Laurence sounds intrigued by the Cafe Oto programme - there s a Wire Salon coming up. Gilbert has agreed the latest three mixes - just the end of one needs a little work. Mark is back from Calgary and jet-lagged. I have been finding a lot of good new management material.

Last night I went to see Hamlet at the NT - the production has rave reviews. I thought it was good but maybe not quite 5 star. I was struck by the way the plot cranks along like a thriller - especially at the beginning. Hamlet's friends try to stop him going after the ghost in case he leads him to destruction which in some ways he does. The production made Hamlet's madness partly political and partly authentic. It has become standard I think that in modern Hamlet's he lives in a surveillance state - this one also had a media culture quite prominent. Ophelia is a pawn in the power games - on this production there is a hint Claudius had hand in her death It was also noticeable how easily Fortinbras was presented as an aggressive opportunist. I like the emptiness of the end when F turns up and tries to dignify the death of H. I think you can see the culture revving up for the anarchy of Jacobean tragedy and in due course for civil war.

I started today with a blitz on Temperamental. Must do my tax return today.