I've never been one for social networking. When Friendster first came along, I mocked my friends who got into it and then proceeded to tell me--and everyone else in the office--about each new virtual....

Here's an underlying truth: all too often, we don't own our possessions, they own us. I remember my early days as an apartment dweller, when I rented (or even more impermanently, subleased). Decora...