First, this seemingly unabridged version of Brave New World by the BBC.
Most of us are familiar with Orwell’s dystopian view of the present. But less of us understand Huxley’s prediction. Today seems about an equal part of both.
The prime difference is that the dystopian totalitarian future of Huxley is based on the carrot instead of the stick. Motivation by pleasure and teaching revulsion of individuality and creative thought by repetition, drug use and advanced industrial psychology.
Orwell of course is a lot less frightening. Like real communism, it used methods that leave a mark. People rise up against that eventually.
After seeing that, have a look at today’s Samsung launch of the Galaxy S8 phone which should be rebranded as, ‘The Identity Thief’.
Not 100% sure how this video works, If it isn’t the live launch archived, look for the video that was broadcast live at 11:00 AM ET today to see how frighteningly Huxlian-Orwellian it was. No real hardware improvements but new software to track your medical, personality, and biometric data, Samsung appears to be selling to their “partners” so they can sell it back to you.
Then, have a look at this:
Anger as US internet privacy law scrapped
(If Trump signs this, it will be the first truly awful thing he has done since taking the Oval Office IMO)
US internet service providers will soon no longer need consent from users to share browsing history with marketers and other third parties.
On Tuesday the House of Representatives voted to repeal an Obama-era law that demanded ISPs have permission to share personal information – including location data.
Supporters of the move said it would increase competition, but critics said it would have a “chilling effect” on online privacy.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the order soon.
The repeal was strongly backed by major providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast, who argued that ISPs were being subject to stricter privacy laws than companies like Google or Facebook.
Click through for the rest.
But do watch the Samsung presentation with an eye to privacy and security. The lack of audience applause at the queues might be a clue that many in attendance also felt that something was wrong. Yes, Samsung has to make up for huge losses when they had a couple of models of phones blow up and catch fire. But instead of designing a better phone, they made one that more efficiently steals more information about their customers, and then sells it.
They will make up their losses for sure with this strategy. But what a crushing disappointment to end users.
Hopefully there will be a method to disable the many ‘innovations’ of this device and make it something that works for the people who buy it instead of the people who sold it to you.
UPDATE:
One of the reasonable things you can do to increase your privacy and security is encrypt your hard drive. With a Mac, its easy and effective. Takes a little while but you can still work while its happening.
I looked up the directions to do the same for a Samsung Galaxy phone and it explained that you go through a series of steps, or it is encrypted by default so no need to worry.
As it turns out, after wasting over an hour with two techs at Samsung and now talking to security experts, Samsung has actually removed the option to encrypt your phone. Other android phones, notably the one actually made by Google, allows encryption of the memory on the device. But Samsung lets you think it is, but not only is it not encrypted, but there is no mechanism to allow it to be.
PCs also have a mechanism for encrypting your data, Im not sure if its as complete as a Mac’s system, but at least you can do it.
iPhones are more secure right out of the box.
And don’t forget the Samsung exploding washing machines..The “fix” is installing hooks to hold down the cover when they shake too much..And placing a sticker over the control cycles to make you use beddings on a delicate cycle..Does Samsung mean FUBAR in English?
And don’t forget the Samsung exploding washing machines..The “fix” is installing hooks to hold down the cover when they shake too much..And placing a sticker over the control cycles to make you use beddings on a delicate cycle..Does Samsung mean FUBAR in English?
And hackable TV’s to boot..Anybody who buys Samsung must be nuts..
Samsung video removed by the person who put it on the net.
This was not part of my schedule today but I watched the entire movie. It was well worth it. I can’t help but think how our kids are being indoctrinated, not only through the education system but also through the medical (pill prescriptions) and social media systems to be used as future socially-engineered robots.
I don’t use mobile devices and my world is better without them. I would understand the lifting of user authorization for terror-related issues but if the intent is to sell a user’s activity for commercial purposes, that would be unethical. Regardless, people know and will buy them anyway.
The hardest part of this war is going to be holding on to freedom long enough to educate a couple of generations in the old ways and to get them to fight to hold on to the freedom we are working the keep for them. I fear for the future because there is only a small (very small) probability that civilization will survive the coming decades. Freedom is another matter and they are enough “hard men” in the middle of the US to keep freedom alive in North America. It will be a hard and at times bloody fight but in the end freedom will win. I don’t know how much of Europe will remain free and see a long and nasty struggle to reclaim Europe for the Europeans.