There's no need to travel anymore. Google Street View now covers the vast majority of the UK, meaning that I can now go online and "virtually snoop" on every house I've ever lived in. The current owners of my childhood home have really let the garden go to pot!

My friend Henry has just informed me of a disturbing time-wasting habit of his, says Atticus. At various times throughout each day he is drawn to YouTube, where he proceeds to do a search for "Real alien footage." Apparently it is compulsive viewing – and with over 2,000 search results, there's a wealth of "alien encounters" for him still to watch. Henry explained the attraction: "Each time, you think to yourself, this might actually be real footage!" It's a habit that he's finding difficult to shake.  

Last week, a friend sent me an email with a clipping of the Facebook terms and conditions, says Atticus. It described how Facebook has a full license to the content that its users put on the social networking site. Obviously this raises huge questions about how we share information online: What would this information be used for? And if we do want to take part in this ongoing communications revolution, how do we retain personal autonomy and privacy?