks of the battlers) who suffer most from this form of addiction, or is it their families?

Are our clubs and pubs, but most importantly our governments, devoting enough effort to help, and reduce the number, of problem gamblers? And of course, are governments themselves so addicted to pokie revenue that they won’t be able to kick the habit?

Most of these questions are rhetorical only, and the answers come pat to those of us who regret the day when these anti-social darlek look-alikes first made their appearance.

Now, when we read that Sunshine Coast gamblers lost $129 million on the pokies last year, and Queenslanders shelled out nearly $5 million a day, it’s a fair bet that this form of gambling is getting out of hand.

Yes, pokies give clubs the wherewithal to provide great facilities for members; some of the profits are channelled into charities, sport and other community benefits; and most venues make some effort to identify and discourage those who spend money they can’t afford on the machines.

But most of us like a bit of a flutter now and then, you say, so where’s the harm? The harm, dear reader, is in a B-word. Binge drinking by young Australians is now an ugly, worrying blot on our social fabric, and binge gambling needs equally urgent attention. Let’s hope our best and brightest will come up with some binge thinking on these issues this weekend. Anna has given them a good lead.

What did we ever do without Mr Google?
In a few short years, his name has become an everyday, hard-working verb, as in “just google it”.

When asking him for some information the other day, I idly wondered how he came by his name. I’d always thought of him just as Barney, he of the goo-goo-googly eyes. You would have to be of mature years to remember that absurd but catchy Billy Rose song inspired by the famous American cartoon character, but the strip itself is still running in 21 countries and 11 languages.

A bit more fingertip research revealed to my surprise that Mr Google’s internet search engine wasn’t named in honour of Barney after all.

It seems that computer scientists at Stanford University, where the Google empire was born, were discussing a name for their rapidly improving search technology.

One of these geeks suggested “Googolplex”, referring to specific large numbers, and another shortened this to “Googol”, which was agreed upon. A search was made to see if this name was available for internet domain registration and it came up roses.

The only trouble was that the searcher, like so many other cyberspace whizzes, was not a good speller … and the rest is history

If you want to know more, just google Google.
rich.29@bigpond.net.au