"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

the future
August 27, 2005 - 11:52 am

however, it also, to a degree, takes away freedom. where you go, what you do is being recorded. who could use it? a fuzzy question, but undoubtedly it will be used to a person's detriment.

perhaps it will be catch a crime or perahps it wil be used to "out" someone who doesn't want to be outted.

my reason for writing this is i just saw a story about how in new york (brockport i believe) a new setup is being installed on busses. kids swipe a card when they get on the school bus. they are logged into the system. a camera records video and audio. parents will get an alert if their kid misses the bus or gets off at the wrong stop.

sounds nice and does provide a warm fuzzy for the school and parents.

my mind went a little deeper. kids are going to be conditioned very early that such recording and monitoring is "normal".

today people fall into one of three categories (to use a generalization):
1) they want the recording. they feel we need this "higher" level of protection.
2) they don't care. they don't see it as an issue to them.. "as long as i don't do anything wrong, who cares?"
3) they are against it. it's an invasion of privacy.

i'm a mix of groups 2 and 3. i really don't follow the logic of taking away freedom to protect freedom. it's absurd.

my is that kids growing up with such school systems.. will simply feel it's normal and won't really have a choice in the matter. this i think is bad.

as for the "as long as i don't do anything wrong" line of thought.. you're silly. you break the law all the time. you speed. i know you do. well, i don't know it.. but i'm pretty damn sure.

the day when every car has a gps in it and you get a ticket everytime you break 25mph isn't too far off. try driving the exact speedline for a day. i'm not talking coasting up to 30mph down a hill -- that's a ticket. i'm talking exactly 25 (or 35 or whatever). A ticket for every rolling stop at stop signs.. and all the other minor traffic violations.

as i said above, think of a person who's gay and doesn't want the world to know. they go on a date or whatever and get recorded. that could easily get them outted -- against their wishes.

skip a day from work to go to a ball game? all your company's hr department has to do is check the gps on your car and you're fired. and i don't doubt there will be a way for companies to do this. outside sales reps in my company already have gps systems.. and i'm sure if my boss wanted to he could check on them.

gps systems are going into taxi's and delivery trucks. companies are tracking them.

people want to live in a danger free world. or at least they think they do. what you need to realize is that.. in order to be danger free -- it will also be fun free. it wll be freedom free. it will be rather big brotherish.

i like that i can do what i want. i like that i can go where i want.

anyway. my point is that kids will group in a system and not really have a chance to think for themselves if something is good or bad.

and that's sad.