Google is Watching

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by dafischer

No smartphone for me, and I am neither disconnected nor retired. I just won't become a slave to a "device", and my work has me in front of a computer all the time. I don't need to spend my free time checking texts and messages and e-mails, and I don't need to be "connected", with the assumption of availabilty, 24/7/365 .
When I'm out with friends, I'd rather talk to them, than have my nose buried in a phone. I don't know how many times I see two couples out for dinner, and everyone has their phone out and doing whatever, and occasionally talking to each other. Waste of time and money in my opinion.
Hell, I even see couples out by themselves, each with their phone out and not talking to each other.
Eh, maybe they're texting each other.

If that works for you, great.

I resisted like fighting the against BORG but I finally got a used iPhone 1. I sipped the KoolAide and was hooked.

I always assumed texting was for kids and just stupid, "Just pick up the phone and talk" was my thought. Now I understand the value of a text. I will admit that the one thing I text a LOT is just the word, talk. No question mark needed. I can text my business partner that one word. He knows to call me when it is a good time for him. If he working on a customer project or on the phone with someone it might be a while before he can call back. I could have just called him but about half the time he is busy. I even text my wife when she is 25 feet away in the next room. He does the same thing for me I get the one word, Talk more than any other.

The ability to have my email synchronized 100% with my computer and with me all the time is wonderful. As a business owner it is vital. We have answered an email while away from the office and consummated a bid proposal for projects that are fantastic for us and the customer.

My 86 year old mother in law was leery when my wife and I pushed her towards an iPhone and a iPad. They operate the same so just one thing to learn. She admitted she loves her iPad more than she ever though possible.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by drkshdw

Ever had a conversation about which salad dressing you wanted on your salad for dinner and then when you got back onto your phone/computer

Ha. Was texting about buying a 2004 RAV4 last week that I just bought today. Got a Youtube video advertisement for the Ford Fusion right after the text. Here's the odd thing, the audio started with "Thinking about buying a Toyota RAV4?" Then you ought to consider..........Ford Fusion.

There are not comparable. A Forester or a CRV, sure. Makes sense but not the Fusion

Me thinks Ford needs to move Fusion surplus and the RAV4 sound bite is placed in front of the core advertisement because they (Ford) know I indicated an intent to buy a RAV4 via texting. The RAV4 was never mentioned again in the ad.

Best of all time..... I was watching a video on the Austin Clock Tower sniper (Charles Whitman) and how the two officers took him down. One incapacitated him with pistol rounds and the other killed him with two shotgun blasts (IIRC).

I started getting youtube ads for Rhino rounds.

[motion]

You guys need to find your tinfoil hats.

Our household is stuffed with i-devices. We also have Google Homes, Home Pods and have had Echos. Yes, they are always listening, Lol. I'm a pretty big consumer.... guessing in the 90th percentile of Americans. I don't recall ever seeing anything spooky that gave me the impression that Big Data was snooping around.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by motion

You guys need to find your tinfoil hats.

I don't recall ever seeing anything spooky that gave me the impression that Big Data was snooping around.

I think it's brilliant.

I also think that if you text I am going to harm this or that big wig it should be cascaded to authorities if deemed appropriate.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by motion

You guys need to find your tinfoil hats.

Our household is stuffed with i-devices. We also have Google Homes, Home Pods and have had Echos. Yes, they are always listening, Lol. I'm a pretty big consumer.... guessing in the 90th percentile of Americans. I don't recall ever seeing anything spooky that gave me the impression that Big Data was snooping around.

LOL you're probably right ...

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by JD159

Never having a smartphone? Perhaps if you are completely disconnected and retired. Literally not an option for most people.

Add me to the list: I would not have a smart phone if the company I work for did not pay for it and force me to carry it.
And I wouldn't miss it a bit.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by motion

I don't recall ever seeing anything spooky that gave me the impression that Big Data was snooping around.

I remember a girl once claiming to have met Cosby.
The rest was a little hazy to her, but she was glad to have met a movie star.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Until the feds change the laws and cell phone manufacturers put in real privacy into the devices, not much will change.

I would start with declaring any information about the content of a phone call or internet search or web site visit cannot be considered in a civil or criminal legal action.

[island911]

Originally Posted by john70t

I remember a girl once claiming to have met Cosby.
The rest was a little hazy to her, but she was glad to have met a movie star.

LOL

oh man...

Hey motion, how much google stock do you own?

[dafischer]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

As a business owner it is vital.

As a business owner, it's not so vital to me. My wife and I have a tax and accounting practice, and anything received after hours can wait until we are back in the office. We're not likely to gain or lose business if a call or e-mail isn't returned immediately after business hours or on a weekend.

If I wanted to communicate with my wife who was 25 ft. away, I'd get up and go talk to her, or hit the intercom on our office phone system. Why be a slave to a device?

Different strokes and all...

[stuartj]

Imagine if a Govt mandated that citizens must at all times carry an electronic device that could locate, record, film, track them, record all their contacts and that it would store all this data in perpetuity for access at any time. Luckily these devices have angry birds so we don't mind.

This experiment was really interesting/alarming, because if indeed those phones had no SIM, no WIFI config and were in "flight" mode - it means that the devices are even so still connecting or detecting WIFI, all points of which Google has (illegally?) mapped with its street cars, and they are capturing incredibly detailed location information. Which means that for those of us that have spent a lot time turning all this **** off, and it takes a huge amount of time- its utterly pointless. There is no escape, beyond not using the device.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The ability to have my email synchronized 100% with my computer and with me all the time is wonderful. As a business owner it is vital. We have answered an email while away from the office and consummated a bid proposal for projects that are fantastic for us and the customer.

I'm not running my business anymore, but i am remodeling a house. There are a lot of moving parts that move fast, just like running a business. Contractor schedules and material orders etc. The best part is that my bank will send me a text any time anyone tries to charge over $500 or make a "card not present" transaction. It really helps with the juggling act and gives me some confidence that i won't wake up some morning and find out someone has cleaned out my bank account.

[motion]

Originally Posted by john70t

I remember a girl once claiming to have met Cosby.
The rest was a little hazy to her, but she was glad to have met a movie star.

LMAO John. Well played!

[JackDidley]

I am in the middle on this. I have a smart flip phone, 4G capable. 4 inch touch screen. Never registered to me. It could probably traced to me but I am not sure how. Trac phone, $120/year. 1500 texts, 1500 minutes and 1.5 gig of data. I will never use all that. I text people that text me and call people that call. Take a pic once in a while. No apps downloaded. No GOOGLE account. No Yahoo apps. I did use the preloaded GPS one time. I do not stare at it all day and I do not play games. Its a tool that I use but I could do without.

[mreid]

Originally Posted by stuartj

Imagine if a Govt mandated that citizens must at all times carry an electronic device that could locate, record, film, track them, record all their contacts and that it would store all this data in perpetuity for access at any time.

This is coming faster than you think, driven by an unlikely, but exponentially increasing crime. Cybercrime is causing companies and the government to focus less on “what you know” (mother’s Maiden name, first pet, etc.) to verify identity to “who you are” (eye, face, fingerprint, voice). Couple this with near field technology and the IOT, and we are rapidly moving from passive biological ID to active (read as can transmit). Right around the corner are implants and there are already conversations happening in our government about how to mandate participation without violating that pesky Bill of Rights. It will happen in most of our lifetimes. Ponder that for a moment.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by dafischer

As a business owner, it's not so vital to me. My wife and I have a tax and accounting practice, and anything received after hours can wait until we are back in the office. We're not likely to gain or lose business if a call or e-mail isn't returned immediately after business hours or on a weekend.

If I wanted to communicate with my wife who was 25 ft. away, I'd get up and go talk to her, or hit the intercom on our office phone system. Why be a slave to a device?

Different strokes and all...

I totally understand. Accounting is a professional service with IRS mandated deadlines that everyone knows the schedule.

Our business has clients all over the country, and we are a total at the mercy of clients wanting to use us over some other aerial photography company. One of our big clients is based in New York City, the other big client is in Colorado. If they call or email at any time, we respond right now. We just leased a Cessna 172 and did everything via phone calls and email up to the point of going to the airport where it was and fly it off and take possession.

And no I am NOT a slave to my phone. I can indeed leave it in silent mode and deal with routine issues during normal work hours. But if it a project that might pay us enough to buy an airplane outright, yep I deal with it now.

[motion]

Originally Posted by island911

LOL

oh man...

Hey motion, how much google stock do you own?

I'm not a huge fan of gigantic corporations gathering data on us, but on the flip side, I'm not going to spend 5 seconds of my short life worrying about it.

[tabs]

We all know how this story is going to end and it is a sad one.

[CA_WhaleTail]

Consider this- combine Google with

1) EarthNow (www.earthnow.com) a realtime satellite imagery system

2) SpaceX Starlink a large population of satellites used for broadband access. SpaceX adds a few to each launch every time they can...free hitchhike service

Time to invest in aluminum foil hats? or Faraday cages?

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by stuartj

Imagine if a Govt mandated that citizens must at all times carry an electronic device that could locate, record, film, track them, record all their contacts and that it would store all this data in perpetuity for access at any time. Luckily these devices have angry birds so we don't mind.

Nobody has to mandate anything...people have no problem spending a good chunk of their own money to get one of these things and they're more than willing to keep it with them at all times. Over 75% of the US adult population already has a smartphone...and before too long, it'll be closer to 100%.
An older Russian engineer that I once worked with had a hard time getting his head around all this passion for connectivity and lack of concern for privacy. He told me that, back in the day, the KGB dedicated untold amounts of resources to keep track of citizens in the old USSR and would've LOVED having things like smartphones, Google, Facebook, etc. around during the cold war days.