# They see you when you're sleeping. They know when you're awake.



## tellner (Mar 21, 2008)

This just in from Chris Albrecht's blog...



> Gerard Kunkel, Comcasts senior VP of user experience, told me the cable company is experimenting with different camera technologies built into devices so it can know whos in your living room.
> 
> The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the holy grail because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Yikes.
> 
> ...


 
Of course there won't be recognition software. Not at all. And they'd never pass the data of who was in your house on to, say, the police or Homeland Security without a search warrant. And the camera would *only* be used to enhance your customer experience, not to spy on and record what you do in your house. No. Never. 

One more reason I'm glad I don't have a TV


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## thardey (Mar 21, 2008)

tellner said:


> This just in from Chris Albrecht's blog...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think I would teach the "little black box" that my "body form" has a striking resemblance to a piece of black electrical tape.


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## newGuy12 (Mar 21, 2008)

thardey said:


> I think I would teach the "little black box" that my "body form" has a striking resemblance to a piece of black electrical tape.



Haha -- in 1984 they would just step to the side of the Big Brother screen to not be viewed.

Soon we will all rise in the morning for our exercises together in front of the tv -- it will be for our own good, of course.

After all, the government is there to protect us -- from the terrorists, and many other things.  We shall see much more protection in the future, we will be sure to be quite safe, protected by government.  And this is what we deserve, too.  Anything to keep us safe.  We are so very very very very scared!  Such people desperately need a protector -- the government.


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## MA-Caver (Mar 21, 2008)

thardey said:


> I think I would teach the "little black box" that my "body form" has a striking resemblance to a piece of black electrical tape.


*Aayy-fricken-men!!! *
If I want to have someone pull up my favorite shows... it'll be me and nobody else but me! Don't need no steenkin help. Besides like I been saying, I rarely watch commercialized television anyway.


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## tellner (Mar 21, 2008)

thardey said:


> I think I would teach the "little black box" that my "body form" has a striking resemblance to a piece of black electrical tape.


 
Friend Citizen, you have to learn to trust The Computer. The Computer is your Friend. If you interfere with the work of Comcast who labors tirelessly to help your Friend the Computer we will have to put your name on a list. We aren't threatening you, oh no, not at all. But you might find yourself in violation of Comcast's Terms of Service or sued for harming its business model. You might, and we aren't saying would, just might, end up on the Terrorist Watch List or have The Computer's special friends the Blue Level Troubleshooters take an unguided tour of your body cavities at three in the morning. And not in a squishy fun way.


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## terryl965 (Mar 21, 2008)

Great just another way to see what is going on.


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## Andy Moynihan (Mar 21, 2008)

Well, here's one customer comcast has lost, or rather has no future hope of gaining now,  on a permanent basis as a direct result of this news.


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## tellner (Mar 21, 2008)

Just as well. They were the first to roll over, hand over customer data and allow the NSA to snoop without warrants. They are also pushing hardest to eliminate net neutrality - even packing hearing rooms with busloads of paid shills so that supporters of net neutrality could not attend the FCC's public meetings on the subject. They've taken it on themselves to filter based on content which has interesting implications for them as a "common carrier". And they've announced to the FCC that even if they have broken the same Federal regulations they helped right there's nothing the Commission can do about it.

You're better off without 'em.


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## thardey (Mar 21, 2008)

tellner said:


> Friend Citizen, you have to learn to trust The Computer. The Computer is your Friend. If you interfere with the work of Comcast who labors tirelessly to help your Friend the Computer we will have to put your name on a list. We aren't threatening you, oh no, not at all. But you might find yourself in violation of Comcast's Terms of Service or sued for harming its business model. You might, and we aren't saying would, just might, end up on the Terrorist Watch List or have The Computer's special friends the Blue Level Troubleshooters take an unguided tour of your body cavities at three in the morning. And not in a squishy fun way.



My plan is to get on "everybody's" list. Conservatives will find me on liberal lists, liberals will find me on conservative lists. I will be publicaly recorded as anti-everything, and pro-everything else. That way no one will know where I really stand.

I realize that I can't avoid being on lists, so I might as well just confuse the hell out of 'em!


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## Andy Moynihan (Mar 21, 2008)

I LIKE that. I'm gonna keep that and use it


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## Carol (Mar 21, 2008)

thardey said:


> My plan is to get on "everybody's" list. Conservatives will find me on liberal lists, liberals will find me on conservative lists. I will be publicaly recorded as anti-everything, and pro-everything else. That way no one will know where I really stand.
> 
> I realize that I can't avoid being on lists, so I might as well just confuse the hell out of 'em!




DAMN you're good!  I like it!

I hope you don't mind if I borrow that quote sometime?  "Anti-Everything and Pro-Everything Else" ?  I promise I'll give it back when I'm done


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## Andy Moynihan (Mar 21, 2008)

Hell, me, Carol, and everyone else who wants to can just form a new party!

I hereby announce the formation of the *E*xtreme *M*iddle!


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## Carol (Mar 21, 2008)

Andy Moynihan said:


> Hell, me, Carol, and everyone else who wants to can just form a new party!
> 
> I hereby announce the formation of the *E*xtreme *M*iddle!



Hardcore centrism at its finest


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## FearlessFreep (Mar 21, 2008)

thardey said:


> My plan is to get on "everybody's" list. Conservatives will find me on liberal lists, liberals will find me on conservative lists. I will be publicaly recorded as anti-everything, and pro-everything else. That way no one will know where I really stand.
> 
> I realize that I can't avoid being on lists, so I might as well just confuse the hell out of 'em!




Oh..we've got a special list just for you


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## FearlessFreep (Mar 21, 2008)

Carol Kaur said:


> Hardcore centrism at its finest



Sounds pretty radical


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## Empty Hands (Mar 21, 2008)

tellner said:


> Friend Citizen, you have to learn to trust The Computer.



Ha!  I haven't thought of that game in years!


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## tellner (Mar 21, 2008)

FearlessFreep said:


> Oh..we've got a special list just for you


 
I once made the mistake of asking for my records under the Freedom of Information Act. It turned out that somewhere in the bowels of the Justice Department there is a special list for people who want to see the information.

I think of our society as being a lot like three inches of rusted steel plate covered by a thin hardwood veneer.


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## Carol (Mar 21, 2008)

Empty Hands said:


> Ha!  I haven't thought of that game in years!



You saved the world from Commie Mutant Traitors too?


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## Empty Hands (Mar 21, 2008)

Carol Kaur said:


> You saved the world from Commie Mutant Traitors too?



Mostly just died.


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## thardey (Mar 21, 2008)

tellner said:


> I once made the mistake of asking for my records under the Freedom of Information Act. It turned out that somewhere in the bowels of the Justice Department there is a special list for people who want to see the information.
> 
> I think of our society as being a lot like three inches of rusted steel plate covered by a thin hardwood veneer.



Good idea! I need to get on that list, too!


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## Sukerkin (Mar 21, 2008)

Carol Kaur said:


> Hardcore centrism at its finest


 
.

We call it the Liberal Party over here in England .

Anyhow, chaps and chapesses, I've been a tad upset by *Kidswarrior*'s horrible news and I can't really keep my levity meter on the positive side tonight, so I shall bid adieu and see you all tomorrow.


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## Drac (Mar 21, 2008)

thardey said:


> I think I would teach the "little black box" that my "body form" has a striking resemblance to a piece of black electrical tape.


 
Yep..Or the belly of my Grandson's teddy bear



MA-Caver said:


> *Aayy-fricken-men!!! *
> If I want to have someone pull up my favorite shows... it'll be me and nobody else but me! Don't need no steenkin help. Besides like I been saying, I rarely watch commercialized television anyway.


 
You and I both....I hate it...


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## jks9199 (Mar 22, 2008)

thardey said:


> My plan is to get on "everybody's" list. Conservatives will find me on liberal lists, liberals will find me on conservative lists. I will be publicaly recorded as anti-everything, and pro-everything else. That way no one will know where I really stand.
> 
> I realize that I can't avoid being on lists, so I might as well just confuse the hell out of 'em!



As more and more grocery stores in the area started requiring their "courtesy card" or "club card" to get the sale prices on stuff -- and, then, based on your purchase patterns, sent you special offers or coupons...  I started being helpful.  Guy in line behind me doesn't have the card?  No problem.  Use mine.  Why?  So that the bean counter assessing my purchase patterns would have a conniption! :eg:

I still do it.  In fact, any one local to me want to swap some club card numbers?  :EG:


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## tellner (Mar 22, 2008)

jks9199 said:


> I still do it. In fact, any one local to me want to swap some club card numbers? :EG:


 
A local group has been doing that for years and sending the cards to random members on an irregular schedule.


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## newGuy12 (Mar 23, 2008)

tellner said:


> A local group has been doing that for years and sending the cards to random members on an irregular schedule.



That's a good idea -- anything to corrupt this data.

Also, you can render the card useless, and then give it to the employee.  They cannot scan it, and cannot read the numbers, so the card does not work.  They will then give you another one.  If they prompt you for your phone number, you can lie and say that you didn't have one when you were given the card.

"Oh, here is another one."  The next visit -- opps, it does not work (again)!!!

Hahahaha!

I am fortunate to have some "Mom and Pop" stores around that I can buy food at, still, and I only purchase food there.

In the future of course, we will have to all be given an embedded rfid chip under our skin.  This will, of course, keep us all very safe from the terrorists.  

No?

Wait until another "terrorist attack" happens.  One well placed nuke, and you will have the people BEGGING the government to protect them from the mean terrorists.  Then, the national id will be a chip embedded into the body, so it will be very safe. 
Retail establishments can then use this as their "loyalty card".  However, your health insurance company may access the db and see if you are eating any King Dongs.  If so, they may have to increase your health insurance bill.  But that is okay, it is for our own good.

Also, perhaps cash can be done away with, and all transactions will be electronic.  Then more information can be mined.

If anyone is interested in learning more, you may wish to look at this site here:

http://www.nocards.org/

But then again, I may be paranoid.

Just remember this -- the government, and the big corporate entities are certainly not your friends.  They do NOT have our best interests at heart.  That is for sure!


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## newGuy12 (Mar 23, 2008)

While we are at it, what about google collecting so much data?  I use the google search engine, but I like to use the following two plugins to the firefox browser to "make noise in the signal".  

If anyone is interested and not yet using these, you can have a look.  They make queries to google.com on your behalf.  And yes, I connect through my own proxy server, and I have looked at the logs, they do not make queries that make you look like you are researching bomb making or trying to fetch downloads of child pr0n or anything else that may get the federal agents to bang on your door!  Hahahahaha!!!

Besides, if there were malicious code here, this is open-sourced code, and reviewed by other programmers.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5986
http://mrl.nyu.edu/~dhowe/trackmenot/


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## thardey (Mar 24, 2008)

tellner said:


> A local group has been doing that for years and sending the cards to random members on an irregular schedule.



I got a card at Albertson's. The lady asked if I wanted a card. I said "Yes, but I don't have time to fill out the form." She gave me the card anyway, and told me how to sign up online.

Guess what? It works even if you don't sign up!


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