This morning I got a lengthy email from someone whose grandfather is featured in a 1918 photograph of RAF cadets I put up on Flickr, I also got a lengthy email from someone sharing a review on a book on the First World War on Amazon. Today, Dan Snow helped launch an initiative through the Imperial War Museum that aims to repeat what the IWM started to do in 1919 – campaign for people to share photographs, artefacts and stories of people who served, suffered, thrived or survived the First World War – this is at the ‘Who do you think you are’ exhibition at Olympia – I will try to get over on Saturday. And finally, a fascinating conversation with my brother in law on why a gallery curator is inviting people to feedback and respond to works of art through social media – and the curator’s philosophy of ‘openness’ and a desire to move away from the grand voice of the patron in favour of mutliple voices and interpretations. He particularly likes to describe the value of ‘dirt’ to challenge perceptions and permit the points of view of anyone, and called this dirt ‘soil’ that would nurture fresh and vibrant ideas – he’s Italian, speaks with an accent and chooses his words carefully (he is a tutor in fine art and art history). We got into discussions on learning and why as a student he’d have to queue up early in Bologna in order to hear Umberto Eco. This enthusiastic, reflective discussion continued as he prepares supper and I help – eager to pick up some cullinary tips too.