Maybe I'm just cranky

But have you noticed that people who want you to help them are getting a lot more insistent?

My incoming spam from countries I'll never see seems to be more persistent (and with ever more spelling errors).

Incoming "personal" notes from people two or three handshakes away are now insisting that I help format PowerPoint presentations, introduce them to just the right hiring executive, contribute to their next project or drag myself downtown for lunch to discuss how I might give them some advice.

The beauty of the web is that it introduces us to thousands of people that might never have crossed our path. The problem, it's becoming ever more clear, is that friction is rapidly disappearing. People who would hesitate to say "hello" at a cocktail party think nothing of sending a 1245k attachment. Then, when you're foolish enough to send a courteous reply, they escalate into phone solicitation. Yikes.

Are we more desperate or more comfortable? I think it might be both. I know I'm more aggravated.