First they came for my toaster...and I said nothing

[happnatious1]

Just more evidence that all these cloud connected devices and services make me want to barf.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2...l-instability/

[S-F]

I just came here to post this.

I don't know what to say.

[Pete]

Sad part is that it is working because many folks are today tethered to their smart phone and are quickly becoming unaware of their surroundings. Here walking around downtown Chicago or even just going out to breakfast most folks only seem to put their attention to their smart phones or tablets.

Driving in rush hour is a hazard (no matter what the laws are) as I look to the automobile next to me and typically see folks doing whatever on their cell phone looking mostly down in stop and go traffic with a preference now to texting versus even talking on their cell phones.

The last funeral I went to (there are more these days) most of the under 30 folks there spent most of the time buried to their tethered devices and never even talked their relatives which was sort of sad. Did a little superbowel thing this last weekend. Every under 20 person present spent most of the time on their smart phones and were totally unaware of the game and conversations going on around them.

I have seen families going to breakfast and never actually speaking to one another as each member's face is buried in a cell phone or tablet and appear to only communicate with the outside world via bits of text or video these days.

[vasrc]

Sad part is that it is working because many folks are today tethered to their smart phone and are quickly becoming unaware of their surroundings. Here walking around downtown Chicago or even just going out to breakfast most folks only seem to put their attention to their smart phones or tablets.

Driving in rush hour is a hazard (no matter what the laws are) as I look to the automobile next to me and typically see folks doing whatever on their cell phone looking mostly down in stop and go traffic with a preference now to texting versus even talking on their cell phones.

The last funeral I went to (there are more these days) most of the under 30 folks there spent most of the time buried to their tethered devices and never even talked their relatives which was sort of said. Did a little superbowel thing this last weekend. Every under 20 person present spent most of the time on their smart phones and were totally unaware of the game and conversations going on around them.

I have seen families going to breakfast and never actually speaking to one another as each member's face is buried in a cell phone or tablet and appear to only communicate with the outside world via bits of text or video these days.

To be fair the Gen-X's were probably "talking" to 20 OTHER people on their devices . My daughter has a LOT more friends than I ever had just because of their ability to communicate now, and we can find her in seconds whenever we want.

Just a different generation, remember what they said about us in the 60's

Z

[Automated]

One other very sad part about this is that the ignorant masses will adopt all the consumer toys, and that will become what is considered "normal." Then, those of us that roll our own, or otherwise do not allow our privacy to be compromised, will be considered as suspicious. This already happens if you don't have Facebook and etc active. That is really, really sad. It is the "if you have nothing to hide, why do you need privacy" logic fallacy, which history has shown will end badly for innocent people.

[vasrc]

One other very sad part about this is that the ignorant masses will adopt all the consumer toys, and that will become what is considered "normal." Then, those of us that roll our own, or otherwise do not allow our privacy to be compromised, will be considered as suspicious. This already happens if you don't have Facebook and etc active. That is really, really sad. It is the "if you have nothing to hide, why do you need privacy" logic fallacy, which history has shown will end badly for innocent people.

I don't get the feeling the "unwashed masses" , consider us tinfoil hat types as suspicious as much as resources to fix what they break or can't get to work ...

Z

[LeoS]

Whether it's mentioned publicly or not, it's bound to happen... so I take this news as a reminder

[waynehead99]

Sad part is that it is working because many folks are today tethered to their smart phone and are quickly becoming unaware of their surroundings. Here walking around downtown Chicago or even just going out to breakfast most folks only seem to put their attention to their smart phones or tablets.

Driving in rush hour is a hazard (no matter what the laws are) as I look to the automobile next to me and typically see folks doing whatever on their cell phone looking mostly down in stop and go traffic with a preference now to texting versus even talking on their cell phones.

Try riding a motorcycle around all those people driving and looking at their phones... it's almost got me to the point of selling my bike.

Unfortunately what is being said in this article doesn't surprise me. We have allowed it, and will continue to allow it. Current generations don't see the concern with sharing... hell they share more on social media than I would've even considered sharing with my best friends privately.

This day, big data is becoming the norm for corporations, government spying is also becoming the norm and accepted by most. Media plays a role in this too by scaring the general population more than is needed with what seems like big threats where we need to monitor and allow this type of spying.

Reality also is the government has always been spying, internally, externally... doesn't matter. Now they just can do it easier, and even if we stood up as a society and said enough is enough, do you think it would stop?

Generally people are sheep and think that the government has their best interest in mind...

[Uncle Michael]

While I agree that the ability to spy is going in some unexpected directions and growing at a disturbing rate, I think it is also worth remembering that when the technology was simpler privacy was ruled on a wholly different scale.

• Before the automobile, teenagers remained under the close supervision of their parents nearly all the time.
• The telephone operator knew who was talking to whom (and sometimes what they were talking about).
• Local shop keepers and bankers knew who had money and how much, and who was strapped for cash all the time.
• The village drunk was a well-known local fixture.
• A 'secret' extramarital affair was just a fantasy.
• Abuse of children could be easily covered up.

I'm sure others could easily add to the list.

Fifty years ago there was concern about the growing anonymity of big cities and our increasingly mobile society. More recently, there's been concern that electronic devices actually encourage isolation rather than fostering greater interaction.

To some extent, what we see today is the high tech equivalent of the town busybody. Unfortunately, today's busybodies have a whole lot more information about a whole lot more people, and the concentration - and potential availability for mischief - is a big change and worthy of our concern, I think.

[Pete]

It is so easy today to do.....have a look at tomorrows easily shaped easy button minds...

[waynehead99]

It is so easy today to do.....have a look at tomorrows easily shaped easy button minds...

Pete you have a good way of jerking at a person's strings with a video like that. These kids have no idea what they are asking for in trying to get rid of the first amendment. That is one of the very foundations that this country was created on.

Wow.... they need a reality check and a gut punch.

[Automated]

It is so easy today to do.....have a look at tomorrows easily shaped easy button minds...

Wow, just wow. Idiots...

[waynehead99]

This thread is tugging at my patriotic strings a lot... seeing that video just proves more and more my thoughts that current and future generations have their priorities skewed (maybe I am taking this thread in a different direction).

I feel very passionately about my country and though I disagree with both political parties right now and their direction (imagine if we have to choose between clinton and trump... but thats a different topic completely), this country is great. I think younger people take a lot for granted.

The only hope is that they grow up and realize just what they are asking for.

You wanna give up free speech, yet you are not ok with data collection??? You are giving up your rights from both ends of the candle with that thought.

[Pete]

Sad too that we are supposed to learn from history.

History is not dynamic and never has been.

We are supposed to learn from it.

Deleting it and making folks believe in ideologies (hope?) didn't work and hasn't worked and will not fix anything and historically never has.

We are at a juncture in time/history but nobody really cares much about it these days.

Rather the caring is in the easy button way / smartphone apps way because it is simpler and involves much less thought processes.

[vasrc]

It is so easy today to do.....have a look at tomorrows easily shaped easy button minds...

Not excusing their behavior, but please put it in context:
http://www.courant.com/politics/capi...ent-story.html

This was Fox news after all....

Maybe these will help
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...proof-headwear

Z