A bizarre story in This is London tells of Reading University head of cybernetics Kevin Warwick's skirmish with British Airways. Warwick (is there a Kevin Reading at Warwick University?) allegedly tried to book his robotic cat a seat on a BA flight to Moscow. BA staff were adamant that the "cat" should go in the hold, as animals weren't allowed in the cabin. No amount of arguing would convince them it wasn't a real animal. Why was a top Brit cybernetics boffin trying to take a hi-tech cat to Moscow? Surely not a case of KGB Kev? No, Hissing Sid (clearly a mutant cat, from the name) was bound for a tour showing UK technology to Russian scientists. Faced with intransigence from BA staff, Warwick booked on Aeroflot. But even a first generation robot cat could have told him that wasn't a good idea, we reckon... ®