49 What will the cities of the future look like?

This questions has been asked so many times in the past few decades and was answered inconclusively – saying there’s only one thing we can be sure of: no one can predict with any degree of accuracy what cities will look like in 50 or 100 years from now. The reason is simple, cities are in a continual state of change. Many of the older residents today might feel 50 years ago their city belonged not just to another era but to a different dimension. This phenomenon is true of both planned and unplanned cities. Planned cities (e.g. New York) and unplanned cities (e.g. London or Tokyo) are expanding at such a rate that they are bursting at the seams. Their centres remain pretty much the same but their suburbs are spreading like the tentacles of an octopus. Economists say this is actually a good sign, as expanding cities attract international investment, which is a sign of a healthy economy.

48 What do you think about fancy titles given to people in business organisations?

I’ve heard some really weird names for different jobs, like Media Distribution Officer for a Paperboy, but there are some serious ’politically correct’ titles for positions (e.g. the linesman in football is called the assistant now). I’ve read an interesting article about the story behind the secretary – personal assistant issue. The articles said the name ’secretary’ comes from secretarius (in Latin), which means ’something hidden’. So, it seems secretaries started out as those members of staff with knowledge hidden from others, they were the silent ones mysteriously operating the machinery of organisations. Later on, it simply meant ’out of sight’, so secretaries were tucked away with all the other secretaries and typists. A good secretary was an unremarkable one, efficiently obeying orders and then returning mouse-like to their desks. Nowadays, with the advent of new technology, the job of the secretary has become a lot more complex and demanding. Some even claim that the secretarial staff these days need some management skills as well.

47 Do people still read ’real’ books?

I believe they do, although the appeal of the Internet and e-books is undeniable. Actually, there’s a great initiative I’ve just read about in Britain (I think we have something similar in Hungary as well) called Bookcrosing. The basic idea is that you ’lose’ one of your books on purpose. Here’s how it works: first you register with the site, tag one of your books with a special number generated by the site, and then ’release it to the wild’. With any luck, your book will be rescued (that is, found, or as they say ’captured’) by someone. Next, the book-catcher is invited, via use of the special number, to update the travels of the book. This way all the previous owners can get in touch with the latest ’rescuer’ and they can exchange impressions of the book, then pass it on or ’losing’ it – in true Book Crossing spirit.

45 What does your taste in music say about your personality?

I’ve read an absolutely gripping article on this topic, which was really surprising for me. There was a huge study which suggested musical tastes and personality type are closely related. To my astonishment, it suggested classical music fans were shy, while heavy metal aficionados were gentle and at ease with themselves. The research could have many uses in marketing as if you know a person's music preference you can tell what kind of person they are, who to sell to. One of the most surprising things is the similarities between fans of classical music and heavy metal. They're both creative and at ease but not outgoing. The general public has held a stereotype of heavy metal fans being suicidally depressed and of being a danger to themselves and society in general. But they are quite delicate things.

44 Do you think music helps to boost sport performance?

My gut reaction is that music does help boost performance, and it’s not a coincidence that you see so many joggers listening to music. Now, however, there is some research to prove what many gym users already knew - listening to music can boost your capacity for exercise. It makes a difference, however, what you listen to as not all types of music have the same beneficial effect on your performance. Few gyms in the country come without a pounding soundtrack, but many may be allowing the "wrong" music to reach the ears of their customers. The best songs for moderate to intense exercise tend to have between 120 and 140 beats a minutes (e.g. "I Like the Way You Move" by Bodyrockers, and "Mercy", by Duffy, or some older tunes such as "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen, or "Dancing Queen" by Abba). In addition, moderate exercisers said that the addition of music reduced their perception of hard work. For those exercising at a higher level, this was not the case, although music tended to boost the enjoyment of exercise for everyone. There are a lot of grungy or punky tracks, or slow rock tracks which are really inappropriate. Some gyms tend to just put on a radio station, which can be a bad idea, as radio stations will vary their tracks to create a different mood.

43 Can sports ever be unhealthy?

Naturally, everything can be harmful if done to excess and the same stands for sports. Actually, I’ve just read an interesting article about marathon runners. There was some research done into the heart condition of marathon runners, and the result of some MR scans showed that athletes involved in challenging sporting events like triathlons or alpine cycle races had stretched heart muscles. Although many went on to make a complete recovery after a week, some showed more permanent injuries. My personal feeling is that extreme endurance exercise probably does cause damage to the heart in some athletes. I don't believe that the human body is designed to exercise for as long as 11 hours a day, so damage to the heart is not implausible.