Seemingly, anonymity through the internet and other forms of media has become increasingly common, many people praising it.

These people always note the “newfound” “freedom of expression” when praising such a luxury.

Jacob Palm defines anonymity when he says that it “means that the real author of a message is not shown. Anonymity can be implemented to make it impossible or very difficult to find out the real author of a message”.

What is also common is pseudonymity, where a fake name is used.

Many better prefer anonymity over pseudonymity because, since an advantage is that one can usually correspond with the pseudonym (without knowing the real face behind the mask) and also know if more than one piece of writing is done by the same person, they are sometimes able to put pieces of information together from each message and all of the writings and then figure out the real person.

All anonymity is lost.

Some people argue that there are good sides to anonymity over the internet. Some people live in places run by politically repressive groups, and they use anonymity to display their views without being prosecuted. In well-run democracies, we have anonymous ballots, so that citizens do not feel pressured to vote for one candidate when they’d prefer to vote for another. They could vote for one and then tell everyone that they voted for the other, and there’s no way to be caught in the lie.

Those who are supporters of anonymity link it to freedom and democracy. They feel that it allows them to be brutally honest, something that might not be done without it. But the problem is that anonymous sources are often unreliable, and they can easily be used to spread propaganda and false information.

But one must ask, if certain views cannot be linked to one’s face, are they really worth supporting?

Food for thought.

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Nina S is a student, freelance journalist, museum worker, and blogger. She lives in the D.C. area. You can find more of her work, concentrating on lifestyle, literature, and culture, at http://pagefortheculturefreak.blogspot.com/

Earlier this week my HP dv6000 notebook decided to finally die for good. The laptop was a “hand me down” from a friend and considering that all of my major electronics were acquired the same way I wasn’t too disappointed when it’s life came to an end. After all, it lasted over a year and was free.

I examined my computer habits and decided that all I really use a laptop for is surfing the web, music playback and writing. So, I chose to get one of the new inexpensive “netbooks.” I had to be very careful with my choice because I have used the Eee PC and absolutely hate it’s tiny keyboard and the screen is so small that it hurts my eyes. After a bit of online price checking and weighing options I made my decision.

I got my blue Acer AspireONE at the Casselberry Wal-Mart (on 436 near Red Bug Lk Rd.) for $298. I saw the same model at the Kissimmee Wal-Mart (on 535 at Osceola Parkway) for $248 but the Assistant Manager in Casselberry wouldn’t mark it down even after I offered to call the Kissimmee store for him. I’m convinced that he could have knocked the $50 off the price but just didn’t feel like it. Nonetheless I bought it and am really enjoying it.

The Acer AspireONE (I bought the blue one rather than the red) comes in a super-light 2.5lb package and has an amazing bright 10.1 inch widescreen LCD screen, integrated webcam and a reduced size keyboard that is not nearly as obnoxious as the teeny tiny one on the Eee PC. The 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor is very fast and I’ve had no slow downs of any kind. I doubt I’ll fill up the 160GB hard drive anytime soon either. It is a little weird using Windows XP again but it’s a lot more reliable than the notoriously glitchy Windows Vista operating system. With a pricetag at less than $300 this machine is a real bargain. If your in the market for a netbook, this is my recommendation.

Most cars have ballooned out of proportion over the years. As an example, the current Honda Civic is larger than the original Honda Accord of 1976. Instead of car buyers going up a model every time they are in the market for a car, they demand the car they currently have to be enlarged and updated. This obesity issue raises the weight of the cars and makes fuel economy suffer.

However, there is hope from the Land of the Rising Sun. Since 1949, keijidôsha (literally meaning light automobile) have provided great fuel economy at very reasonable prices. This class of cars was created in japan in 1949 to help mobilize Japan. They were a hit due to low purchase and operating price and because they are relatively cheap to insure.

In general, they achieve upwards of fifty miles-per-gallon due to their small stature.

They are limited to a lenght of 3.4 meters, a width of 1.48 meters and a height of 2 meters, yet are humongous inside due to well-thought design. Also, their engines are limited to a maximum displacement of 660 cubic centimeters and 63 horsepower.

Though this may not sound like much to you, bear in mind that they usually weigh considerably less than a ton. 0-60 times generally range anywhere from about 15 seconds for a neat people mover to around 8 seconds for a sports car.

Speaking of sports cars, keijidôsha come in many different variations, including sports cars such as the Daihatsu Copen. Keijidôsha incorporate many technological advancements such as satellite navigation and thus aren’t quite as utilitarian as their predecessors.

Currently, the only keijidôsha sold in America is the smart fortwo, which while not a bad car, has some glaring faults such as an automatic transmission. Were it to come with a manual transmission, I wouldn’t be quite as compelled to write this article.

I highly recommend you write to your local congressman or representative and ask that they help to pass a proposition which will give these wonderful cars an exemption from safety standards in order to be imported to America.

They are extremely safe and contain all the safety features you have come to expect in a car. You won’t regret driving one!