Does Bill Gates own Rockall?

The ongoing debate as to the exact location of the sacred islet of Rockall has thrown up two interesting new factoids. Firstly, we have this rather worrying missive from reader Grant:

Microsoft Autoroute 2002 does include a map of Rockall - or rather would if it was not so damned small or had a motorway on it or something useful.

It is in the database of places and a search of the same gave me a nice pale blue screen (not the nasty royal blue one that they usually show) with "Atlantic Ocean" emblazoned across it.

I thought for a moment that they had actually allocate a pixel to Rockall but it transpired that it was something else as it rubbed off the screen.

However the approximate area in which Rockall is located can be viewed, based on a rectangle where the scale is given as 95 miles. Whatever that means.

I hope this helps you to find the true location of this elusive land.

Does Bill Gates own it?

Keep up the good work.

Well, if Bill Gates has done a deal with Her Imperial Majestyness Queen Liz II of all the Englands, then that would more than adequately explain why Rockall is also completely absent from Flight Sim 2004. According to readers, that is — we never touch computers ourselves. Filthy things.

The facts are these: Were Gates intending to offshore his callcentre operations to Rockall, then it would be top priority to erase all trace of it from Microsoft products. After all, old Bill wouldn't want enraged American former phone bashers blockading Rockall aboard Icelandic trawlers and Japanese whaling vessels — or "essential scientific research ships" as they are known in Tokyo.

We believe, therefore, that this particular conspiracy theory has legs. Readers are invited to keep us posted on any further designs Microsoft may have on the North Atlantic's favourite long-weekend-break destination.

Previously

• Rockall: Visible from space or what?
• So, where the bloody hell is Rockall?