A Davos day. I guess it is the proximity that makes Davos what it is. This morning I had a few words with Jacob Zuma. Said hi to Mohamed Chebaro of Al Arabiya. Then a brief chat with the Duke of York, met on the stairs. Saw an old college chum who is now a poverty campaigner.

Cherie Booth stopped to talk on her way to meet Mary Robinson. A brush past Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf. Then passed the time of day with Michael Arrington. David Schlesinger and Nic Fulton of Reuters showed off their nifty new mobile journalism kit, the Nokia N-82. Heads of State apart, most people are here stripped of the usual barriers to access.

You just need something to talk about. Recommended conversational gambits:

• Do you come here often?
• Nice weather for the time of year…
• Are you live-streaming me?