its incredible to look at projects like these in comparison to the hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars we spend on war instead.
the best comparison I can draw is the relatively "small" investment a few billionaires began in revitalizing downtown Los Angeles. I drive down there and in just a few years there are refurbished buildings and the new nokia center just to start. One can actually walk around downtown (at least a section) without seeing old buildings everywhere.
if we could have just invested a fraction of what we have spent on this war our country could be competing in projects like these.
Thats really unfortunate. Corporations and the government can be thanked for limiting competition due to greed and in effect slowing down the potential rate of our innovation.
I can only imagine what our country would be like if we had invested into our country just a portion of the money spent on war. Massive revamp on transportation with maglev trains across the country, and increased standards of living without the devaluation of the dollar.
Pandora is innovation, and even its results (wide array of music tailored to each individual) can inspire creativity in individuals and further propel innovation.
Those looking to maximize profits beyond what is necessary seem to have their sights set too narrow and either do not see or care that people across the internet can develop something better as a community.
For me, the problem is that surveillance is initially presented as a solution to a problem, such as the example used in the article.
As time progresses we dont think of protecting our own interests because there is a degree of selfishness involved in how we assume that we wont be affected, because we dont cause trouble.
However as time has shown, some of these tactics/developments begin to overlap with the ability for others to make use of the information provided by it.
i.e. the conveniece of credit cards and the ultimate exploitation of people racking up debt and paying interest. Furthermore the subsequent rfid chips which are now penetrating the market and making our lives so much easier. I dont even have to swipe anymore!
Then, take the instance of rfid's being mandatory in every single product carried in a walmart.
Well two and two together, now a major company can track what you buy, when you buy it, and your general disposable income habits. To some that may be private information, to others, useful in efficiently providing goods and services when needed.
As long as we continue letting the intial idea pass of "its ok since they're using it to fight crime or are making our lives easier" we will continue to relenquish some of the information we once saw as private or personal.
If you're ok with police illegally placing them on cars to keep the system "well", without a warrant, then you are stating that you are trusting their judgement in those actions, even if it means something different to them down the line.
The media corporations benefit most by what they dont show us at all.
Many people wont complain regarding quality of current entertainment programming. Especially with sports, seeing how most are probably drinking anyways.
except that new slashdot deep packet inspection they haven't told anyone about which tracks down how long it takes you to come up with what youre typing;)
in that case you may want to let that post sit for a while before you paste =P
thats the brutal and unfortunate truth. Its not to say that everyone is unaware in areas where there is less exposure to different types of people, which you gain in major cities. For the most part, in large numbers, people will remain ingnorant and complacent until there is some form or ability to organize and invoke change.
You have to approach the solution this problem like anything else in this life. Everything is a constant evolution. And the answer to current waste dumps is not as much the answer as how we can convert over to better sources of energy before we "pollute"/create too much of an unwanted substance(s).
Just like the slow ~100 year process of using crude oil until we must face the consequences and are done soaking up every last penny of profit before we have to invest in an alternative option.
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its incredible to look at projects like these in comparison to the hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars we spend on war instead. the best comparison I can draw is the relatively "small" investment a few billionaires began in revitalizing downtown Los Angeles. I drive down there and in just a few years there are refurbished buildings and the new nokia center just to start. One can actually walk around downtown (at least a section) without seeing old buildings everywhere. if we could have just invested a fraction of what we have spent on this war our country could be competing in projects like these.
Thats really unfortunate. Corporations and the government can be thanked for limiting competition due to greed and in effect slowing down the potential rate of our innovation. I can only imagine what our country would be like if we had invested into our country just a portion of the money spent on war. Massive revamp on transportation with maglev trains across the country, and increased standards of living without the devaluation of the dollar. Pandora is innovation, and even its results (wide array of music tailored to each individual) can inspire creativity in individuals and further propel innovation. Those looking to maximize profits beyond what is necessary seem to have their sights set too narrow and either do not see or care that people across the internet can develop something better as a community.
For me, the problem is that surveillance is initially presented as a solution to a problem, such as the example used in the article. As time progresses we dont think of protecting our own interests because there is a degree of selfishness involved in how we assume that we wont be affected, because we dont cause trouble. However as time has shown, some of these tactics/developments begin to overlap with the ability for others to make use of the information provided by it. i.e. the conveniece of credit cards and the ultimate exploitation of people racking up debt and paying interest. Furthermore the subsequent rfid chips which are now penetrating the market and making our lives so much easier. I dont even have to swipe anymore! Then, take the instance of rfid's being mandatory in every single product carried in a walmart. Well two and two together, now a major company can track what you buy, when you buy it, and your general disposable income habits. To some that may be private information, to others, useful in efficiently providing goods and services when needed. As long as we continue letting the intial idea pass of "its ok since they're using it to fight crime or are making our lives easier" we will continue to relenquish some of the information we once saw as private or personal. If you're ok with police illegally placing them on cars to keep the system "well", without a warrant, then you are stating that you are trusting their judgement in those actions, even if it means something different to them down the line.
The media corporations benefit most by what they dont show us at all. Many people wont complain regarding quality of current entertainment programming. Especially with sports, seeing how most are probably drinking anyways.
except that new slashdot deep packet inspection they haven't told anyone about which tracks down how long it takes you to come up with what youre typing ;)
in that case you may want to let that post sit for a while before you paste =P
thats the brutal and unfortunate truth. Its not to say that everyone is unaware in areas where there is less exposure to different types of people, which you gain in major cities. For the most part, in large numbers, people will remain ingnorant and complacent until there is some form or ability to organize and invoke change.
You have to approach the solution this problem like anything else in this life. Everything is a constant evolution. And the answer to current waste dumps is not as much the answer as how we can convert over to better sources of energy before we "pollute"/create too much of an unwanted substance(s). Just like the slow ~100 year process of using crude oil until we must face the consequences and are done soaking up every last penny of profit before we have to invest in an alternative option.