Standing in front of the vast array of departure boards at the reworked Kings Cross the other morning made me yearn for simpler days, when each update or refresh made the letters spin and clatter.

This time I stood and watched the display for the train I was waiting for intently, anxious not to miss the moment when the platform was announced, eager to be aboard and on my way.

In days gone by I could have looked around more, and shifted my attention only when the tell-tale sounds of the letters flipping gave me notice that something, somewhere had changed.

The sound was secondary, but provided a useful cue, and I missed it, and I'm not the only one