Apologies for the late arrival of KBzine. As you can see, I've had a slight accident with my iMac - and as my MacBook's being repaired because of a technical fault, I've been somewhat stymied. I won't go into what happened, but suffice it to say that if my passenger door ever fails to shut again, I'm going to check that if the seatbelt's not blocking it, nothing else is either, before trying a more forceful close.

I'm awaiting a callback from Apple so have not been near a computer all weekend and it's as if I've lost a limb. I'm having to use the iMac today as needs must, and am almost grateful that I have two-thirds of a normal screen to stare at, so lost have I been without it.

Isn't it odd how relatively new technology can become such a crucial part of life? As a trainee journalist at IPC - then one of the largest publishing groups in the UK, I was apparently the only editorial team member in the company allowed an electric typewriter since I was the only one who could touch-type. I could no way have gone back to a manual machine then, than I could now use an electric typewriter. We grumble about Internet outages and occasional slow speeds, but do you remember the days of 'dial-up'? It's laughable that we had to exist like that, isn't it?

If you've been reading my leaders for some years you'll be aware that my kitchen pride and joy is my Whirlpool Max microwave which after a minor repair is still going strong several years down the line. While polishing my daughter's fingerprints from the mirrored exterior on Saturday (a long process) I had that 'what would you save if your house caught fire' thought. Ignoring lifeforms, it would of course be my computers (broken or not) because of everything they hold, but in terms of kitchen equipment, that microwave wins, hands down. Replacing anything else, I'd choose a different make/model). It really says something about a product if the owner would buy the exact same thing, doesn't it? I shouldn't imagine that there are too many such products about. Do your customers ever ask you for 'more of the same' and if they do, what do they like about that particular product and why?

Yours,

Jan Hobbs