MPs slow to embrace email. Politics: MPs are still relying on the post to communicate with constituents, according to a survey. [Guardian Unlimited]

This is absolutely true of Ireland as well. I sent an email to a TD (short for Teachta Dála, which means "Deputy of the Dáil" [Irish Parliament]) months ago to which I never received any form of response. TDs are supposed to send an acknowledgement of correspondence and this would certainly have been done had I sent a letter. More amusing, in a sad kind of way, was the response to an email query I sent to every political party in Ireland prior to the general election in May. I sent the mail to whatever email contact was listed on the party website, noting in the subject heading that the message was an urgent press query. I asked them to give me a synopsis of their party stance on technology issues, which would be featured in a spread in the Irish Times, and gave them about 10 days to respond. I decided not to send reminders since this was partly a test of whether the parties even looked at their email.

The Progressive Democrats, supposedly the pro-business party and the party from which the very publicly pro-technology-industry deputy prime minister (or Tanaiste) comes, never responded. At all. Neither did Sinn Fein, which had been making a minor campaign issue out of the state of Ireland's internet infrastructure. Of those who did reply, the major party in government, Fianna Fail, only just sneaked in under the deadline (because I suspect no one had read the email earlier). Labour got the award for responding first (the next day); with Fine Gael also on top of things, and the Greens a bit slower but in time for the deadline as well.

Does schmoozing make robots clever?. Yes, says a Sony scientist, who says teaching robots to interact socially will allow them to develop their "minds"--just like people do. It could leave Aibo by the wayside. [CNET News.com]