Technology progresses daily, yet those using it do not. Mobile phones are everywhere, yet the conversations I involuntarily overhear suggest what is communicated lags far behind the means of communication.

I have a friend whose hobby is sending e-mails to the Queen, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, the Pope, Madonna and so on. He has nothing to tell these people but collects their equally empty replies. Millions of similarly vacuous messages nowadays fly through the air between millions of gadget addicts.

I have no phone, mobile or otherwise, no computer, no television, no CD or video player, no fax, no car. I'm unashamedly retro. I use longhand, post, brains, legs. Instead of listening to mechanised pop I play Chinese flute. Instead of watching soaps I practise meditation. Instead of surfing the internet I read books. Instead of microwaving my head with mobile messages I walk on the beach with friends.

I see no evidence that the miracles of technology make people calmer, more articulate, or more courteous. Instead, everyone seems to get more stressed, rude and more selfish.

-Timothy Shen - Marine Parade, Brighton.