[ExI] The NSA's new data center

[Kelly Anderson]

On Sun, Apr 1, 2012 at 2:26 AM, BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 1, 2012 at 8:55 AM, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> <snip>
>> Look, here is the bottom line. If you live long enough, eventually
>> there will be some part of the future that you REALLY don't like. It
>> is one reason why so many old people are grumpy about the way things
>> are now. If you want LONG life, you're going to have to adjust and
>> give up some (and eventually most) of what you think is important
>> today.
>>
>
> Disagree.  LONG life gives you time to prepare your life just the way
> you want it.

While I would love to live in a world similar to today's world for
hundreds of thousands of years, I am also prepared to accept that I
may beg for death in 100 years if things change too much and in ways
I'm not prepared to deal with. It could easily go either way.

> Especially if you don't have the physical and mental failings, aches,
> pains and diseases of old age that is the main thing that makes old
> folk grumpy.

I know that is a major source of grumpiness... however, things being
different than they used to be is also a major contributor.

> Every stage of society has fashions, fads, customs, but people don't
> have to join in with everything. As just one example, today there are
> still people who don't have a mobile phone by choice and feel they
> have a better life without one. (Or only have an emergency phone that
> is mostly switched off).

I may not be required to have a tongue ring, but that doesn't mean I
can always avoid the Walmart cashier that has one... kwim?

>> Look. You brought up the thing about burglars, right? Well, if the
>> burglars don't have any privacy either, then they are going to be damn
>> easy to catch. Maybe burglary will become a thing of the past. I don't
>> want burglars to know about my habits today because they still have
>> privacy rights. When they don't, then I don't need privacy rights to
>> protect myself from them. At least the need is lessened.
>
> I think Eugen is making the point that privacy at present is not equal
> for everyone.

I think we would agree that there is much about the current world that
is FAR from utopian.

> Today there are lambs surrounded by wolves.
> Share everything, go with the flow --- makes you into one of the
> lambs, ready to be fleeced.

I prefer not to be a lamb. Had a very bad dream about that last night,
which I would prefer to keep private thanks. :-)

> But protecting against wolves takes effort. On a sliding scale, from
> simple easy basic steps to setting up as advanced security systems as
> you want to spend time on.

Yes. There is that. I hate worrying about junk like that, but I have
already set up some certain helpful software. As Spike's experience
shows, just participating in a list like this is enough to get the
ball rolling for people who want to get inside our heads. Isn't that
kind of what we're trying to do though, is get into each other's
heads, or at least the parts they want us to get into.

> Don't try to live in the future too soon! Protect against today's
> problems and aim for the future.

I'm pragmatic. Notice that I'm not posting my social security
number... even though the founder of lifelock did just that.

-Kelly