An e-mail landed in my inbox yesterday. The French author, in slightly broken English, wanted me to have a look at a new iPhone application. I get e-mails like this more often than most people breathe, so I sneered, clicked off my phone, and rolled off the side of my bed.

Since the fall managed to destroy any semblance of sleep left in my brain, I figured I may as well take a look at this "Earth Secrets" thing.

And that's the story of how I discovered my filthy, scandalous new addiction.

Earth Secrets is a free iPhone application that allows people from all over the world to post their deepest, darkest secrets in complete anonymity. Readers can then navigate a virtual globe, reading other people's problems, and offering consolation through anonymous "hugs."

You'll start reading, assuming there's glee to be found in the failings of others, but moments later you'll find yourself wrapped in a sense of empathetic kinship with this nameless, faceless mass of humanity.

More importantly, you might realize that for all of your intensely crucial problems, no one is perfect. We're a planet of fucked up, suicidal, drug-addicted sluts.