The geeks are, in their bite-sized way, revolting; we can only wish them the best of luck. London was hit last week by its first 'flash-mob', a group of hundreds who had used the internet to organise themselves into a swarm and descend on a sofa warehouse; they said something silly together and swiftly disappeared.

Some commentators have mentioned parallels with the situationists of the 1960s, but they, no matter how absurd, actually helped to change something. It is hard to believe that the flash-mobsters, with their fondness for 'hits' on soft furnishings and hosiery, aspire to similar ideals. Liberté, égalité, upholsteré?

No, flash-mobbing has come about because the world's webheads and cyberpunks have suddenly woken up to the fact that they should maybe get out a bit more and start meeting people.

It's also hard to condemn, outright, a gathering of disparate strangers who assemble at a pre-arranged time to make a random statement of perfect pointlessness. But at least journalists get paid for it.