> > > It's BAD LOGIC! And I can't explain this to him.
> >
> > Is it?
>
> Well, yes it is. If Athaleon's brother was a psychologist, I could understand the logic. But helpdesk support?
>
> > > Anybody else have parents like this?
> >
> > I don't. Mind explaining why you feel the urge to give out so much personal information? Your height doesn't mean very much, true.
>
> I would assume that people want to give out personal information, because it's very difficult to be friends with someone when you know nothing about them. There is certainly a need for a certain amount of paranoia when dealing with strangers (whether met in a bar, or on the Internet), but it needs to be carefully balanced if they are every to be anything other than strangers.
>
> winter"Only friends you haven't met"mute

*bell rings* Correct answer, you won the $30,000 prize!

It's a lot easier to talk to someone when you know some stuff about them. It also helps avoid embarrassment, like saying "Heh, good thing you aren't a fat slob" and then having them reply "Um, I'm 400 lbs...."

I tried explaining to my dad why there was a REASON to give out a bunch of information like that, and that even if they DID have all that information, they STILL couldn't find me, any more than they could from my IP! I also explained to him that if they have my IP, it doesn't MATTER what information I give to them, because if they're an evil internet psycho, it's all redundant!