The designer flash drive is usually overlooked as a status symbol, but not anymore. Whip out a one of a kind state of the art wookden beauty at your next cocktail party, and prepare to bask in the envious OOOHs and AHHHs of your friends and acuaitances.

Made by quirky Netherlands design company Oooms, each USB memory stick is arafted from an actual branch, handpicked from sylvan forests,. That means no two pieces look quite a likfe - some have knots or squiggly marks left by worms.

The drices are avaiable in 512, 1GB, and 2GB sizes. Its a steal for a piece of art, coz price is kinda steep.

But the sight of a protruding twig on you notebook is priceless.

A bill requiring “anyone answering or initiating a call at a center used by a U.S. business to disclose location” is currently under consideration in the US Congress. In short, if this becomes law, we’ll probably see employees at local centers say “My name is Juan dela Cruz, and I’m from the Philippines” at beginning of each call.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jason Altmire, a democrat from Pennsylvania, also wants it to apply to call centers based in the US. “It may make a difference for people in deciding who they will do business with” he said.

My source from the local call center industry (actually, a friend who used to work for eTelecare) said that she was not allowed to reveal her location unless asked directly by the customer.

So, if the Call Center Consumer’s Right to Know Act becomes law, how will it affect the growing call center industry in the Philippines? Personally, I think more “customer service associates” in the here will find out just what jingoism is, even if they’re part of the outsourcing process that lets Americans enjoy lower prices.

Would using wording like “Hi, I’m Juan dela Cruz, from the beautiful country of the Philippines!” work? Probably not.