I'm willing to sell my privacy. I don't want to defend it, and I don't think it's worth much. But it seems to worth something, and I'm ready to deal.

I have a credit card. Many people don't. For instance, I enjoy the writing and thinking of a certain celebrity in technology. On his homepage, he offers to visit, to speak on his area of expertise. But while I'm making arrangements for the hotel, he cautions me that he doesn't have a credit card.

"I value my privacy," he says.

You need a credit card to check in to a hotel. You generally need one to make purchases online or over the phone. A better credit rating usually means a better mortgage. It must be very inconvenient to opt out of this system. I'm not vexed by his choice. No doubt he deals with bigger problems than I can imagine, in the spheres he travels.

I firmly support the right to privacy. And this isn't about identity fraud. Fraud and privacy are related but distinct issues.

Another example? I love Yahoo LAUNCHcast. It's not an Internet radio station; it's my radio station. With each song, I rate the song, artist, and album. "Never again" is a choice; the song ends on that note, and the next one's in the pipe. Over time, my ratings shape the music that's played. I can't request a specific song; Napster this ain't. But after a few hundred ratings, the station is so customized I don't care.

What's the catch? My privacy: for sale. It recommends songs for me, based on my expressed tastes. (Remember, I can say "Never again.") Oh, and an occasional commercial. From my choices, Yahoo builds a profile, to compile with others. I am so many data points in the media's navel-gazing machine.

And therein lies my insignificance. You can build my credit report, you can track my e-transactions, and you can listen to my radio station. I get a house, the latest game, and a customized playlist.

I don't encrypt my email. I respect your right to do so.

Business and politics: information is power, so I understand privacy. Health issues? Religion? I'm right with you. If you're on the clock, on company hardware, don't make me laugh. If you're a public servant, I've been there. Stick to business at work, and save alt.sex.pandas for home.

Home... Do I want you watching me surf? No, but only because you're probably mentally disturbed for wanting to. Perhaps you spy on my secrets anyway: ribald humor, leftist politics, some erotic fiction. Banner ad click-through: the horror! Or you could just ask. But take my word for it: I'm boring.

Yet I'm a consumer, corporations sell, and there is no free lunch. When my favorite Web comics ask me to visit their sponsors, I do. For I have the currency of the digital age: me, myself, and I.

What can you offer?

On Smoking and Choice

I'm a very open-minded guy when it comes to vice. Recreational drug use or unusual sexual fetishes don't trouble me, morally. Irresponsible drug use or sexual abuse do vex me greatly. But I'm especially bothered by cigarette smokers, and their insensitivity. It's a choice issue, which makes it an important issue for me.

I understand that smokers want the choice to smoke. Laws and social pressure have reduced the settings in which smoking is tolerated. Smoking is incredibly stupid, given the clear medical evidence. But an individual has the right to hurt themselves (with the exception of the mentally ill). So smokers should have the choice to smoke.

What troubles me is that smokers take that choice away from others. Second-hand smoke is as bad or worse than the filtered poison smokers inhale. Yet in public spaces, cigarette smokers often deprive others of the choice not to smoke. If smokers really want to keep their choice, they should honor the choice for everyone.

On Smoking and Littering

Many smokers dispose of their cigarette butts by littering. My wife and I call these people "cancer bugs". Smoking causes cancer, and littering makes you a litter bug. Often these "death sticks" are still burning, which creates a fire hazard as well as a continuing source of second-hand smoke. Cigarette butts seem like the most common form of litter. I speak from experience, having cleaned public spaces. Or just look around, when you're walking.

In Oregon, they fought one form of littering with the bottle bill. Most beverage containers have a deposit as part of the cost, causing people to return their empties to claim the deposit. Moreover, the containers that get littered get picked up, because they have monetary value. So perhaps we should put a deposit on cigarette butts. With or without such a bill, smokers should use trash cans.

Smoking is Dirty

To recap, smokers pollute their bodies, they pollute non-smokers bodies, and they pollute the environment. Sometimes they cause fires. Smoking is dirty. That's why smoking bothers me.