A false sense of security

A day in the life blog has a neat tip on how access your gmail mail account via https (thus encrypted) rather than http (unencrypted). I can't help thinking however that ultimately this tip provides a false sense of security to those who use it. Certainly those people who are on your LAN or on the pathway between your internet connection and google are now unable to sniff your mail -- but if you accepted mail sniffing as a valid threat, then its key to realize that the email when it is sent/received is being transmitted unencrypted.

Its somewhat similar to sending a postcard via public mail and then reading it in a secure room because you have concerns that someone might look over your shoulder.