AOL is holding A Discussion (capital letters) on a portentous topic — Is the internet a good thing or a bad thing? I only know about it because Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s Svengali, was on Radio 4’s Start the Week this morning talking about it. Apparently, Alastair has decided that the Internet is here to stay. Phew! Meanwhile, now that AOL is in discussion mode, how about another, equally relevant topic? Is Electricity A Good Thing?

The “let’s discuss the Internet” meme is spreading btw. I’m speaking next Thursday in London at the RSA Economist debate on the motion “The Internet’s best days are over”. I’m down to support the motion. Yikes! I’m developing lawyer-like tendencies. Dr Johnson once observed that “lawyers are like dice, in that they can lie on any side”.

Er, I always knew there was method in my somnolence, but now there’s scientific evidence to support it!

When it comes to making tough decisions – don’t sweat it, sleep on it – or so a team of scientists recommends.

A Dutch study suggests complex decisions like buying a car can be better made when the unconscious mind is left to churn through the options.

This is because people can only focus on a limited amount of information, the study in the journal Science suggests.

The conscious brain should be reserved for simple choices like picking between towels and shampoos, the team said.

Zzzzzzz….

French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand trying to reassure consumers that poultry remained safe to eat. [link]