In the news

It's possible that the StarFriedChicken™ employee had access to your emails, and had intimate knowledge of your buying habits.

I suspect it was more that he read his mind. :)

The mayonnaise in my burger was too nosy for my taste, asking all sorts of personal questions. The poor lettuce didn't know where to look, a ruse for planting bugs to gather data, information, evidence and proof of my involvement in all wrongdoing, for which I am unrepentant. I will be taking my business elsewhere though, to the ignorant Mick's chippy where the batter doesn't cast aspersions.

In other news, apparently the US Government have also been photographing all letters etc.:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

It's getting more 1984-esque by the minute.

This, if confirmed, is fucking Epic.

I'll admit I've not looked in depth but is this significantly different to berlin man?

The problem is that the "cure" has been known about for decades but is very expensive and dangerous (unlike HIV which now if treated doesn't reduce life expectancy as much), and there isn't enough marrow around for the people with marrow diseases....

Ofc if we get to a stage of lab-growing sterile functional marrow, then we could culture it in large quantities for this sort of purpose.

So you wouldn't mind if I went through your post, read your emails, etc?

I genuinely wouldn't care, as long as you were

Someone I dont know, and will never meet

I dont see how it would affect my life.

Of course. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.

I mean, it's not as if people spend time rotting in prison for political, religious or moral beliefs, is it?

Edumacate yorself.

No, I am not going to subscribe to your outrage just because you tell me to. There are alot of terrible things that happen in the world about which I am not outraged. I do believe it is important to be informed, though, so thank you for the link.

I genuinely wouldn't care, as long as you were. I dont see how it would affect my life.

So, you're happy for me to know your browsing history, what porn you like, your medical conditions, where you were last Sunday night at 6pm, where you might be next Tuesday at 3pm?

"Some of the potentially sensitive facts those records expose becomes obvious after giving it some thought: Who has called a substance abuse counselor, a suicide hotline, a divorce lawyer or an abortion provider? What websites do you read daily? What porn turns you on? What religious and political groups are you a member of?
Some are less obvious. Because your cellphone’s “routing information” typically includes information about the nearest cell tower, those records are also a kind of virtual map showing where you spend your time — and, when aggregated with others, who you like to spend it with.
It’s precisely this kind of analysis the NSA is likely interested in doing to help “fingerprint” either specific suspects or the general profile of a terror suspect. Link that information to other data sets being collected, like credit card bills, and you can even deduce when a woman is pregnant before her own family knows."

It's slow and subtle, but surveillance societies inexorably train us for helplessness, anxiety and compliance. Maybe they'll never look at your call logs, read your emails or listen in on your intimate conversations. You'll just live with the knowledge that they always could — and if you ever had anything worth hiding, there would be nowhere left to hide it.

http://mashable.com/2013/06/13/julian-sanchez-nsa/

I dont mind about the porn, my therapist, or whatever. And you could find out where I live by looking at my website, or where I go for a drink by looking at my facebook account.

As I said, it is definitely a good thing that these activities have been exposed, and that we know about them. All I'm saying is that I'm not going to waste energy feeling paranoid and angry about it.

The things that are important to me- my paintings, my writing, exist in notebooks and on panels and will always be safe.

What do you paint?

No, I am not going to subscribe to your outrage just because you tell me to.
Inferring a little much there, I think.

There are alot of terrible things that happen in the world about which I am not outraged. I do believe it is important to be informed, though, so thank you for the link.
Your viewpoint appears to be centred around being alright, Jack. Fundamentally, and demonstrably, this is a fallacious position, and, it would seem, rooted in blissful ignorance.

I, for one, would hate to disabuse you of your struthian comfort. Please - carry on.

While we watch.

@Neu: Panels, apparently.

Inferring a little much there, I think.

Your viewpoint appears to be centred around being alright, Jack. Fundamentally, and demonstrably, this is a fallacious position, and, it would seem, rooted in blissful ignorance.

I, for one, would hate to disabuse you of your struthian comfort. Please - carry on.

While we watch.

So you are not telling me to subscribe to your outrage. Ok, fine, I take that back.

I have read in full and understood the article you posted. I thanked you for posting it. There is no need to make condescending, superscilious comments about my ignorance or my struthian comfort. It undermines the point you are trying to make and lowers the tone of the discussion.

@william1984 genuine question, if you came home and found the police had been inside and gone through all of your possessions (without damaging anything) would you be ok with that?

I dont mind about the porn, my therapist, or whatever. And you could find out where I live by looking at my website, or where I go for a drink by looking at my facebook account.

As I said, it is definitely a good thing that these activities have been exposed, and that we know about them. All I'm saying is that I'm not going to waste energy feeling paranoid and angry about it.

The things that are important to me- my paintings, my writing, exist in notebooks and on panels and will always be safe.

What's your website address?

Except that once I've found out I quite like your paintings and when you're away from your home, I will be able to remove your work with no interruptions from you.

Or maybe a future government will decide to create death camps for artists. How will you feel about the government already knowing you're an artist then?

uk govt bugged chilean embassy / assange

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/04/ecuador-names-embassy-bug-surveillance

allegedly of course

Schick: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2013/jul/04/shitstorm-german-dictionary-duden-shitschturm?CMP=twt_gu

Yes, I've seen that. Another poor-quality loan word.

Can everyone who doesn't mind all this snooping please post their credit card numbers and any other details that might find their way zipping over the internet on here to save me the trouble of hunting for them? I'd like to buy some stuff and I don't feel like paying.

any amateur grot is always well received too.

#nodudes

@william1984 genuine question, if you came home and found the police had been inside and gone through all of your possessions (without damaging anything) would you be ok with that?

No, but that is not what we are discussing. My physical space is very private and important to me, obviously.

Or maybe a future government will decide to create death camps for artists. How will you feel about the government already knowing you're an artist then?

lol. I want people to know I'm an artist. It's not some closely guarded secret.

But what if you're lying and you're not really an artist? The Government will find out. :)