Security online

Use a PC? Want anonymous, secure email? Sure you do. Hushmail is for you. They've got a longstanding top reputation for good strong encryption code, and for only $5 a month you can have an account you can trust and one you can reach from any internet-connected computer. (Encryption works only between hushmail users, but the other features are worth checking out.)

Newsfeeds looks interesting too, although I jsut stumbled on them. They offer uncensored news and unlike your ISP, they don't keep logs of what you read online. This is especially handy if you live in a country that censors your online news access! It's a little pricey at $19.95 a month, but if you buy it by the year it starts to sound reasonable.

What's online news, you ask? Well it's the most interesting thing since before the Web, only text-based. You can find out anything and join a group about anything, or just read to your heart's content. 80,000 different discussion groups.

Get a taste at Google Groups the coolest search engine just bought the biggest pile of text in the world. If their interface doesn't shape up fast enough for you, get a real newsreader from Tucows. Just do a search for "newsreader" or "usenet".

Yeah there's one for graffiti and a bunch of trainstuff, hiphop stuff, everything. Everything. Read the Frigging Manual for a group if it's got one, before you jump in with your mouth open. The graffiti group has no FAQ (frequently asked questions) though, so you can hold forth there to your heart's content. It does have worldwide scope but also cops and toys. It's been around since I've been on the net (1991) too. It's what you make of it. Don't be foolish and use any of your names on it though. Make up a new name and make sure your news software doesn't post your real email address before you write something though. News is archived for years now, so think of it as writing stuff in stone. For readers, Usenet news is highly addictive. Pace yourself.