Pinatubo: views galore on racing's new star who could be out of this world

Part of the charm of the internet is the way it leads you down unanticipated paths, like the middle bit of Aldi. You walk in to buy baked beans and some cheese, but leave with a window vacuum and diabetic-friendly socks. It’s mind-broadening.

Before today, I had only a sketchy idea about how angry Pinatubo was, in volcano terms, and definitely hadn’t seen it from space. Thanks, European Space Agency (‘Serving European co-operation and innovation’ – at least in space there’s harmony).

What does that prove? That it might be better to pay more attention, or that before the web we might as well all have been brain dead, or at least needing to visit the library a lot? What’s certain is that the next recommended video is about the ‘innovative design of the aluminum can’, proving that the internet is often little more than a troublesome distraction.