Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

[reggie]

[Forrest]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

Make's me glad I don't have an iPhone, rarely use my home phone, don't have a facebook account, and hardly go anywhere except to the store or the Post Office. I remain what I have always been...not much of a social butterfly, joiner or activist.

'They' know what I buy, and 'They' know I'm at home a lot, and that mostly, I just talk to iTulipers about things that don't matter all that much in the world of secrets. But how terrifying for anyone really trying to get something done in the world that isn't necessarily illegal, but could be thought so just because you happen to have met someone 'They' are looking for.

Of course, even without the social networking linking good people to bad people by happenstance, 'They' can just make something up to accomplish their aim, like the good old days. Still, it is nice to know they can find out so much without having to torture people anymore. It makes for a so much nicer surveillance society.

[Adeptus]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

This is not so scary, in the sense pretty much everything he said, except perhaps some of the 1940's Latvian history, is well known to anybody who has been reading the recent headlines. Obviously what the NSA (and insert about 20-100+ other such agencies from around the world) have been doing is very concerning.

I'm hoping that some of the opensource-crowd_funding-programming-crypto-activists out there will come up with a series of software solutions to all this government agency spying. There are already some not so user friendly tools out there, but it will be interesting to see if some of these evolve to provide the quality and user friendliness of some of the corporate solutions out there. For a current list, see: https://prism-break.org/

[reggie]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

This is not so scary, in the sense pretty much everything he said, except perhaps some of the 1940's Latvian history, is well known to anybody who has been reading the recent headlines. Obviously what the NSA (and insert about 20-100+ other such agencies from around the world) have been doing is very concerning.

I'm hoping that some of the opensource-crowd_funding-programming-crypto-activists out there will come up with a series of software solutions to all this government agency spying. There are already some not so user friendly tools out there, but it will be interesting to see if some of these evolve to provide the quality and user friendliness of some of the corporate solutions out there. For a current list, see: https://prism-break.org/

It's not about spying, that's a misleading trail meant to deceive the public. It's about developing fusion across a network so that the clusters will behave as groups/swarms within defined boundaries. No one needs to spy on you when peer pressure through networks will adequately control the bounds of your thought and behavior - this forum is a great example of boundary containment. Snowden is a diversion.

[reggie]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

Make's me glad I don't have an iPhone, rarely use my home phone, don't have a facebook account, and hardly go anywhere except to the store or the Post Office. I remain what I have always been...not much of a social butterfly, joiner or activist.

'They' know what I buy, and 'They' know I'm at home a lot, and that mostly, I just talk to iTulipers about things that don't matter all that much in the world of secrets. But how terrifying for anyone really trying to get something done in the world that isn't necessarily illegal, but could be thought so just because you happen to have met someone 'They' are looking for.

Of course, even without the social networking linking good people to bad people by happenstance, 'They' can just make something up to accomplish their aim, like the good old days. Still, it is nice to know they can find out so much without having to torture people anymore. It makes for a so much nicer surveillance society.

It's not about connecting good people to bad, it's about creating such a crowded space that no one can operate as an individual. Just think of how hard it is to make your own path when leaving a crowded sports stadium. The same techniques are being applied to the entire social space.

[Forrest]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

It's not about connecting good people to bad, it's about creating such a crowded space that no one can operate as an individual. Just think of how hard it is to make your own path when leaving a crowded sports stadium. The same techniques are being applied to the entire social space.

Absolutely! Lemmings don't have much fun either.

[reggie]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

Absolutely! Lemmings don't have much fun either.

We're ALL lemmings in this system, but we also all think that we're the smart ones and it is other segments of the population who are the blind followers.

[Forrest]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

We're ALL lemmings in this system, but we also all think that we're the smart ones and it is other segments of the population who are the blind followers.

Being caught in a mob out of control doesn't necessarily make you a part of the mob...in fact, having awareness and eyes open can improve the possibilities of survival. I do not think we are necessarily smart...just watching where to put our feet.

[reggie]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

Being caught in a mob out of control doesn't necessarily make you a part of the mob...in fact, having awareness and eyes open can improve the possibilities of survival. I do not think we are necessarily smart...just watching where to put our feet.

I'm in a Nietzsche mood lately...

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

Friedrich Nietzsche

[Forrest]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

I'm in a Nietzsche mood lately...

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

Friedrich Nietzsche

It is true that there is not too high of a price...to be mine, and to give myself away carefully, even to those that love me. The fear is indeed there from time to time, particularly as I get older, but the loneliness is long gone.

Once you begin to like yourself, accept and forgive yourself for your human frailty, and your past decisions and what mess they made of your life, and to enjoy others on purpose, and in moderation, the sense of loneliness goes away. Nietzsche was a tad negative in a lot of ways, and often sick to boot, so probably never got to the comfortable spot.

[aaron]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

He'd have probably been given prozac and the world might be a different place.

[Forrest]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

Good point...I can't sleep without mine!

[lektrode]

Re: Valdis will Scare the S&#$ Out of You!

Good point...I can't sleep without mine!

i'm more a 'vitamin A' kinda guy...

I'm in a Nietzsche mood lately...
....But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

Friedrich Nietzsche

and its not all glamour being lonely....