Once again, we may find ourselves in a country where one does not need to jump through hoops for years to reach out to readers, but instead needs only a sharp wit and the motivation to spread the word.

I sure hope so.

On the other hand, the realistic pessimist in me thinks that the days of this freedom are numbered, and that the PC liberals will do their best to impose crackdowns on “hate speech” (whose definition will, of course, be infinitely malleable).

Remember that “self-published”, translated into Russian, becomes “samizdat” – and we’re edging closer to a socialist state every day.

We need to put every bit as much effort and vigor into protecting the absolute freedom of online communication as into mastering the technical demands of the medium itself. There’s no sense in learning calligraphy if you can’t stop your big brother from swiping the tablet out of your hand.