i Editor's Letter: Times and tastes change

Loyal readers of this column will know that all human life is on the No 27 bus between Chiswick and Kensington.

Yesterday, I was stuck on the stairs waiting to get off when I heard a voice trying really, really patiently to explain to its audience just who Norman Wisdom was. I came around the corner and saw an elderly Indian man attempt a Wisdom gurning face in desperation to a suited 30- something Brit. “No, sorry, mate,” said the latter, “I haven’t got a clue.”

The scene gave rise to a couple of thoughts: one can never assume what we know and care about is what other people do, and, the rather more obvious thought: times and tastes change. That encounter stuck with me as I edited today’s paper. First of all, there is a rare piece by a football star’s wife on just what it’s like for a footballer’s family to go through Deadline Day with him, with the threat of unknown and – worse – unforeseen upheaval hanging over their heads.

The author, Kevin Davies’ wife Emma, is anything but a WAG. She just wants to offer a rarely seen point of view - surely what i is all about. Even if you hate football and/or Bolton FC, it’s a good read (see here).

I can also recommend our latest i Writer student, Sara Malm. On the day that Facebook was expected to launch its IPO, Sara gives a view of social networks that I know many of our older readers (she is 23) will probably find anathema. But, speaking as someone who is often surrounded by teens at home, her view is their view: we panic about security and sharing because we are old and remember a different life, before social media. Again, it is a different take from the norm. Let me know what you think.