None other than Jonathan Ive [lead designer at Apple and the person responsible for the iMac and the Cube etc] was here in the office the other day. He was picking up an honourary degree from Northumbria Uni where he studied Industrial Design 10 years ago [the course I do a bit of teaching on]. He had an ‘entourage’ of university VIP types around him and I’m sure he really couldn’t be arsed with it all. Even though he’s probably worth a few million and he’s helped Apple out of the doldrums [for a while anyway] he seems quite a modest chap who hates the formality of these occasions. The current 3rd Year of the Industrial Design course are collaborating with Ive/Apple on a project – lucky so and so’s.