Escaped convict uses Facebook to taunt police

Craig Lynch
Compulsory geo-tagging of all images could end this outrage

Did you have a nice Christmas? Craig 'Lazie' Lynch did, seeing as he absconded from prison on 24 September this year - and has been taunting police about his whereabouts and continued life of freedom via aggressive photo updates on Facebook ever since.

Over the Christmas holidays, Craig uploaded a picture of himself holding a turkey to Facebook, along with a - very poorly written - message boasting about still being free for his Christmas binge while the cops were failing to track him down.

Lynch now has over 1,200 Facebook friends enjoying his on-the-run campaign of cyber-terror, but his ballsy actions have spawned a protest group - in which other users complain about those who are egging on the criminal in his goading of the law.

Negative feedback

Meanwhile, online car boot sale site eBay came to the rescue of Tristan Brooks, who had around £8,000-worth of stuff nicked from his flat.

When police failed to turn up any culprits, Brooks turned to eBay - and managed to track down his stolen fridge.

Fridge

THAT'S MY FRIDGE: I'd know that stained milk shelf anywhere

"I logged on and all of a sudden I was staring at the screen and looking at my fridge freezer" he said of the event, which shall henceforth be known as the Miracle of the White Goods.

Posing as an interested buyer, Brooks contacted the fridge-seller and managed to confirm the fridge was his particular fridge (he didn't recognise it, he kept serial numbers), then sent the police around to nick the seller and recover the rest of his stuff.

Home economical

A man who calls himself "Darin Cosgrove" has managed to increase his car's fuel economy by 15 per cent, thanks to sticking a "boat tail" monstrosity on the back of it. The curved homemade construction, built out of cardboard and tape, enhances the aerodynamics of the car and reduces drag, improving economy as a result.

Darin, who runs a site about efficient driving and car-modding called EcoModder, now gets 64mpg out of his battered old 1998 Pontiac Firefly, claiming the handling is the same as it was before - although he now has to deal with non-believers laughing at him.

Boat car

HEALTH & EFFICIENCY: Boost efficiency further still by getting a bicycle

Continue until wife stops breathing

An American couple's GPS device nearly killed them by sending them off down a remote, snow-filled country road, then realised its mistake and saved their lives - by automatically calling for help when the weather lifted enough for the satnav to signal for assistance.

The call-for-help was issued thanks to the American E911 system, which lets certain GPS phones on certain networks send out emergency signals with embedded location data.

Car filled with snow

PLEASE SEND HOT TEA: Technology develops ability to cover its own arse

The fully-automated mishap, reported by USA Today, tells of the epic journey of John and Starry Bush-Rhoads, who ended up getting themselves stuck in snow for two and a half days.

Fortunately, they had planned ahead for the ineptitude of modern technology, packing food, water and spare clothes, just like the way Ripley in Aliens never really trusts Bishop.