DHL, a popular shipping alternative to FedEx, UPS and the US Postal Service, has gone belly up in the ever more fun economic crisis. Today the company announced that it will end all domestic shipping services starting January 30th (which means 9,500 layoffs) while only international shipping to/from the US will remain. Hopefully one less competitor in the ring won’t increase all of our internet shipping costs too greatly. [DHL]
Microsoft is suing delivery service DHL for their refusal to compensate the boys in Redmond for the destruction of over 21,000 Xboxes in a Texas train derailment. The consoles were due for Hong Kong when the train, carrying two large containers of Xboxes, went off the tracks, sustaining a substantial amount of water and impact damage and, interestingly, “pilfering.” Microsoft is seeking $US2 million in compensation for DHL’s negligence. That the phrase “fiery train wreck” is missing from the report makes me think it wasn’t as exciting as it could’ve been. Imagine the headlines! [PC World]
You know that so-called “biggest drawing in the World” made by pin-point DHL mailings of a GPS tracker? Well, all you doubting commenters were right: it’s a complete and utter fake. While artist Erik Nordenankar was allowed into a DHL warehouse, that’s about it as far as any real mail is concerned. A note on his website says “This is fictional work. DHL did not transport the GPS at any time.” So, no GPS tracker, no DHL pin-point global mailing. Just one big steaming pile of fakeness. [Gadget Lab]
I have to hand it to Erik Nordenankar and DHL for devising what has to be the most creative fusion of art and technology to date. The concept was simple but brilliant: place a GPS device in a briefcase and mail it via DHL with precise travel instructions over the course of a 55 day period. When all was said and done, the GPS data formed a virtual self-portrait of the artist that spread over 6 continents and 62 countries covering about 112,000 kms.
