Thanks for the alert and the fix. Being "used" by Google+ and its advertisers in a blanket consent form is just plain wrong. It offends against personal sovereignty. I agree with O.A.'s objection to being forced to opt out rather than invited to opt in. It's the difference between the principle that anything not expressly prohibited is allowed versus the totalitarian approach that anything not expressly allowed is prohibited.

Thank you!

Neglected to mention that there are a few things you cannot do with TOR while retaining your anonymity. Downloading anything, for example, creates a fixed link between the downloading server and your IP address. You might as well do any downloading you have in mind via an "open" browser.

TOR also does not conceal the origin of messages sent via any form of instant messaging software. They do offer an "anonymous chat client", but I have never used it and so cannot vouch for its compatibility with anything.

In a weird irony, TOR was originally developed to provide secure communications for the U.S. Navy.

http://www.torproject.com

TOR is basically a free download package which uses Firefox (or some of Firefox's code). It is a bit slower than "ordinary" Firefox, but disguises your IP, and you can switch IPs at the touch of a button. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but at least part of it involves the use of multiple proxy servers which essentially make the tracing of browsing activity to an IP impossible. Or so, at least, I have been told.

The only disadvantage to TOR, in my experience, is that the browser bundle automatically blocks most on-page scripts (e.g. Java and Flash). You can't use it with YouTube, for example. A minor quibble.

Naturally, most media coverage of TOR (short for The Onion Router, referring to the means by which data transmission is disguised) only mentions its use by criminals (e.g. The Silk Road). I have read articles which claim that use of the package "provides access to an entirely different Internet". No idea what might be behind these claims. When I have used it, it goes to the same sites I have always used and nothing else magically pops up on the screen. But to my knowledge, my activities are private, as everyone has a right to expect from their telecommunications.

StartPage is TOR's default search engine. If it is private by their standards, I have to assume it is at least reasonably so. DuckDuckGoose has been described as "Google without all the crap" and appears to be a very good search engine.

TOR is simple to download and install. There are a number of tutorials which will get you started on the most commonly-used features right away. I doubt that anything is "unbreakable", but I have tested my copy against all of the IP tracking sites I could find as well as several sites which display one's IP when you log in. All showed the "wrong" IP address.

I am not clicking on something that is titled pathetic cockroach...eeewww

I never turned it on. I figured I didn't need any personal info or yet another social media thing spreading it around. Turned out to be right.
Just saw this earlier:
Man gets ARRESTED after Google+ 'sent an automatic invitation' to his ex who had a restraining order against him
->http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2536013/Man-gets-ARRESTED-Google-sent-automatic-invitation-ex-restraining-order-against-him.html

Definitely unique and powerful. The guitar work screams listen up!

I really like Muse. They have a most unique sound, nearly impossible to describe their diversity. I couldn't pick a favorite, but this is a fav. off their new album, The 2nd Law.
http://youtu.be/IoJpB9djMhY

Hello MattFranke,
Cool video. I like it all, except when he is in the rack and and they fling poo at him. Futuristic cowboy action with holograms and ray guns. It reminds me of the Firefly series.
O.A.

Maybe a cowboy like this? ;-) hilarious music video; awesome lyrics, MUSE
http://youtu.be/Q3Yc3HhSl1Q

Hello DaveM49,
Please tell me more. Are these browsers reliable and do they work well with this site?
O.A.

StartPage and DuckDuckGoose are two reasonably secure search engines. One can also use the TOR browser package, which insures that you searches will not be connected to your ip address, even by Google.

Soylent green for lions... yuck... ref. pictures I have another idea brewing... :)

you know-sounds intriguing. I just saw Val in The Ghost in The Darkness last night. some fine acting all around. I also saw that pair of lions in the Chicago natural museum of history. gave me the creeps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c35FDVOE...

Hello khalling,
Hmm.. an idea...
Well, that might be possible. How do you feel about cowboy hats and bandanas? In the mean, imagine somewhere between Tom Selleck in Quigly Down Under and Val Kilmer (only not so pale) in Tombstone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRDdsImH4...

Have a great evening,
O.A.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saekancW3...

oh, I am seeing that handsome face of yours when it comes time....at least your eyes...

Oh joy! I guess I know what I'm doing in a few.

Hello Mr. Desapio,
I am no Luddite, but this kind of liberty taken without one's consent that forces you to opt out instead of asking one if they wish to opt in is why I use pseudonyms and do not post pictures online...
Regards,
O.A.