White Signifies Purity

It may seem rather odd to include a screenshot of a mostly empty PC screen. I am trying to showcase the amount of glorious white on the page.

For most of 2018, I have been hellbent on minimizing the amount of crap I have sitting around on the Internet. I don't mind so much when it is something I created, worked on, or participated in. However, lots of what we do every day is easily forgotten. Internet companies should make it easy to do the same with old data.



Just by existing, I generate enormous amounts of stored data on Google. That company is the equivalent to the inverse of a firehose sucking up just about every minute detail they can. At least they seem, or at least have always seemed in the past, to be forthright allowing one to delete it all. Of course getting to some of it is a real chore.

Earlier this spring I decided that I'd no longer keep more than fourteen years of old email on their servers. Think about it, old email conversations deserve the same fading memory as humans possess. For a while, I was determined to keep just one year of email data. However, my new email at ProtonMail has all that I really need and it only stretches back to April. So today I completely deleted all email in my account. Did I back up any of it? Why? It was just email.

My thoughts on Internet privacy have matured since this blog entry from May 24, 2004.

You Show Me Yours

I think in many ways Mark Zuckerberg is right. Who needs privacy in the Internet age? I've tried many times to state how hard it is to actually make anybody look at anything on the Internet. The idea of keeping one's image or activities off the Internet seems either like misplaced vanity or perhaps insanity. Like, honestly, who gives two craps about your life? Really. Unless you're a candidate for the current media paparazzi, who is going to seek you out? Save for a few friends, nobody in the world cares.

Perhaps, it's just that I've always longed for a stalker. It seems I've never been interesting enough to attract the attention of one. Damn!  Regardless, I love having stuff online. I love the possibility for having a conversation via email or Facebook where I can point to facts. I love being able to document lots of stuff I've done via a simple URL.

There's hardly a conversation I could have where I couldn't point to a blog entry or an image for clarification. I have a great deal online. For example, as I get older I realize how temporary things in life are. I wish I had many more examples to draw from, but things weren't always so digital for someone born in 1959. Yet, if we are having a conversation, I want to be able to draw from my experiences. I want to be able to demonstrate anything about me. I know, it sounds a little egotistical. Okay, I'll acknowledge that my favourite subject is most always, myself!



Talk about my grandmother and wherever we are, I can pull up a photo (as long as there is WiFi). I love this self-portrait I took with my paternal grandmother as an adolescent. It was a timer shot. Her name was Ina Hurd and here we were in Stoddard, New Hampshire at the summer cottage of my other grandmother, Emily Osgood. I cannot say for sure which year this was taken, but it was mostly likely in the early 1970's. I love the light and colour of this image which was originally on a 35mm slide.

Beware of www.tripline.net!

If you know me, you probably already know that I give no credibility to those who espouse 'privacy concerns' on the Net. I treat the Internet as a public place and so you're unlikely to find anything that isn't true and flattering about me. I don't tell secrets and don't repeat things that I wouldn't say at any public venue. Everything else can go online. Why not? Of what real value is privacy?

This said, online websites that do not give an option to delete one's account absolutely infuriate me. I just ran across one that has content that's right up my alley. It combines travel, locations, comments, and pictures in a visual storytelling, method. I was very gung-ho about them at first blush.



I worked to create an itinerary for next month's trip to Spain / Portugal/ Morocco. The tools seemed easy to learn. While I was editing, the site encountered a short connection problem. I pressed save several times. Unfortunately, something went a little awry. My trip no longer contained all the names of the places I'd selected. No problem, I thought. This website is new and running across a few minor problems. I'll simply begin again.

It was at the time I discovered there is no way to delete a trip one has created. Or at least the tools for doing so were not in an obvious place! This seems like a necessary option. Then, upon looking deeper into my account, I could not find a way to delete myself from their service. Damn them! This is basic common sense and a site that doesn't offer this option does not deserve my attention at all. I have requested that my account be deleted. However, deleting an account should be an easy-to-use option with a large, on-screen button!

STAY AWAY FROM WWW.TRIPLINE.NET UNTIL THEY ALLOW ACCOUNT DELETION WITHOUT THE NEED TO CONTACT SUPPORT!

OMG! Everyone'll Know Where I Am!

This map shows my present location. The information is available because I joined Google Latitude and requested that it track me at the present time via my phone. As long as I have it switched on I can display my present whereabouts. Should I wish to stop reporting, I can disable the feature.

[LINK ABANDONED]

Again, privacy advocates have prematurely tried to scare people into believing they should keep this information private. Why? Oh, there's always talk about a news report which indicated people were telling potential robbers that they were presently not at home. Whoa, how frightful! Finding out the hours that one works gives those same people an eight-hour block of time in which you're not home. I'll live with that threat, if it will allow me to meet up with a friend who happens to be in the same neighbourhood.

I have the same distain for those drilling a fear about Facebook settings into people. In the large scheme of things their calls are misguided. If some information is used to provide a better advertising experience, let it rip; as nothing annoys me more than un-targeted ads. Also, more importantly, as I've said again and again, nobody gives a crap about your information. Everyone thinks they are so special and such individuals. But honestly dear, the only people who care what is in your online profile is your mother, and basically she doesn't even bother to read everything there!

Just act the same way online as you would in any public space. Oh, and get over yourself.

Potentially, Kids Could Get Smart

I was thinking about Internet privacy earlier in the day. Although a noble concept it never really existed but in theory for many. I grew up in a town of 2,000 people. Some teachers in school had taught my mother. When I checked out a book from the town library, the one librarian knew exactly what I'd been reading (or not reading). If I dropped into the local market for food, then half the town knew what we'd be having for dinner.

Maybe it's just that I don't mind leaving a trail online. In most instances, I don't mind letting the whole world see about me. For example, when I use my Facebook pages, I try to conduct myself with the same civility as I would at a cocktail party. I don't add things that I wouldn't mind putting on a resume. Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

My reference to the town library in an earlier paragraph demonstrates how hard it used to be to get new information. I lived three miles from the Abbott Library. Now kids can sit anywhere, practically, and find anything, practically. I found a little clip of several minutes on Angkor Wat. We're going to Cambodia expressly to see it. The complex should be classed as one of the great wonders of the world, yet many people I know have never heard of it. Don't let the childlike interface of National Geographic fool you, you may learn something if you click the image.

To Know Me ...

I've discussed the idea of privacy rights before. You can click the tag at the footer of today's entry to see more. I still have a hard time understanding why so many people my age get hung up over the idea of having personal stuff on the Internet. Honestly, I think there's something wrong with people who assume there's danger in having information online. If I were in a human resources department and unable to come up with any Net material on an individual, I'd probably choose to avoid them like the plague. If I came up empty, I'd simply have to assume they had stuff to hide or were in a witness-protection program!

Of course, I keep Facebook's privacy settings fairly wide-open although it defaults to sharing information only with friends. I guess its the nature of the material I have online. I think of all my Internet materials as forming a large, continually-growing personal resume. Of course there are details online which would not make it to a one-page paper version. That brevity is due only to paper's small size and inflexibility.

I never willingly post things which I'd not freely share and discuss at a party with friends and strangers. Or perhaps my argument here is purely to hide the fact I wish I were famous and adored by the masses.

Dismissing Privacy Concerns

I just tapped out a private message to a reluctant Facebook friend. Needless to say, the person shall go nameless. We've recently sent a few messages back and forth. This person would prefer that method of communication over messages left on their wall. I have to respect anybody's request for privacy.

Yet, I have to believe the cult of privacy is a relatively modern concept which has already fallen out of favour due to the arrival of the Internet. Maybe it was mass culture and the rise of copyright that allowed a concept of privacy to develop at all. Certainly, for the majority of human existence, very little could have been kept from the prying eyes of the tribe, clan, or extended family.

I grew up in a traditional nuclear family but also in a small town. Some folks now worry about the ability of firms such as amazon.com to track customer preferences. I grew up, however, knowing that the shopkeeper at the village market knew my exact purchases. The old guy probably knew what half the town was having for dinner. I suppose, however, if people wanted something kept secret, they purchased out of town. No wonder condoms didn't sell well at the Community Store.

I also remember the early days of BBSing and the Internet. Lots of people wanted to keep all their information offline although I could never quite understand why. Perhaps people didn't know how difficult it was to actually get a visitor to a specific page or website. Of course, the aversion to online information has changed for most people. They accept they'll have some facts about themselves online just as they expect to be seen by others when walking down a city sidewalk.

Moreover, younger people who've grown up with this media realize the stuff that's out there mustn't be an albatross. Many in this generation know that records of teen indiscretions can never be reined in. Therefore, they've already adapted to the new reality. Being drunk in a photo during one's freshman year in college shouldn't really have a negative affect four years later when hunting for a job. Kids know that already and thankfully they are starting to muscle into positions in Human Resource Departments as we speak ...

Why I Hate Non-Facebook-ers

During the past week, I finally got on the stick and started using my Facebook account.  After just a day or two I became convinced this is a utility which should be embraced universally.  I am positive that it is going to completely replace my use of email to individuals whom I know but first I have to get those folks to join!  I feel compelled to write some of the reasons:

Better Privacy: 

Standard Email	Your account can receive messages from anyone including those who spam.
Facebook	You can only receive messages from those people whom you've personally accepted.

Increased Ability to Locate Former Colleagues / Friends:

Standard Email	None.
Facebook	You may enter as much information as you wish about yourself.  By doing so, others can find you.  This may include your former school or work.  The more you offer the greater the chances of being 'found'.  It's still up to you whether to accept the requests for friendship or not.

Inclusion of a Free Public Web Area:

Standard Email	None.
Facebook	A public wall exists on which others can add text, link, photos, etc.   It's like a small web site of your own.  You may use it for public messages or leave it for friends to write on.

Added Ease in Sharing Photos:

Standard Email	Generally, it's a hassle as the photos must be resized then attached or added.  They stay with the single message only.
Facebook	Photos are easily uploaded and then linked to those in them.  They can be commented on.  They stay online with the accounts.

Improved Method for Sharing Links:

Standard Email	Sure, mass mail your cute little gem to everyone and risk pissing some people off with unwanted mail.
Facebook	Leave your items on your public wall.  Others may view, leave suggestions, or add new ideas.  Or ignore!

Superior Ability to Message in Groups:

Standard Email	Send a single message to many addresses.
Facebook	Create a group area, public or private, where you invite others to participate in message board type discussions.

Increased Ease at Planning Events:

Standard Email	None.  You just have to send out a multitude of messages and sort out the resulting replies on your own.
Facebook	Create a specific appointment and get those friends on the system to easily RSVP.

There's more.  Much more.  So if you've received a barrage of requests from me to sign up there are a few of the reasons. Here, I have to give my hats off to Candy W. Fuller for embracing my request so quickly and completely. Maybe this is a teacher thing.  

Piecing It All Back Together

My online presence continues to expand because of these daily snippets. I know I am unique but I don't know of anyone else who has accumulated such a great deal of online memoirs. It's even getting hard for me to remember what, exactly, sits on this site. The introduction of labels has helped me keep track of my eJournal and images, but a great deal of materials were added to the site before I started blogging.

I honestly don't understand a common mindset about the supposed, sacred importance of online privacy which some people have. Most of my peers (read: folks over 40 years old) have a weird fascination in believing they must work to maintain secrecy about private information. Well, all right; I'm certainly not about to blog my credit card number or, in fact, any other information that I wouldn't divulge at any social event. But hey, I certainly don't mind that things about me are publicly recorded and archived. In fact, it's actually quite hard to come up with something that anyone wants to read or look at. I think this matter of not being exposed on the Net is a generational thing. People entering the workforce nowadays have actually grown up with the Internet, so these are not concerns which they share.



I don't even know the full extent of all my digital debris. I accidentally came across this photo among my own online junk. I had been wondering whether I could pull together various photos of the cars I've owned. I'd completely forgotten about the car above, much less that a picture was already online. The K-car station wagon replaced a previous one.

This was the second car driven from New Hamsphire to Seattle. After finishing work in Taif, Saudi Arabia, I went home. My father and I crossed the country in this one in October of 1987. We did a little sightseeing which is why the photo was shot at Mt. Rainier. I was anticipating working in the States, but ended up running back to another Saudi teaching job in January of 1988. I sold the car to friend, Joel, I believe. It smelled awful inside because I used to smoke cigarettes.

Well-Travelled

There's no warranty repair facility for Creative products in Canada. I had to fork over $21 to UPS my non-functioning Zen mp3 player to Stillwater, Oklahoma.



Still for $20 it's more fun than using the regular postal system. At least I can check its progress as it slowly crosses borders and rumbles along Interstate highways. Still, the technology is never enough. I'd like it to have a GPS unit enbedded into the package, so I could follow the entire route on Google Earth. This, incidentally, brings me to another topic.



I'd heard about Google Map's Street View. Running around at street view is, indeed, quite amazing. Most of the comments voiced were in reaction to privacy concerns. Yes, people were out on the streets as the Google van drove by. Yes, it's possible to even spot a fellow standing around in front of a strip club. It's pretty hard to make out who it is though. The last I knew when one was in a public space, being on camera was a possibility. San Francisco isn't, for God's sakes, Saudi Arabia. Maybe my stance is just sour grapes over never having become famous myself!

I Passed with 1.1 mmol/L!

I don't know quite why I asked for an eight o'clock doctor's appointment. I knew that'd give me plenty of time to make yesterday's 1:00 pm class, I guess.

I went primarily to find out the cholesterol numbers on a blood test which I had a couple of weeks back. My doctor gives me a photocopy so I can track the various numbers over time.

I thought I'd make a pdf copy so that I'd be able to look back on the March results far in the future. I foresee this blog going on for years and that I'll have access for as long as I keep breathing. Talk about a lack of privacy concerns! I can understand the reservation of letting kids expose all personal details on the web. I mean there ARE pedophiles. Yet, I have no qualms about being stalked or molested. All sorts of information about me sits out there anyway. I don't believe anyone is actually interested enough to pull it all together. If so, please send me the completed copy.

Is the G for Geewhiz?

Gads, MORE email from Dennis? I'm just testing my Google Gmail
account. You know, it's the one with a gigabyte of storage. Better
than that, it allows single message attachments of 10 megabytes.

So, go ahead, send me that huge photo, video clip, laptop backup ...

== Dennis

---

Wow. Dennis is right in there on the cutting edge. In order to
send you something really big, I'll have to have GMAIL as poor old
Hotmail doesn't allow more than a 1 MB of attachments.

Is gmail available to all, or only a select few? I thought there
was suposed to be adverts accompanying it. I didn't get any. Or
is it the sender that gets the advert?

---

Dennis S Hurd (GMail)
More options May 23 (20 hours ago)

No, I think I've been identified as a select computer user ... and
have an account at Blogger.com. If you can still log in there, you
might find the link from their new, streamlined pages.

It's really a completely new way of working. You leave everything and
don't really make folders .. but each message can have a 'tag'.
Basically you find what you want using Google's search technologies.

No, the adverts are totally non-instrusive. They're like what one
sees on the right hand side of a google search. A message to myself
included a tourist website for Richmond, BC as it noted that I live in
New Westminster.

I'm not concerned about privacy issues in this case at all. I think
the scaremongering is just the competition trying to make people nervous.