"Dear David, first off i would like to tell you that you are full of s**** and did not research the zune enough to know your facts.

"The following are incorrect, and not limited to: podcasts, giftcards, looks(which is an oppinion), controls, and content. Also i would like to inform you that on the day of the launch(nov 14) there is a sceduled firmware upgrade which will most likely disband the 3 by 3 rule [which limits songs beamed between Zunes to three playbacks within three days], and the zune marketplace is also to offer video content about one month after launch. In my oppinion you should be fired for wrighting such a biast article in a (somewhat)professional newspaper. Oh and in case you think i work for microsoft or have bad grammar, or something, you should know that im 15!"

The deeper we sail into the new online world of communications, the sadder I get about its future.

I'm OK with criticism, I'm fine with disagreement, I'm perfectly capable of handling angry mail. That's not the issue here (although my teenage correspondent above was, in fact, wrong about every single one of his points).

I've even accepted personal attacks as part of the job. I'm a columnist; the heat comes with the kitchen.