David Walter was a direct descendant of John Walter, founder of The Times, in a family that had produced more than one MP, while his mother was a cousin of Willie Whitelaw. So politics and the media were in his blood and it came as no surprise to his many friends that he spent his life in these fields. But though politicians and political journalists inhabit the same world, they are very different tribes, so it was highly unusual that he was able to operate at the highest level among both.

The landline telephone rings only occasionally these days and more often than not, when it does, it brings a call-centre hustle of some kind. Yet every day passes in a blur of sustained, staccato communication with the outside world: can you do this? Have you seen that? Nudge, link, like, follow.

The Lisbon MBA

ICT in England's schools is a "mess" and must be radically revamped to prepare pupils for the future, Michael Gove has said.

Cambridge is the best university in the world, according to a new league table which sees its rival Oxford awarded fifth place.

Surely the time has come to insist that those taking part in able-bodied athletics should have nothing attached to their lower limbs except running shoes

Bradley, Rafa and David are in a different league from ordinary humans.

Rant

What's his specialism?

Richard Leacock was a pivotal figure in the development of the documentary film. He connects Robert Flaherty, conventionally the first film documentarist, to today's "fly-on-the-wall" digital practitioners.

A senior US government official has launched an extraordinary attack on the harsh detention conditions of US army private Bradley Manning, the Wikileaks suspect being held in solitary confinement at a marine barracks in Virginia.

High costs are an accepted part of college education in the US – and they pay for world-class teaching. Dr Terence Kealey, vice-chancellor of Britain's only private university, argues that it's time we followed America's example

The invention of the telephone probably prompted great thinkers of the day to ponder the negative consequences it might have on society. "Now, before we all get excited about this, let's just hang on a minute," they might have written - but no one paid much attention. It's been fifteen years since mobile phone use started becoming widespread, and the vast majority of nay-sayers have, begrudgingly or otherwise, forked out for one. Social media, however, is coming in for a more sustained kicking – and that's hardly surprising, as it represents such a radical change in the way we communicate: a new syntax, a new etiquette and a whole new capacity for misunderstanding. Pope Benedict (above) this week issued a statement entitled "Truth, proclamation and authenticity of life in the digital age," in which he advises against enclosing ourselves in a parallel virtual existence. Now, to be honest, if the Pope warns of the dangers of something my natural instinct is to rush to sign up to it, but there are normal people (ie, people who have had experience of social media and who aren't 83 years old, celibate and clad in papal vestments) who are issuing similar warnings.

Joseph Gavin was an MIT engineer who helped put the first men on the moon and led the team to save the Apollo 13 crew from disaster.