Aww not again... The guy downstairs has fired up his expensive state-of-the-art hi-fi and the carpet is vibrating. At least he's not pushing the volume as high as he had. Trouble is, whilst I can't hear the music as such, the bass frequencies travel up through the floor and its literally going right through me. I don't feel like another confrontation, so I need something to take my mind off it.

Its not as if I can read a book.in these circumstances. Walking out the door and socialising is only a short term solution and it has to be said - it can get a little expensive. A loud heavy metal CD? There would be a certain justice to that! But I'm not in a musical mood. Aha! A driving game on the good ol' PC! Which one? Most are fantasy visualisations of the sort of street racing we lads always wanted to get away with when we were young, assuming we could afford the ridiculously customised vehicles for real. Those arcade games are fun for five minutes but there's no real depth or finesse to it. That dramatic oversteer and power slide is pre-programmed and flatters you. What about an F1 Grand Prix game? Sigh... Modern racing cars in the virtual world are too fast and mechanistic. You end up driving like a robot and whilst you want to be Michael Schumacher, you just know the driving experience is going to be the same whether the driving aids are on or not. So whats left?

I pull out the CD for an older game simulating the 1967 season Grand Prix. No wings or aerodynamic widgets, no ultra-wide tyres, no safety cells, no race telemetry, no chicanes or run-off areas. Now we're talking. The sound is brilliant through the speakers. A heavy roar with a shrill scream as you rev the nuts off a highly tuned engine whose management system is connected to your right ankle. Driviing is a different experience to most games. The handling is absolutely knife-edge. This program doesn't suffer fools behind the joystick and bites hard at the slightest sign of carelessness. There's no grip at all. Every time you enter a corner your heart is in your mouth as you realise you're turning way faster than the laws of physics allow and the only thing keeping you alive is your ability to handle this snarling beast. Its tremendous sweaty fun, and the strange thing is, you do feel a sense of achievement when you power through the bend and clip the apex in exactly the right place.

It makes you think. The drivers of an older generation were risking far more. Those fragile works of art propelled at speeds their brakes couldn't handle were not afflicted by the ever-present current obsession with safety. They would be judged dangerous by modern sensibilities. Is this why I feel drawn to them? They have an aura of their own. Its not just the appearance. The very presence of these cars is way beyond anything last years F1 cars can manage. Sure, they're probably awful cars to drive by today's standards, but its you driving it - not a microchip. Or is there more to it?

Electronics, speed cameras, rules and safety legislation have made our lives more predictable for sure. Its certainly kept some people alive, but I can't help feeling that something important has been lost in the process.

Fiscal Decision of the Week

I remember when Labour got into power. Most people were glad to see the back of conservative government and Tony Blair was all smiles and vision. They were going to put aside 'old' labour and strive for 'Cool Britannia' - whatever that was supposed to be. Gordon Brown was considered a careful custodian of the economy. Back then, I said he wasn't. You wait - Never mind the promises, it'll be the same old Labour - He'll raise taxes and shove the economy down the toilet. I remember a few sneers and chuckles.

Who's laughing now?