Years ago, on a creative writing course, I wrote a story about how we’re becoming so stuck in the cyber world that eventually we’ll ‘evolve’ into some kind of hybrid, linked permanently to a computer by some kind of horrible, organic USB… thing from our belly-buttons. That was prophetic as it was about 25 years ago. Possibly now we need another link fixing our heads to a phone, coming out of an ear, maybe. Not a good picture.

Zara, the fashion giant, are now launching a video platform for ‘live shopping broadcasts’. Oh. So I want those three t-shirts, where’s the queue? In my lounge? But they’re obviously trying to make the home shopping experience appeal to those who like being in a shop.

So enter the next ‘phase’. Scientists elsewhere, nothing to do with Zara, but may wear some of their clothes, are developing a ‘touch’ facility for video calls. Primarily so you can ‘touch’ distant relatives over the WiFi. Even if they’re in Siberia and you’re in Pontefract. They’re also looking at ways this could help with remote surgery. So you could remove an appendix from 1000 miles away? Volunteers for trials queue here.

Yet my first thought, on seeing a pic of a lady with her finger in this ‘touch’ sensor thing, was: who will be the first man to stick his nob in that? Followed quickly by my second thought which was: this is the absolute dream for pornographers. Sensory sensation over the web. The ties between man and computer tighten. And if you get your dick stuck in one maybe that’s just part of the ‘evolution’.

Talking of dicks, Donald Trump had a debate yesterday with Kamala. And stood their inventing stories, inflating figures and generally acting like a person not quite in touch with reality. In some instances a million miles from reality. “Immigrants ate my dog”, he claimed. Really, Don? Then, after acting like an idiotic child for an hour, he claimed first, victory, and second, that ‘it was rigged’. Because the moderators called him up five times for saying things obviously not true. Just fabricated flights of exaggerated fantasy. From the ‘next President’.

But then a serious nail in Trump’s coffin. The most important person in the entire world, and certainly the most influential, endorsed Kamala Harris. And when Taylor Swift speaks, millions and millions of people listen. People who may not bother with normal political discourse or news programs. But Taylor hath spoken. So I’m voting Democrat. Nothing else needs to be said.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx