The power of shame.

I was going to write about how my daughter is behaving, but when I threatened to post the truth--even anonymously--she said I wasn't to. So I shan't.

Suffice it to say, she could never behave as badly as the cat that pee-ed all over the box of rubbish for recycling last night.

Does this go any way to explain why I got up at 3.00 a.m. to make some space to put pen to paper?

Clippy

I don't usually steal entire sections from publications, but this, from New Scientist is priceless:

Paperclip philosopher

FEEDBACK is surely not alone in detesting "helpful" computers, reasoning that their entire purpose is to be obedient, not to second-guess their owners. Adonis Patrikios, in contrast, decided to test just how helpful and friendly the Microsoft Office Assistant - usually incarnated as a supremely annoying paperclip - could be.

"Who am I?" No response.

"Who are you?" No response.

"Why are we here?" At last: Would you like to add a diagram?

No, thanks. "Do you even love me anymore?" Justify Text. OK then, he thought, I'll justify it: "I want to know if you really care, or is this just a job to you?" How to speak to a computer. Perhaps he was getting somewhere."Do you really want me to speak to you or are you just being polite?" Start an unscheduled online meeting.

This sounded to him a lot like an invitation to a rendezvous...