Here's my Soul. Where's my Free Stuff?

 

 

I find it interesting in this era that folks are often paranoid about offering certain information, such as addresses, whereabouts, etc., but then gleefully offer same information to social network sites.  Same difference, if not worse, really.  Spammer asks on internet, "Hey, gimme your personal information!"  User replies, "No way!"  Spammer then pays a dollar to Social Network and gets French-Revolution-causing information about person, friends, habits, location, preferences, imagery.  Facebook is notorious for putting a vile cookie on your browser upon login, following every (EVERY) site you look at afterwards, to include passwords you enter and usernames for other sites.. forever.  I strongly recommend you all delete your browsing history and cookies upon exit, and make Facebook your last site you visit before closing everything.



 

Hey, MCP, they put what online?  Are they daft?!

  Here's how: Go to Tools >> Internet Options.  Then check "Delete browsing history on exit".  A window will come up.  Check-off everything.

  Also, while you're there, go to the Privacy tab and select, "Never allow sites you request your location".

  If you have an Apple, you're screwed, btw.  Apple owns you by merely buying one, and the service agreement insists they own you.  Read it and weep.  You can delete cookies in OS-X but not the rest of it.  They have you.  Sad.

  Anyway, these things make it easy for hackers to own your identity, though due to the internet being more available to the masses, which are generally ignorant of such things, make it easy to get accounts, bank stuff (whether you online bank, use Amazon, etc. or not).  Luckily, banks have insurance policies in-place that protect against this kind of stuff under $10k.  If you have that much money lying around, I recommend you just spend it.

  Interestingly, just about everyone has a loyalty card of some kind to some business.  I myself own a few, such as Walgreens and Safeway, as they're nearby and save me a few dimes from time-to-time as a "club card" member.  I'm not sure what that's about, but I kinda get it.  It's used for specific purchase tracking.  Getting a dollar off for a half-case of Throwback Mt.Dew is kinda nice but at what cost?  Seems free.  Is it?  Doubtful.  Why would a company give away such revenue for nothing?  I doubt it's "loyalty".  Certainly information is offered to a bidder for a price we don't see.  We willingly put on there our address, phone number, etc.  Hmph.  Don't like.  Where's the UNLIKE button?

                            



 

I know a few that have no internet footprint except for perhaps Facebook or Twitter.  Still, that's enough.  Makes the FBI's job easier, of course.  It makes hackers and spammers jobs easier as well though.  Can we live with it?  Is it worth the dollar?  Sometimes, over time, maybe.  I doubt people ponder over it much.  Not so much as government control.  Government could give a rat's arse what you're up to, really, most of the time, unless you're gonna do something pretty darn evil like destroy a town or something dumb like that (interestingly, this has been attempted and thwarted a few times this decade).  Merchants love this option, though, as they can target our interests easier, cleaner.  Even Hulu offers a "Is this ad relevant to you?" option.  Well, I like to tailor the ads a bit.  Not interested in baby-diapers but oooo, look at that sports car with Kate Upton melting on top!  Okay.. may...be. 


 

I.. I like burgers!!  Can.. can I have burger?  Can I has cheeseburger?

                                                                                                   

  So is the merchantile invasion a bad thing?  Maybe, maybe not.  If we volunteer this information via club-cards, addresses, etc., and it's used for better deals to help smaller and more clever internet businesses to thrive, isn't that a good thing?  A win-win, right?  Well, it's annoying at-times.  I'd love it if YouTube knocked-off the "Monetize" option so many lazy uploaders pick.  Really, kids?  You think you'll be an internet star?  I've seen some with over 64 million hits of over 1000 posts and they eventually got enough to buy a Scion Tc.  64 billion hits yielded $20,000.  Not worth the annoyance of your little post.  Don't monetize.  Just don't.  Stop it.  Silly.

  I recommend everyone just be a tad careful what you volunteer.  Location, images, linked to your address.  Lots of bad folks out there people.  Lots.  The internet is still the "Wild West" of the Future.  Bank robberies, hold-ups, horse thieves (to a degree), lawlessness on an unprecedented scale, and some immune due to out-of-country laws Interpol can't keep up!

  Here's a public service announcement: