Using highly trained specialists to look out for trouble has the advantage that each operator can watch many networks at once, and can thus spot trends that would otherwise go unnoticed.

ECONOMIST: Putting it all together

When Rover, the German-owned remnant of Britain's car industry, was in trouble this summer, he told it to shape up, not look to him for a rescue.

ECONOMIST: The white heat of Mandelson

And the trouble with treating select committee hearings as drama rather than inquisition is that reviewers look for "gotcha" moments and the visible collapse of witnesses, when the real importance may lie in the micro-details of answers given.

BBC: Time to salute the post-2010 election Parliament

But for now we have the patent system we have, and both Google and Samsung look like they might be in trouble.

FORBES: Apple Sues Samsung In US Court