“Here’s a small coincidence for you. Microsoft is going to charge users for mobile MSN mail, and is going (try to) to charge other Instant Messaging systems a royalty for access to MSN Instant Messenger. And - in unrelated news, of course - Microsoft is closing down its free chatrooms. To protect children, naturally.

Is it really anything to do with protecting children? Or is it to do with money? Or is it something else - something far sillier? Like, embarrassment?

Many would say that it has, of course, nothing whatever to do with protecting children. Arguably, it will have the opposite effect.” Those kids are going to chat somewhere - it just won’t be on MSN.