Humble Brothers...

I had, last night, been going to write about umbrellas. I like a good umbrella. Usually, so I can leave it behind on a bus. Or a train. I'm not fussed really. Until I find that I have done it again. So no point in buying expensive ones. I am therefore consigned to the cheap blow-inside-out jobs that you have to Japanese arm-wrestle to erect during a summertime squall.

But not any longer. There are now Smart brollies on the market which you can connect to your phone which will alert you when you are 50 metres away from them. By which time some canny bugger will have pinched it, as these gizmos are obviously going to become highly desirable. Because don't we all want to shake a brolly handle to find out if it will rain or shine before setting off? And of course, we all want to leave around yet another hackable item that will expose our data to thieves. Let's get ourselves a Smart umbrella for Christmas and live dangerously.

That's what I was going to write last night until I saw the news on the television.
For many people, a hard rain is gonna fall this Christmas.

Seasalt design