i'll take "smart phone ads" for $200, alex

[rone]

[SFX: didgeridoo]

ANNOUNCER: Huh ta speak Ostrayleen.

[Sleazy guy walks up to well-endowed woman and puts both hands on her breasts.]

ANNOUNCER: Multi-touch interface.

[Woman knocks out sleazebag with a right hook.]

ANNOUNCER: Haptic feedback.

[Enormous can of horse piss is slammed on the counter.]

ANNOUNCER: Beeah—*BZZZZT*GAAAH!

Comments

[blarglefiend.livejournal.com]

Oh, hell, Fosters owns most of the major brands here. I knew they were big, I just didn't quite realise they were this (http://cub.com.au/beer/) big.

AIUI, Fosters was originally just a single brand ("Fosters") up in NSW. Made lots of money, bought lots of other companies including Carlton United, which is where they got VB.

Fosters itself is pretty popular in NSW, it's the local basic beer up there.

You may think of Rupert as an Australian, but we think of him as an American.

[baljemmett.livejournal.com]

Blimey, yes, that's pretty sizeable -- rather like (the former) Scottish & Newcastle over here, now owned by Carlsberg and Heineken. In fact, I believe they hold the license for Fosters (the brand) in the UK... That certainly explains why people would be a little upset. (See also Kraft buying Cadbury, but don't get me started on that; public in ignorant knee-jerk reaction, film at 11.)

As for Murdoch, fair enough -- and I suppose technically he is, of course -- but I also had in mind the huge chunks of British broadcast infrastructure which are now owned in large part by Macquarie (through Arqiva and Red Bee). But it wasn't a serious criticism, by any means :)

[blarglefiend.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I'd forgotten about Macquarie. I plead self-defence mechanism, they're a bunch of hateful sods even here. They own many of the big toll-roads and airports. And politicians.