Your digital world: Mathew Beard, Parsons Brinckerhoff

What’s your favourite website?

Either the Met Office for regional weather forecasts (www.metoffice.gov.uk) or the Highways Agency for traffic congestion alerts (www.highways.gov.uk/traffic).

What is your favourite gadget?

Probably the 3G card for my laptop. I can be on the train or in an airport and still fully connected to company networks, making journeys less wasteful even if delayed.

What’s the most useful website for work?

IHS, The Source for Critical Information and Insight (http://uk.ihs.com). It is an indispensable source on construction.

What was the last track you downloaded?

I don’t tend to download much. I am a big fan of on-line radio. I have a Sagem Du@l Radio 700 internet radio that connects to my wireless router and enables me to access thousands of stations around the world for blues, comedy, news, rock and so on.

What was the subject of the last email you received?

Details of resource requirements for some current projects we have at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and for the Edinburgh Tram.

Social networking or face-to-face?

Face-to-face for discussion, it’s quicker to explain and listen to others, there is usually less chance of misunderstanding and direct interaction has more social content than electronic text. That said, I can see the attraction of Facebook or Friends Reunited.

Who is your favourite blogger?

Online gossip, why?

What’s the best link you’ve been sent?

After a tiring week, a link to a webcam on a ski slope we were soon going to showing lots of snow and blue skies. Very agreeable.

The last thing you bought online?

A wireless printer/scanner/copier. I can put it out of reach of children who photocopy their hands (and broke the old printer).

What was the funniest piece of spam you have received?

Our filters are too effective to allow humour through.