• Heartiest Diary congratulations to Basingstoke-based computer manufacturer Centerprise. Not only was it named Hampshire Business of the Year last year, but yesterday it emerged that the ambitious hardware firm is supplying one of Europe's highest profile online retailers . . . we refer, of course, to Letsbuyit.com. Centerprise, reports excellent website The Register, has agreed to build own-brand Letsbuyit PCs - to be labelled "Ants", after the animated creatures that appear in the retailer's television adverts.
With so many former suppliers giving Letsbuyit the cold shoulder, it warms the heart to see the e-tailer receiving a helping hand after an unfortunate spell in the Amsterdam courts earlier this year. Nevertheless, the company's cynical detractors - who, to this day, unfairly liken the firm to the living dead - will doubtless dredge up allegations submitted to the court by Dutch administrators, concerning Letsbuyit's former senior executives' understanding of the "financial obligations of the company". Not us. We salute Centerprise, who appear unconcerned with Letsbuyit's background, and wish it the best of fortune.
• Investing in the stock market is a grave matter. This is why we are grateful for an invite, from US online financial newswire TheStreet.com, to attend "one of the premier investment conferences in the country". Delegates will be able to take advantage of 200 workshops and five panel discussions "to hone your investment skills". "You will learn how to devise a clear-cut investment strategy that shows you how to invest for the reality of wealth - not the pipe dream of overnight riches," reads the sober invitation. How long before delegates tire and turn to some of the conference's fringe investment workshops one imagines on offer at the chosen venue - the Paris hotel and casino in Las Vegas - we dare not speculate.
• Excitement mounts in the run up to the UK oil and gas industry's publication of its Sustainable Development Strategy next week. Whether use of the word "sustainable" anticipates the unveiling of a miracle emissionless fossil fuel, or whether it denotes a cynical hijacking of tree-huggers' jargon, it is too early to say.
• So to the Diary's ongoing investigation into reports that staff at Vodafone's head office in Newbury are having trouble receiving a clear signal on their mobile phones - despite claims that the Vodafone network offers 99% coverage throughout Britain. During our initial inquiries, you will recall, a woman from Vodafone's service centre assured us that reception in Newbury town centre was quite sufficient, and that any problems "could be to do with building structures, and nothing to do with coverage provided by Vodafone". Not satisfied with this baffling response, we call the Newbury office direct, employ a cunning subterfuge. "Hello, hello? Can you hear me?" we begin. "Pardon? . . . What? . . . Look, this is a very bad line - can I have your mobile number, and I'll call you back?" "Er, no. You can't," comes the reply. "If you can't hear me on this line, I'm not giving you my mobile number." And with that, the rather nervous sounding staff member hangs up. Hmm.
• Our thanks to Jon Rhodes who emails to point out that the Harvard Business Review - which, we reported yesterday, has been voted "most influential magazine in America by 1,700 opinion leaders" - is not only exclusively available to "an elite corps of top of top business managers", as it may imply. In fact, Mr Rhodes writes, "WH Smith in Euston definitely has the most recent copy".
That may be so, Mr Rhodes but it will not stop us featuring an edited extract from HBR's impressive website tomorrow. The subject of the piece is corporate egos.
