Update Q2 2014

Hello fellow prisoners! It's been a long time as usual. It's customary for me now to give periodic updates on myself and this blog. I realized its been several months since my last entry and (again) I was gravitating toward musical tracks to explain the emotions I was facing at the time. With some recent changes to my life I've felt disconnected from writing for some time now but lately I've been rediscovering some of my earlier writing and its made me want to share my thoughts again. This is going to be a random (or should I say 'rant 'em') update but here goes....

For starters I forgot how nice it feels to re-open this blog and let my thoughts flow here. Expression is truly what separates us from other people...(well that and a few other things.) Since my last entry I've switched smartphones and now Google owns 90% of my soul (Android-user now.) And oh the loveliness of syncing everything about my life to one company is so convenient and disgusting. I'm waiting for Google Poop to inform me of what I've eaten and break down the ingredients so as to integrate it with my other biometric data it will collect. The future is scary for those who value the vestige word "privacy" in the 21st century. (Btw, yes I'm aware that blogger is owned by Google - I love you guys!) Anyways, the future of control is information. Nothing revolutionary there as its been the practice of every ruling regime since human civilization but there's something more sinister about census 2.0. The age-old census was the way ruling parties collected stats on its citizens and with accurate info they were able to make informed decisions. In today's targeted-everything world, knowing just who we are, what we like (and look like,) how and what we consume will not only result in more security, and by extension more stability for rulers, but more efficient marketing which will result in more money saved by investors and more money spent by consumers. The end-goal is clear: transparency means security and security means stability while transparency also means efficiency and efficiency means good economics. We see that in recent years governments have pushed private Internet companies to share their amassed data for a hefty sum and most companies can't resist the payoff; the few that do face a losing battle in the courts. The giants of our tech age (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc.) all provide us with convenience at the expense of our privacy. They make money while the government gets info. It's a win-win formula for them but who loses out?

Not that I'm against transparency all-together but I would rather see a limited-transparency of the Internet, kinda like how I advocate limited nakedness of ugly people on the streets. Cover that shit up please. In the same way, our rights as citizens (if "rights" still have meaning) entail that we have limited privacy. Sensitive information should not be shared with third parties for the sake of making profit and governments/authorities should only have access to that information should they need it, and after due process of law (i.e- seeking warrants.) Like the good ol' days. The government already knows everything it needs to know about everyone so there's nothing to hide from them and that's fine. But what gets me is these private companies that want my data- my location, biometrics, contacts, pictures, files, media, etc. And we give it away willingly via "app permissions" which in-turn make our mobile devices little surveillance appliances in our pockets. I love my phone but its almost got a mind of its own sometimes. Lord knows what app-permissions I signed off on when downloading cool apps. Random third parties now have access to your most sensitive info. That shouldn't be cool with so many people but it is. To me, Internet privacy is akin to wearing clothing; complete anonymity is farce and unsafe but we shouldn't be completely naked in the eyes of private companies either. The government is a separate issue, it will know what it needs to know and we should respect that, but private companies do not need to know that I like the color green and advertise green clothes to me as I walk by a clothing store and yet this is the kind of targeted advertising tech companies are aiming for. Ever wonder why the Internet was never taxed? Well, how else do you give billions of people a platform to willingly share all their private information with the world? Exactly. The Internet is free like a free podium, a free mike-night. Say whatever you want but know that what you say is stored somewhere forever. I know I'm stating the obvious, but it was what was running on my mind (I told you it would be a random rant! ;p) Ay yai yai! I need to get back into my poetry. Prose sucks. Peace prisoners!
-RA


P.S: Shout out to all my dedicated fans who show love by visiting my site. I'm truly touched by all the visits and attention on some of my posts. You guys make it fun and worthwhile to keep writing. I am always sad to leave you guys hanging after long windows of no entries but posting again makes me happy and happy for you all. This is my first post of 2014..wow. Here's to more. Buenos Noches.