Apologies for extended silences here; similar to last year, I’ve been pursuing an important strategic goal for Completetosh that arises every January: avoid a Bloggies nomination through sheer absence of posts.

But congratulations to two friends of this parish - Anna Pickard and Graham Holliday - who have both deservedly been recognised in the shortlisted blogs this year (indeed, in Graham’s case the case of both, recognised again). Fingers crossed, and ballots stuffed, for you both. I urge the legions of Completetosh readers - yes, both of you - to vote now, and vote often.

In other news… so much to write about, but not yet. So just this, today: at a work event, someone wanted to play a cassette tape. Their portable player - a Sony Walkman - wasn’t working properly, and couldn’t rewind… nobody in the room had a player of their own. It wasn’t that long ago that I wouldn’t leave home without one, and the notion of a dozen people being gathered without a single tape deck would have seemed absurd only… what… five? ten? years ago.

Lots of hard disks… just no tape players. And, at home, a drawer of tapes - once referred to daily - now gathering dust. Even my CDs don’t see much action now.

Second: at home, sticking on the radio, my mother in law asks about a song on the radio. I don’t know it… but I can Shazam it. Thirty seconds later, I’ve got the song name and performer. And the offer to buy the song as a ringtone.

I might work in technology, and have written about technology for years, but I still reserve the right to regard some of it as being as close to magic as can really exist.

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