Rant-ette

I've just spent about an hour on Skype with my baby brother (Yes, he's a grown man and father of twins, but I remember taking him for walks in his push chair.). It is so lovely to be able to do that.

In my last place-of-residence, (ExPat Central) the local qango telecom company robed itself in white samite, annointed its corporate forehead with the oil of righteousness, and rode fearlessly forth as self-appointed Guardian of Public Morals; fearlessly blocking Skype, Flickr, Friends Re-united, Hi-5, MySpace, and anything else which threatened its monopoly the integrity of local culture, customs and culture. I understand that capitalism and the free market are utterly amoral, and not to be spoken of in front of young children, pregnant or lactating women, forklift-truck drivers, or other persons of a sensitive disposition - but as none of the above, it irritates me when full-on corporate self-interest is presented as something I should be grateful for.

So anyway, we had a long chat such as I could never, in all conscience, have in EPC, and I loved it. Skype should advertise its beneficial potential for families scattered across the 'global village' (Say what?) - but save the white samite for the dividend party - ok guys?