Things look just as good for the 13-year-old Kit Armstrong, who has just starred on the Late Show With David Letterman in America, talking about the mathematical basis of music and playing his sophisticated piano compositions. But two young Brits making waves at present have a durable aspect. The future looks bright for the 13-year-old Alex Prior, who is celebrating the launch of his personal label, and who will present his new Battle Cantata at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow tomorrow. What do you Prius drivers (and other readers) think? Would you buy one?. Musical prodigies are a short-lived and potentially pathetic breed: for every Mozart, there are a thousand wannabes, even if that wanting comes primarily - as with Mozart - from their parents. Also of no consequence is whether hybrids are enjoyable to drive or attractive to look at (they aren't). It's all about the real cost of motoring, to the planet, as one reader told me.

From the point of view of our poor old battered Earth, hybrid cars such as the Prius, its bigger SUV brother, the Lexus 400h, and the Honda Civic IMA cannot really be beaten, (except by public transport), and whether they make you a bit better or worse off is irrelevant. Rather, I should be looking at the transcendent issue of saving the planet I must admit I'd never seen things like that before. Other readers have told me that 60mpg-plus is perfectly possible and folk on web forums devoted to the Prius confirm that there's a lot of money to be saved there.But am I missing the point? One reader pulled me up after my last report on the Prius by pointing out that I shouldn't just be worried about my wallet and my fuel bills and whether that justifies the premium price of a Prius. Except that I am left wondering how the software on some cars can vary And how a Toyota can go wrong. Very odd.Otherwise, it seems to be a pretty blameless vehicle.

It's been impeccably reliable in my 2,000 miles with it, never returning less than 50mpg although rarely exceeding 55mpg, despite official government figures suggesting otherwise. My own Prius was unaffected.Exemplary behaviour by the maker, you might think. I've found that the electric motor won't work, on its own that is, at more than 30mph. You can coast to safety on no engine power at all - if there's nothing else on the road.