Just recently my friend Zoe was moving house and she had a stack of books that people could take, as she was going to throw them away. I took The Watcher and Nick Hornby's About A Boy. I saw the film ages ago and liked it. I like the book …

I think "abandon hope" would be a more apt title. Anyone who can't see the moral vacuum that any company peddling these type of technologys is blind. any government not legislating against them is derelicting their duties. it wraps up everything bad ablut the modern world into one neat pachage …

So did you get it and whats your impression

Agreement! But I'm fairly sure that prostitution itself is not illegal; it is the act of soliciting for paid sex that is illegal. So prostitutes can have sex with their clients, but they can only find clients through telepathy or serendipity.

PS The Jim Prize for Most Illuminating Work on …

I think prostitution should be legalized.

Emily sent me an article on GM crops which at first plunged me into confusion. I find the whole GM thing very complicated and hard to think about. Then it struck me that the whole situation would be simplified and improved if the idea of patents were abolished.

One of …

I found out that Janos was a fan of Iain Banks. I asked him, 'what's your favourite Banks sci-fi book then?', he said it was Player of Games. I thought I'd read them all, but when he outlined the plot I realized I hadn't. Excellent!

PoG is an excellent book …

You'd have thought so, but since March 2005, the UK government can issue a Control Order. This means you're effectively punished without a trial. I think this is wrong.

"do nothing, or...go ahead and present the evidence". isn't that the only two alternatives anyway? next you'll be offering kosher and non-kosher food...

I saw Tim Lott on tv once, he was taking part in a discussion on one of those arts review programmes. He dominated the argument, talking forcefully, almost agressively. Armando Iannucci was there (seemed a bit unsure of himself) and also Andrew Davies. Davies was Lott's main opponent, but no …