Rants and musings, without care for substance.
Posted in quotes on Dec 9th, 2010
From one of the better essays I’ve read in a while, especially linked from Slashdot.
The risk of a terrorist attack is so infinitesimal and its impact so relatively insignificant that it doesn’t make rational sense to accept the suspension of liberty for the sake of avoiding a statistical anomaly.
– Evan DeFilippis, A Nude Awakening — [...]
Posted in advertising, culture, privacy on Apr 22nd, 2010
I’m not a fan of Facebook.
For many people, Facebook is social glue; a social networking magnate that ties disparate groups and individuals together, sorted out in a neat little (and aesthetically pleasing) package. I admit that it can be difficult living without it. I know that I’ve sacrificed social opportunities by being out of the [...]
Posted in legal rights, politics, privacy on Mar 15th, 2010
Having received the 2010 Census paperwork this weekend, I have a few thoughts.
Your answers are confidential. This means the Census Bureau cannot give out information that identifies you or your household. Your answers will only be used for statistical purposes.
I have no doubt that the household counts are to be used for statistical purposes, but [...]
Posted in cars, complaints, money, privacy on May 18th, 2009
I really don’t like car salesmen. My experience with them has led me to believe that they’re a bunch of crooks for whom exaggeration, document substitution, and lying are all tools of the trade. There are some salesmen who would gladly tell you anything to make the sale. You can’t trust people like that, yet [...]
Posted in legal rights, politics, privacy, the system on Jul 9th, 2007
The American Community Survey (ACS) makes me very uncomfortable. It is a nationwide survey that is being forced upon the unlucky that happen to live in one of homes selected at random. I was one of those unlucky people and took immediate issue with some of the questions being asked and the manner in which [...]
Cleared personnel — those individuals with a security clearance — give up quite a bit of privacy in exchange for their security clearances. Recent events have sparked concern among some contractors concerning their security investigations.
Every individual applying for a security clearance has to complete the Electronic Personnel Security Questionnaire (EPSQ), an antiquated piece of software [...]
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