AOL warns Microsoft: This is a test

THAT AOL is in dire straits is no news. That its management decided to get in bed with Microsoft for a party and, in a single move, throw the kids and family pets into the street by contributing pocket change to the Mozilla Foundation while laying off most of the Netscape programmers, is also no novelty.

But what is really amazing is a story that is posted on the Money section of AOLTW's Netscape.com ongoing portal. The link is titled "Interview: This is a test, Microsoft", and points to the following URL.

I was intrigued by the interview. Who would have said to Microsoft "hey, buddies, this is a test, and JUST a test"?. A teenage worm writer? The RIAA? Oracle's Larry Ellison? No, apparently it was Reuters.

The story, as published on Netscape.com, is titled "INTERVIEW-This is a test, Microsoft", dated August 30, and apparently was done in London. But the interviewed subject didn't have much to say, only babbling "This is a test. Please ignore. This is a test. Please ignore. This is a test. Please ignore." and so on for several lines.

Apparently the interviewer didn't get tired of recording this nonsense, as it fills the whole article. But more puzzling is the reference to BT at the end. So who is trying to tell Microsoft something? Was it Reuters? Was it BT? Was it AOLTW?. We wish we knew. We can only hope that the babbling guy receives his medication soon and gets better.

In case they fix the site, the image is below. And this is NOT a test. µ