News that Microsoft has filed for a new patent for futuristic software that can link worker drones to their computers and monitor their physiology, has been widely denounced by privacy groups, information commissioners and others. But to this Sneak must add another group of lowly workers. If said software was to become the norm in the workplace, sadly, readers, you may be deprived of your weekly Sneak, and the joys of picking up an IT Week may become a thing of the past.

Not to say the editorial team on the magazine isn’t mentally as sharp as a bag of pins, but, well, the never-ending quest for the IT truth can have a debilitating effect on all but the springiest chickens. Blood pressure, facial movements and skin temperature are rarely stable, and stress and frustration levels can often reach breaking point. Actually, wait a minute, forget IT Week; if this software becomes commonplace, is anyone actually going to be certified fit to work?