Online

Here’s another short clip, thanks to YouTube, of Ruth performing with Brown Eyes Blue (Ruth’s the one with the gold cap). I’ve learnt that I should tag the video as unsigned. On Sunday, the BBC broadcast a feature on online communities where a radio journalist lived a week online. The feature promised Howard Reingold (inventor of the term virtual community), sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, 'cybershrink' Sherry Turkle and science-fiction writer William Gibson – a star-studded cast, indeed. In the end, the programme was a flop. Paul Bennan, the journalist, found that life online was at the same time engaging and isolating. He sat on the fence, asked poor questions, and squandered his time online with the experts. Usually the BBC is good on these features, but it missed the mark this time.