Perhaps only the paranoid make sure they'll have an audience at a lecture by flogging it two months in advance. And for Pentium's sake, he hasn't been in retirement for all that long, and he is one of the best known names in the technology world.

Still, Intel seems fearful that we all move on at the blinding speed of an Intel lawyer in pursuit of a copyright infringement, and therefore we will have forgotten its founder and chairman and former chief executive, Andy Grove.

Thus Intel's Irish operations have sent out an announcement to let us know that eventually it will send out another announcement, closer to the day of delivery, to let us know again that Mr Grove will bestow a lecture upon us in Dublin on September 20th.

Mr Grove, who entitled his biography Only the Paranoid Survive, will no doubt draw pleasure from this worried attempt to ensure bums in seats.