My Internet Alter Ego: Impersonation by E-mail

Electronic mail (e-mail) is a wonderful convenience. Messages usually arrive at their destination within 10 or 15 minutes, at no cost. The recipient can read them and reply at his or her convenience. For people who are online regularly, this permits several exchanges during a day. You avoid “telephone tag” or delays in postal mail (or “snail mail” as we Internet users call it). It is particularly handy for communication with people in other parts of the world. When my son, Ben, was in Perth, Australia, we corresponded regularly by e-mail, especially when we were co-authoring Linus Pauling: A Life in Science and Politics. I also corresponded regularly with numerous people in Brazil while writing Fernando Henrique Cardoso: Reinventing Democracy in Brazil. Sometimes when I was puzzled by a Portuguese expression or reference, I could get a clarification from Brasilia in half-an-hour.