The thing is, Facebook seem almost unbeatably strong at the moment. The main thing people want from a social networking site is to be able to find all their friends easily. No one is going to transfer to a new social site unless a large number of friends already have, so you get a chicken and egg situation. Facebook became popular to start with because it was so much better than other options – and it was restricted to only people with .edu emails, which made it seem more attractive. It’s difficult to see how any other company can replicate that.

There is an open source version of Facebook being released, but unless it is standardized it’s hard to see it making an impression. Most people don’t want to be hunting for the correct version of software (you only have to look at the different Linux distros to see that), so they will have some big challenges ahead. Getting people to change from Facebook to an open source version – especially when it is likely to be an inferior product due to the smaller budget – is going to be extremely difficult.

Another thing I don’t think many people realise is that a significant amount of accounts created on Facebook must not be real people. There are a huge number of spammers who can create hundreds of accounts using automated software, so how many of Facebook’s subscriber count is real people is difficult to say. I don’t know whether they include only active accounts in the statistics or whether every account is included.

It would definitely not be a bad thing for Facebook to have some real competition though. With all the privacy issues surrounding their advertising platform and API, you’d think that people would already be looking for an alternative, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

One of the main problems is that the trains get so hot during the summer. Unlike other underground systems, they don’t seem to have any form of air conditioning which means they are full of sweating people. this is especially bad during peak hours when there are no seats.

Another problem is the people who insist on playing their music loud enough for everyone to hear. I understand that the train is loud, but if the person across the carriage can make out the song you’re listening to then the music is too loud! Not only is it annoying for everyone else, but it must destroy their ears.

On a plus side, the tubes are pretty cheap. You can get a travel day card for around £20, and as long as you stay within zone 1 you can use whichever trains you want. This is usually the easiest way to do things, although if you’re willing to queue you might be able to get a cheaper deal if you only pay for the journeys that you’re actually using.

There’s still the problem of the tubes being overcrowded, even though they usually run every few minutes. No one wants to be stuck face to face with a complete stranger for half an hour on a hot train, but that’s quite often the case during the summer months. It’s not a pleasant experience, and makes the rush hour over ground trains look like an attractive proposition.

The problem is, getting on the tube is the quickest and cheapest way to get around. You don’t have to worry about traffic, the trains generally are regular and run on time and the stops are all quite close together. They have definitely done a good job at making it easy to use, so at least they’ve got something right.

In the winter the trains aren’t as bad, so let’s hope I don’t have to go to London so much next summer!

I think this story has really touched people in many different countries and has been very inspiring. It is heart warming to see how committed the Chilean authorities have been to these people. They seemed to have handled the rescue very professinally from the outset, seeking help from Nasa and Sub Mariners as to how to keep the men “sane”.

It is also interesting to hear how the President has been involved, there are references to his “media saviness”. He has poured significant resources into this effort, and his popularity has soared since the rescue began, and the Chilean Mining Minister is the most popular member of the Chilean cabinet. I guess that is fair enough, they seem to have done a good job and really helped get the men out.

In terms of engineering, getting the drill shafts on target and straight was quite a feat.

There is still a way to go with more miners still to be rescued but hopefully they will all emerge safely.

It is sad to read of the in fighting that has occurred between the families of the trapped men, and I guess some of these guys are going to have trouble adjusting.

It is safe to say that life will never be the same again for these guys, but, I guess they will be very gratefult they are alive at all. It must have been a terrifying experience and they must have been in constant fear for their lives.

It is difficult to imagine what their ordeal was like, but, hopefully it will all be over soon.