This Side of the Pond

In case it escaped your notice, the internet turned 30 years old last week, an anniversary for which I should obviously take some credit on the basis that the man who invented it lives in my home town. He wasn’t living there when the World Wide Web was born, but it’s where he cut his teeth.

In fact, his home of choice both before and after his biggest achievement is just down the road from my mum and dad. They claim they’ve never met him, though my mum had no idea who he was until yesterday, so she could easily have exchanged pleasantries in the bakery without knowing it.

If you’ve never thoug...