As I write this, I'm wearing my special birthday socks - thanks Mum - so first things first: thanks to everyone who's sent me birthday greetings. It's genuinely touching, ta.

I've spent the day writing an article about Genius. (Well, actually, it's nominally about genius but I wouldn't be writing it if I wasn't promoting Genius so, there's a blurry line there.)

A few friends have called with birthday greetings and they all seem to express shock and amazement at the idea that I have spent the day working. It seems like an odd reaction because I'm pretty sure that most people go to work on their birthday don't they? I've obviously misunderstood the advantages of being self-employed. Oh well.

While writing the article (which annoyingly I haven't yet finished) Twitter once again came into its own as a research tool. I asked a question. A few people answered it. Because the people who choose to answer are naturally those most confident on the subject they tend to provide the best links to other online sources. I definitely found myself looking at a site that was clearer on the subject than Wikipedia and more helpful than any of the top pages turned up by a Google search. Hurrah for Twitter. I'm sure it would be annoying if overused in this way... but if used every now and then, I think it can prove an invaluable tool.