The new US advert for the AMD Athlon K7 is up there on the company's Web site but one's thing for sure, this one won't show in the UK. Some guy nearly drowns on his coffee as a salesman accompanied by an attractive lass in a silver dress attempt to shock him out of his complacency. The salesman asks if he can re-route a train on track for disaster and demands to know whether he will use a Pentium III or an Athlon to accomplish the miracle. The signaller is making the wrong choice all of the way through the 4Mb presentation, with the lass in the silver dress pouting at him for his boo-boo. The bullet train is heading inexorably towards his office as he's asked to make the decision. The next question for us Brits, we suppose, is whether Railtrack uses Pentiums or Athlons in its signalling networks. The ad wouldn't be allowed on our boxes not for reasons of taste but because direct comparisons in adverts are not welcome here in Blighty. ® * The local basketball team in Lernout & Hauspie's software park in Flanders is called Athlon Ieper (Ypres).