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Techwit by Jason Ohler.

If you want to get a good idea of how "connected" things are, watch this short presentation the ACLU has posted on the Internet: http://www.aclu.org/pizza/index.html. If you happen to be one of the half dozen people left in the U.S. who doesn't know how to use the Internet, let me tell you how the presentation goes.

A phone rings. It's an average guy calling an average pizza place (called the Pizza Palace) to order a pizza. Before he gets very far, the pizza lady confirms his national identification number and his address. She tells him that she sees he's calling from his cell phone and asks if he wants the pizza delivered at home or at work. He's not real happy that she seems to know so much about him. But heck, he's hungry. So he asks for a home delivery of a few double meat pizzas.

But she informs him, he could save a lot of money by simply getting the sprout submarine combo; it comes with free tofu sticks. They're mighty tasty. Besides, eating light would help him trim off some of that 42 inch waist before he goes beach slumming in Hawaii and is mistaken for a whale with legs. She knows his pant size and travel plans because she can see his credit card purchases, which appeared on her screen when he used his card to buy the pizza. In the end he goes for the sprout combo and tofu sticks. He can't afford to jeopardize his health insurer's opinion of him.

Sure, it's creepy that she knows all of that stuff. But what's even creepier is that she gives good advice. When you get right down to it, he really shouldn't be eating the double meat pies. In fact, his disregard for his health raises insurance costs for the rest of us.

Unless, of course, the insurance industry monitors us so closely that we each pay just what we ought to based on our lifestyle choices. It's entirely possible. Every time a supermarket checker drags your food across the scanner, the information could easily be sent directly to your health insurer. Every time you buy a recreational item, your insurer could be automatically notified; buying a bungee jumping harness or a skateboard would cost you dearly. Insurance companies already know how safe your car is and cars could easily be built to monitor your driving habits. So, if you don't eat potato chips, don't do anything more dangerous than watch TV, and drive to work in a Humvee always observing the speed limit, then you'd get a great rate on your insurance premium.

Sure, we all hate being watched. But we hate being ignored even more. And who wouldn't want someone like the pizza lady looking out for them? She's just trying to help. You just have to get over the fact that there's lots of people you don't know who happen to know all about you. And as long as you eat exactly what they tell you, everything will be just fine.

• Jason Ohler is professor of educational technology at the University of Alaska Southeast and can be reached at jason@jasonohler.com. © 2004 Jason Ohler.