Thesis 30: 1984 welcome to 2007

We have to face some facts: The world will continue to get smaller and things will continue to happen faster and faster. For the most part, I think this is a good thing. For example: I love the simplicity of my debit card--just swipe and boom you're done--that's awesome. I love getting paid by direct deposit and paying my bills online, again awesome. I love sending dirty jokes and stupid videos I found on youtube to my friends, inane but still awesome. Essentially it boils down to this: I like things simple. Debit cards, direct deposit, email and youtube, all these things make my life easier for me. They also make it easier to track me and what I do. Now I'm aware of this and really don't give it a second thought, its just the way things are. The fact that we live in a world where what we do is easily recorded is a by product of all the things we take for granted. The issue at hand is where will we limit this surveillance? Will we limit it? I think we will. Sure things might get a little nosey for a while but eventually limits will develop. The government might be more likely to listen to my cell phone calls now days than it was pre-9/11 but I really don't fear this. As a society we might need to raise an eyebrow and question the rational, even moral implications of increased government surveillance but as an individual, I really don't think it affects me negatively. In the end, if my life gets a little more simple and I can slack off a little more and still have some semblance of productivity, well good for me and thanks ubicomp. The flip side of this is that my life made easy means my life is recorded. To Big Brother I say bite me and mind your own business...but thanks for letting me know my credit card was stolen stolen.