“I am afraid you might be disappointed by this visit to Japan – you expect so many traditional things that are no longer there.” Our Japanese colleague was sadly striking his Samurai goatee after listening to my excited babble about the upcoming Tokyo trip. My preparation included reading books about Myamoto Musashi, watching the Miyamoto Musashi DVD trilogy and even getting through the first five pages of the “Book of Five Rings’, written by Musashi himself at the end of his illustrious career in 1640. I also had a list of things I wanted to see, buy or do in Japan, most of them for some reason starting with K – Kyoto, Kaiseki, Kabuki, Kimono, Katana – and of course the tea ceremony…

In 1920s a fashionable Parisian lady went to a famous milliner to order a hat. The designer picked out a luxurious piece of cloth, fixed it on the lady’s head with a dozen of pins, straightened a few folds – “et voilà, would that do, Madame?” “Lovely, “ murmured the lady admiring herself in the mirror, “How much will it cost me?” “A thousand francs, Madame.” “ A thousand francs?! For a mere piece of fabric???” the lady was shocked. The milliner calmly took the pins off, one by one, undoing his fabulous creation. He folded the piece of cloth neatly and offered it to the lady: “The fabric, Madam, is free.” …

In the small but bustling business of Video-On-Demand a day will not go by without someone referring to “The Long Tail”. The type who will mention it is likely to be a consultant – or at least to look like one. He will wear a tie and look very B.C.B.G. and, unless you represent a major US film studio, he will make you feel rather insignificant before saying, nonchalantly, something like: “ Well, I suppose your programs are of the long tail variety”, or “ Well, then we are really just talking about the long tail”…

It appears that the “future of Television” has arrived in Switzerland, and her name is Betty. This is at least what the Swisscom web page announces, clarifying further: “Don’t just watch – open up a new world of television and be part of it! Use the Betty TV remote control to take part in interactive competitions, surveys and exciting quizzes.”