My experience of PC World has been just as good. I returned a faulty item but didn't have the receipt. I was told I couldn't have a refund as there was no proof of purchase. I replied that with all the information they wanted at the time of sale, they had the proof on file. Five minutes later, after being accused of being abusive (no, I was assertive but they couldn't tell the difference) a glaring manager deigned to enter my postcode and found - surprise, surprise - the required proof. Refund about £12, loss of customer goodwill - total.

Is that the new Boeing deep furrow plough?

Of course none of the cloud computing hosts would dream of data-mining your private files, would they? Perish the thought! Your friend's experience with Hotmail (or any other web-based email) is a salutary lesson for anyone thinking of saving money with this route. Not long ago I passed a solicitor's office in Ilford, Essex and noticed it uses a Hotmail address. Makes you go hot and cold at the thought of the implications for client confidentiality. It's bad enough with data and email but a lot worse with money. PayPal is notorious for freezing accounts and denying users their funds. Again, it's nigh-on impossible to speak with a human being to resolve matters. It's incredible that people trust an outfit that few had heard of 10 years ago and which doesn't hold a UK banking licence.

I'm not qualified to comment on flying matters (or much else) but I get worried when I hear someone described as "career". Since the 1960s we've suffered from career politicians - people in it solely for their personal advancement and pecuniary interest, with no experience of real life and never having had a proper job. My feet are fixed firmly to the ground but I shudder at the thought of being taught to fly by anyone narrowly focussed on their own commercial interests.

It's amazing that people who'd never dream of passing on a chain letter will do the same thing on email. Perhaps it's because they don't have to buy stamps and walk to the post-box. My wife's cousin's wife (work that one out) regularly forwards chain emails drawing attention to all manner of injustices around the world. A year ago many of them concerned Madeleine McCann. Recently some have highlighted (if that were necessary) the disgraceful treatment of Gurkha veterans by Gordon Brown's government. There's nothing like a missing child or sick animal to tug at the heart-strings. I'm sure she genuinely believes she's assisting the cause but the likely outcome is nothing more than email address list-building. I added her email address to my Outlook Blocked Senders list but they keep appearing in my Inbox. Have I inadvertently found a program bug? Or is it a Microsoft feature?

Well said. Unfortunately I fear things will get worse before they get better, if they ever do. The anti-spam industry seems to be growing by the day. If the example of the anti-virus industry is anything to go by, things will only get worse. There was a suggestion a few years ago that McAfee, Norton and such actually encouraged virus-writing. If they didn't exist there'd be nothing for those saddos to challenge.

You are correct - it is an offence to tamper with the Royal Mail, punishable by a period of imprisonment. It would be immensely satisifying to see the CEO responsible for Microsoft's Hotmail operations in a federal penitentiary. However, companies like Microsoft and eBay are now beyond control and treat the world as their personal fiefdom. They have become judge, jury and executioner. Their influence is now beyond that of mere governments, especially given the low calibre of modern politicians.