Hey There Miss Anonymous

Remember the days when you could be anonymous? You could do something good, or do something bad and no one knew it was you. You could pick up your phone, dial the number using the rotary dial, and ask the person who answered if they had Prince Albert in a can. Then you could hang up, secure in the knowledge that you would remain anonymous.

Now, if the TV happens to be on when the phone rings, the name of the person calling shows up at the bottom of the TV screen. Now, if you want to send an email saying "your husband's cheating on you" well, you can't. It's easy enough to use a phony email address but don't bother because your computer has its own ID number and if they want to find you, it's easy to do. I really do try to embrace technology, even though it's a double edged sword. Apparently I see the technology glass as half empty rather than half full.

I remember life before PC's. I remember 8 track tapes and the "birth" of the VCR. I remember writing a letter, on stationery, and dropping that letter into a big blue box. I remember letting a lot of people know their refrigerators were running and they go better catch them.

Anonymous was a good thing to be. I miss it.