I am addicted to e-mail. I can tell it's an addiction because I lie to myself about how many hours a day I spend at it, just as I lie about how many units of alcohol I drink. I check messages obsessively through the day and at night, too, when I can't sleep.

I am not concerned about my problem because I love e-mail. It makes my working life better, funnier, richer. I like reading messages and like writing them. I live in a permanent state of excitement that some thrilling e-mail will have arrived next time I check. Even if all I get is a press release and a baffling message from the IT department, never mind. The next batch will surely be better.