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I think this comment is not very compassionate/overly harsh. But you have some good nuggets in here ... > The reality is that the government is not collecting

I think this comment is not very compassionate/overly harsh. But you have some good nuggets in here ... > The reality is that the government is not collecting all of our data. It is collecting most of the data that we publicly broadcast. There are some recent troubling moves towards collecting "telemetry" about offline user actions in operating environments like Windows 10, but this observation largely rings true. Where I think you need some empathy is understanding how some people wrestle with the knowledge that "stuff I/family/friends broadcast is stored, indexed, and could be used against me/family/friends." The knowledge that to broadcast one's thoughts exposes one to possible tyranny can only squelch discussion, and that drives people apart. We're social creatures, so that's not healthy. Techies are especially cognizant of what "broadcasting" means in today's landscape. Celphones broadcast one's movements, audio, images, and store personal information that could be secretly stolen. Yeah, I can see why some people are anxious. You're absolutely right that people need to write down private thoughts on paper and keep journals that they don't share. That's good for mental health in any case.

williamcotton 11y ago
> I think this comment is not very compassionate/overly harsh. But you have some good nuggets in here ... What parts? I'm not trying to be harsh but nor am I trying to be compassionate. I think what may be considered "not very compassionate/overly harsh" is nothing more than a subjective reaction to the vast difference in political opinion that I express compared to the rest of the HackerNews community. > The knowledge that to broadcast one's thoughts exposes one to possible tyranny can only squelch discussion, and that drives people apart. We're social creatures, so that's not healthy. Yes, we are indeed social creatures, which is why we should all spend more time offline. There is a world outside of the Internet and I think a lot of techies forget that. The government is not listening in on our conversations down at the local pub. The government is not taking minutes on Kiwanis and Rotary Club meetings. This perceived totalizing nature of the "surveillance machine" is mainly experienced by people who mainly interact with the outside world on the Internet. It's like a Greek tragedy! I posit that too much cellphone and Internet use can cause many kinds of mental health issues. Go outside more! You're totally free! The streets are yours for the taking! Go hand out pamphlets in the town square! Grab a guitar and sing for an audience in a public park! Go to the beach and make new friends! There are no gatekeepers! Choosing to have your entire life thinly channeled through a certain kind of electrical signal that you constantly broadcast from your person and then suffering under the consequences is quite maddening.
- entropyneur 11y ago
  Mom? Seriously though, you are not at all free offline. Playing a guitar and making friends are safe activities that you can do online just as fine and not worry about government. But try crossing a border. (Pamphlets are a special case since a pamphlet can have much greater impact if "handed out" online) Our frustration comes not from a delusion that Internet made us less free but from losing the hopes for liberation we once placed on it.
  - williamcotton 11y ago
    I think everyone's mother need to spend time moderating these forums. It would lead to a much more productive atmosphere.
- williamcotton 11y ago
  Here's me and my wife playing music on the streets of San Francisco last year: https://youtu.be/73lpAL6gvfY?t=148 https://youtu.be/73lpAL6gvfY?t=148 It's a John Prine song called "Crazy as a Loon". I changed it a little bit and added my own verse: So I packed up my computer San Francisco was the place I'd go build us a new future Before we blasted off to space Wrote a billion dollar software You could see it on my face But someone spilled on my hardware And all my data was erased That town will make you crazy Just give it a little time You'll be walking 'round in circles Writing C code line by line You'll be waitin' on a phone call At the wrong end of a broom Yes, that town'll make you crazy Crazy as a loon
- EdSharkey 11y ago
  > What parts? Stuff like how you were calling into question the parent's perception of what the NSA does with "electrical signals" coming from their house. I got the impression that you were framing the parent as a crackpot. It's just ... there's better ways of making your points than to call people out like that, whether they really are a crackpot or (most likely) NOT. You may not have tried to be harsh, but you were. And you have no empathy for the parent, which is a bummer. You made and are making good points in this retort, but they're mostly lost in the negativity. I'll get off your lawn now.

williamcotton 11y ago

> I think this comment is not very compassionate/overly harsh. But you have some good nuggets in here ... What parts? I'm not trying to be harsh but nor am I trying to be compassionate. I think what may be considered "not very compassionate/overly harsh" is nothing more than a subjective reaction to the vast difference in political opinion that I express compared to the rest of the HackerNews community. > The knowledge that to broadcast one's thoughts exposes one to possible tyranny can only squelch discussion, and that drives people apart. We're social creatures, so that's not healthy. Yes, we are indeed social creatures, which is why we should all spend more time offline. There is a world outside of the Internet and I think a lot of techies forget that. The government is not listening in on our conversations down at the local pub. The government is not taking minutes on Kiwanis and Rotary Club meetings. This perceived totalizing nature of the "surveillance machine" is mainly experienced by people who mainly interact with the outside world on the Internet. It's like a Greek tragedy! I posit that too much cellphone and Internet use can cause many kinds of mental health issues. Go outside more! You're totally free! The streets are yours for the taking! Go hand out pamphlets in the town square! Grab a guitar and sing for an audience in a public park! Go to the beach and make new friends! There are no gatekeepers! Choosing to have your entire life thinly channeled through a certain kind of electrical signal that you constantly broadcast from your person and then suffering under the consequences is quite maddening.

entropyneur 11y ago
Mom? Seriously though, you are not at all free offline. Playing a guitar and making friends are safe activities that you can do online just as fine and not worry about government. But try crossing a border. (Pamphlets are a special case since a pamphlet can have much greater impact if "handed out" online) Our frustration comes not from a delusion that Internet made us less free but from losing the hopes for liberation we once placed on it.
- williamcotton 11y ago
  I think everyone's mother need to spend time moderating these forums. It would lead to a much more productive atmosphere.
williamcotton 11y ago
Here's me and my wife playing music on the streets of San Francisco last year: https://youtu.be/73lpAL6gvfY?t=148 https://youtu.be/73lpAL6gvfY?t=148 It's a John Prine song called "Crazy as a Loon". I changed it a little bit and added my own verse: So I packed up my computer San Francisco was the place I'd go build us a new future Before we blasted off to space Wrote a billion dollar software You could see it on my face But someone spilled on my hardware And all my data was erased That town will make you crazy Just give it a little time You'll be walking 'round in circles Writing C code line by line You'll be waitin' on a phone call At the wrong end of a broom Yes, that town'll make you crazy Crazy as a loon
EdSharkey 11y ago
> What parts? Stuff like how you were calling into question the parent's perception of what the NSA does with "electrical signals" coming from their house. I got the impression that you were framing the parent as a crackpot. It's just ... there's better ways of making your points than to call people out like that, whether they really are a crackpot or (most likely) NOT. You may not have tried to be harsh, but you were. And you have no empathy for the parent, which is a bummer. You made and are making good points in this retort, but they're mostly lost in the negativity. I'll get off your lawn now.