Are computers important to your work? Yes. My handwriting and spelling are terrible so when I write reviews, programs like Microsoft Word are simple and quick to use. In regard to music composition I can try different configurations of instruments and experiment with arrangements. You can do more quicker. Computer systems can be seen as an extension of certain aspects of (the) mind. However, re the application of computers in the creation of music there is still a tendency (with the guileless) to place too much emphasis on linear, logical unambiguous thought processes. In an attempt to avoid this pitfall, and therefore, aesthetically speaking, to build compositions vertically, they revert to cut and paste techniques and end up making mini post-modern collages. Essentially I would say that computers do not have and could never have any direct influence on the fundamental aesthetic problems involved with the creation of music. They can only have a bearing on how it is processed and presented.

What do you use the machine for? OK! OK! Ignore the above, I play games on it.

Any particular favourite software? I think I'll be enjoying MP3.

Any favourite websites? I have taken a bit of a shine to various medical websites. It's the same experience as the old medical dictionaries. You end up thinking that you've got all the diseases on display.

What machine(s) do you use? Both - the Apple Mac for Music (Audio Logic) and design and the PC for everything else.

Do you use your own name when surfing? No because if I told them I was Francis Ford Coppola, people would hassle me with endless requests to read their scripts.

How long have you been known to spend at your computer? 18 hours quite a few years ago (you know you're being stupid but you can't stop).

Are you a geek? Superficially I'm a handsome, debonair and carefree bass player, but inside I'm 101% pure geek. It's something to do with adolescence and arrested development.

Should/can the internet be regulated in any way? This is the same as asking should society be regulated. Because surely the internet is no more than an extension and manifestation of society. It's like the answer to how far should we trust computers and technology is: How far can we trust ourselves?

Has email revived the art of letter writing? No, it has revived the art of penfriends!!