And it's true, you hear things in Damascus and, after a few hours, the human double-take stops operating.

UNIX always presumes you know what you're doing. You're the human being, after all, and it is a mere operating system.

A businessman admits that he 'let go' an employee because he was a Sunni Muslim. You simply have to look after yourself, he explains. I am shocked, like a good Westerner should be.

I'm not sure whether I've been happy. After my last book tour, I sat on my balcony with a cup of tea. I thought: 'You can't rewind the movie. I've spent more than half my life in the Middle East. There have been great moments of horror and depression and loneliness.'

In one way, I fear all Damascus is a dungeon. Or do you have to live here to appreciate that?

Colleagues will malign you if you're a moderately successful journalist.