If the day comes when I can take photos that come out framed; can connect with a deceased loved one, and have makeup apply itself to my face when someone Face Times me, I may feel differently. But, for now, all I wanted was a phone that would allow me to call someone if I’m stuck in a ditch and need help.
The most useful feature on my list is a new setting to forward any
incoming phone call directly to voicemail unless the caller’s ID is
recognized by the phone.
"Read! How can you read? Don't you want to know what happened to the naked people in the jungle?" I yelled at his retreating back. I finally settled on removing the movies with the happy thought that I can always buy the DVDs.
I could have just cycled away, avoiding what I felt would be a flailing around the 21st century dashboard like a civilian assuming the controls of a 747. I summoned my courage and my inner Triple AAA guy and went right back into the belly of the Subaru.
Private browsing will keep your secrets from casual observers who have access to your device, but beyond that assume everything else has been recorded in multiple places. It is not a pleasant thought, but that is reality in 2019.
“If you do that we’ll call the police ...”
“Fine. Call them. Then I’ll call the newspapers and explain how a cash-carrying customer trying to buy a loaf of bread with exact change in U.S. currency was denied the purchase solely because the computer wasn’t ready and able to do its job.
My skepticism isn’t so much with the technology, it is with the people who put the information out there to be gathered.
The issue is not just smart TVs. Practically every video viewing experience includes some degree of personal tracking. Until such time as regulations catch up with the technology, it is best to assume any TV connected to the Internet is talking to someone about you.
Motion detectors will know you’ve come home and turn on the lights for you. Your smart home can see who’s ringing your doorbell, brew your morning coffee and perform any number of other tasks.
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Right now, smart devices are sort of a Wild West of streaming data with a definite potential for abuse. It’s absolutely essential to have firewalls and other shielding technology protecting you.
Books are officially in crisis today. Like the dinosaur, the printed page is becoming extinct, especially for the younger generations. School libraries are now technology centers. Students carry few textbooks with them. They pop open laptops in their classrooms for their information.