"Dave on wheels" exposed as a hoax

"Dave on wheels" exposed as a hoax

Deaf paraplegic blogger, David Rose, doesn’t actually exist. His story, which it turns out was entirely fabricated, was relayed by the media and touched the hearts of many across the United States. A hoax that began back in 2007, when “Dave on Wheels” began his blog, humorous inspiring posts relating his day to day life and his fight against cerebral palsy. He supposedly typed it all using a computer that tracked his eye movement using infra-red light.

And the deception continued, up until last week that is, when his so called “sister” posted a message saying Dave had died aged 24, the post came with a poignant farewell message supposedly written by Dave on his death bed, sparking an outpouring of emotion on the web.

Someone from entertainment website « The Chive » who had covered his story, asked to attend the funeral. But when Rose’s sister refused to meet him, the site’s editors became suspicious and decided to investigate. They were unable to find a death certificate in Los Angeles where he was meant to have lived.

A Canadian blogger meanwhile had discovered that the profile photo used for "Dave on Wheels” social network accounts actually belonged to someone else.

And so the game was up; the blog was shut down immediately and the imposter posted a message online explaining him or herself. They apologized, saying they simply wanted to inspire others to “love and live a better life”. But will all those who fell for the fake blogger forgive and forget? Well, that remains to be seen.

USA: web users mobilize to save Sesame Street

When Mitt Romney targeted Big Bird from children’s TV program “Sesame Street” during the first presidential debate on October 3, little did he know he was about to incur the wrath of countless Americans. The Republican candidate had announced his intention, if elected, to stop the subsidy to public television network PBS which airs the show in question. His words have sparked an outcry among American web users who are now organizing their resistance.

A mass rally is being planned for November 3, just 3 days before the presidential election. The “Million Muppet March” is being coordinated via social networks, and hopes to bring fans and supporters of the show to the capital Washington, to protest the proposed measures and show Mitt Romney how important Sesame Street is to them. The initiative is enjoying great success over 21 000 web users have already joined the movement’s official Facebook page.

And with plans underway for November 3, other web users are coming up with alternative ways of slamming Romney’s proposal. All sorts of photomontages featuring Big Bird and the Republican candidate are doing the rounds on sharing sites, with critics teasing Romney about his great show of bravery in taking on a poor little puppet…

And the Obama camp has obviously got wind of the save Big Bird movement, and jumped at the chance to take a swipe at Romney. The outgoing president’s campaign team has produced this very sarcastic video; Romney is shown as the man who identified those responsible for the economic crisis in the US, and contrary to popular belief, it was not the Wall Street Traders, oh no, it was the gang of puppets from Sesame Street.

Website helps decipher your date’s text messages

Hetexted.com aims to help American women read between the lines of text messages sent by the man they have started dating. So they upload the text, anonymously obviously, explaining the context and any concerns they might have. Web users can then give their opinion by choosing from one of three options “he’s into you”, “he’s not into you” and “verdict is still out”. It’s a novel way of helping ladies form an opinion on potential future boyfriends…

Now trending on social networks

On Tuesday, South African rapper Molemo Maarohanye, aka Jub Jub, was found guilty of murder. On the 8th March 2010, the musician’s car ploughed into a group of children, killing four. He was street racing in the suburbs of Johannesburg at the time and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He will be sentenced next month. Many have taken to social networks to applaud the court’s decision describing it as exemplary and proof that no-one is above the law.

Video of the day

The US Space Shuttle Endeavour which retired from service last year is now on show at the California Science Center. But it had to get from Los Angeles airport to the museum. And so it travelled the remaining kilometers to its new home through the streets of the “City of Angels”, as we can see in this video recently posted online.