Shh... don't tell anyone, but if you're on the internet, you're broadcasting information about yourself.  Your IP address, your internet service provider, the operating system and browser you are using, and probably the city you are in (unless you use a satellite internet provider) are available to any website you visit.

It's kind of like walking down a public street.  You wouldn't do it naked, because, well, it's public.  So when you're on the internet, you don't do things you wouldn't do walking down a public street.  Well, you shouldn't anyway.

Apparently, some people do, and get bent out of shape when they realize that someone might know who they are.

The thing is, without a court order, your IP address means very little.  I'll tell you what mine is if you ask.  I'd put it right here in this post, but I'm too lazy to go look it up at the moment.  All it tells you is... that I have SBC Global for a service provider, I'm using Windows XP, my browser is Mozilla Firefox, and I'm in Houston.  Whoopie Doo.  You already know that - because I just told you.

Now, all of this isn't to say that you shouldn't be careful with truly private information, such as your passwords, your bank accounts, your home address and phone number, etc. online.  There are bad people out there.  But your IP address, for the most part, is just the grownup version of the boogie man under the bed.  And, just like children who will fearlessly jump off the roof with an umbrella for a parachute while refusing to sleep in their room with the light off, this boogie man distracts us from real, dangerous issues of internet safety.

Oh, and for the record, before everyone goes flagging this post to Xanga.  I'm not collecting your information.  That image above is a dynamic image hosted by danasoft.com.  It reflects to you, the information that your computer broadcast when you accessed the image.  I can't see the stats that it is displaying, and it isn't displaying your stats to anyone else reading this blog.  It's only showing them to you.  If you go log in from a different computer, the stats shown will be different.

The holiday season is upon us, and regardless of your culture or beliefs, everyone has some family traditions about one holiday, celebration, or other special day.  So, it's time to share!  What special days do you celebrate?  What traditions does your family hold?  What is your favorite holiday?  What are your favorite holiday memories?

When you think of Christmas, you probably think of mistletoe, holly wreaths, and beautiful trees all trimmed with lights...

Unless you have seasonal allergies.  Then you think, "why o why do people think it's a good idea to put pine trees and fungus and pollen-bearing plants all over their homes?" 

That's what I'm thinking this year, because something has triggered the worst bout of seasonal allergies I've had in well over a decade.  I'm talking itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, headache, the whole works.  It's insane.  Is the pollen particularly bad this year?  Is there something else triggering it?  I don't know.  I'll let you know if I find out, because I imagine if you're suffering too you're as fed up with it as I am.

But I digress.

Getting back to Christmas traditions.  I'm contemplating my usual catch-22 of the Christmas season.  Do I use a real Christmas tree, complete with the pollen it will bring into my house, or do I use the artificial tree, complete with a year's worth of dust and other allergens from the attic?

Real trees are so much prettier.  They're easier to set up, as well.  I mean, mother nature comes with "no assembly required."  I've yet to find a full-size artificial tree that can claim that .  But the artificial trees are cheaper (if you've already purchased on in the past), and probably at least slightly more environmentally sound (if you use the same one for ten years like we've done, I'm sure it is).

I guess I still have a few weeks to figure it out.