Tuesday, April 06, 2004

There has been so much online lately about Gmail that I felt I had to eventually ring in on it. Amid all the outcries of the horrible privacy violations Google is committing, I have a starkly different opinion. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just a normal web user, one of millions with a Hotmail account and probably soon to be one of the millions with a Gmail account. It is true that if Google wanted to look at my email they could, as could Hotmail or the post man that brings me my 'snail mail'. The fact is that there is nothing all that special that I'm receiving or sending, and anything that I might consider special would be absolutely no matter to anyone else. I know Google will use AdWords in my email messages, but it's all computerized, and I'll be just one of a million other users. If I really had anything to hide I wouldn't be emailing it, or communicating it in any other way if I was that paranoid. Maybe I'm laid-back or unsafe, but my email like most of the other users using free email services is relatively safe, and uninteresting. 6:12:43 PM    comment []

There is a story at Slate about the incredible decline in the use of LSD. Apparently only 1.9% of high school seniors surveyed have said they've used LSD, down dramatically from years past. LSD is a complicated drug to manufacture, and almost all of the supply in the United States is supplied by no more than 10 people. There was a huge bust of some guys in Kansas in 2000 who were thought to be making up to 95% of the US LSD supply. The remaining suppliers are in northern California, but still it is increasing difficult to find LSD. Another factor is the breakup of the Grateful Dead, and Phish (which stopped touring in 2000). It's interesting how a band like the Grateful Dead could have such a big impact on LSD use. 5:36:58 PM    comment []