黑洞社区

黑洞社区鈥檚 digital camera isn鈥檛 working. While Eve helpfully rushes back to fetch one from the office, William makes us all feel old.

鈥淒o you know, digital cameras have been around for so long now that they have them at my son鈥檚 nursery? Old digital cameras for two year olds to smash up! There鈥檚 a mobile phone aimed at four year olds now.鈥�

Richard is concerned: 鈥淏ut doesn鈥檛 it fry their brains?鈥�

The group ponder whether they would let their four year olds (real or imaginary) have a mobile phone. But Graham has other worries. 鈥淭he thing that bothers me is MSN Messenger 鈥� my daughter鈥檚 never off it. We have talked to her about strangers, but she says she only talks to people she knows.鈥�

Actually, says William, the strength of MSN is that you can only really talk to people you already know. In fact, he uses it to message Richard at work. And Janette. And Janette messages Fiona 鈥� It turns out that everybody in the group uses it all day long, except Graham.

Eve returns and begins snapping away. She won鈥檛 let her son have a mobile until he鈥檚 12, and she doesn鈥檛 use MSN, either. 鈥淥h good,鈥� exclaims a visibly relieved Graham. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad I鈥檓 not the only one.鈥�

There is a smattering of worthy conversation about carbon footprints and the misguided search for symmetry in architecture, but Graham can contain himself no longer. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe you haven鈥檛 mentioned the burning issue of the week,鈥� he complains. 鈥淧ete and Nikki have split up!鈥�

It turns out he鈥檚 talking about Big Brother, although he swears he only watched it because his wife and daughters insisted. Richard enters the same plea, and only William fesses up to being a fan. 鈥淚 was voted Person in the Office Most Likely to Watch Big Brother,鈥� he admits.

Everyone likes Dragons鈥� Den however. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the acceptable face of reality TV,鈥� says Graham approvingly. 鈥淚 love the Australian guy. The others are really cautious but he鈥檚 really gung ho and comes in at the end and completely undermines them. I love that.鈥�

鈥淒id you see those women?鈥� asks William. 鈥淭hey were trying to set up an employment agency for female builders but it completely misrepresented the idea. And they were very defensive.鈥�

鈥淥h no, the dragons hate that,鈥� Janette chips in.

鈥淚鈥檝e often thought we should submit the CIC鈥檚 Design Quality Indicators to Dragons鈥� Den,鈥� muses Graham. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a track record, we鈥檝e got the sums, we can prove there鈥檚 a demand 鈥︹�� Everyone agrees it鈥檚 a very good idea 鈥�