I'm not "afraid".
I'm annoyed.
There's a difference.
-cm
`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>
On Jan 7, 2009, at 12:01 PM, <just...@ucr.edu> wrote:
The government (and it isn't one "Big Brother" sitting in a dark
room watching your every move) has already won. It has you afraid,
even afraid of street signs and television. You are a perfect
citizen in a dictatorship. Afraid all the time (or having that
"feeling"). They don't need guns. hey just need to give you "the
feeling."
Why not stop being afraid of "them," the amorphous "State" which
looms large in your imagination, and start watching them? Be a
gov't watchdog and they will start to be afraid of you! Then you
can report the "suspicious activity" of different gov't agencies
and employees (most of whom are just normal people trying to make a
living too).
Just in fun:)
jm
______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
just...@ucr.edu
---- Original message ----
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:55:44 -0500
From: Cindy Miller <c...@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [UC] Antenna? We love the Digital box
To: univcity@list.purple.com
I'm not real comfortable about the privacy issues--
however not being a Constitutional scholar or a
lawyer or anything--I can't put my argument into
flowing prose.
But something about it just doesn't feel right. Like
cameras at stoplights, or in elevators--or
Ez-Pass--the argument that "well, you're not doing
anything wrong, so why should it bother you" just
isn't gettin' it for me....(The worst is a flashing
sign on 38 in Jersey that tells you to "REPORT
SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR")
Wish I were better able to put words to this
nagging feeling....
-cm
`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>
(Topic not suitable for UC Listserve?)
On Jan 6, 2009, at 3:13 PM, Brian Siano wrote:
campio...@juno.com wrote:
Separately, my husband was one of the first to
send for the coupon to buy the digital box. I
think that when he did it, they were giving two
$40 coupons per family and also that there was
some earl bird special so that the boxes were
only $40 each. So.. we got a box, for our 22
year old TV, for the cost of S&H. We do NOT
have cable, but with the box, many of our
stations now come in at cable quality. This is
great. No monthly cost and we are already
enjoying the benefit of much improved reception
and additional local channels. So far, there
are only two down sides. My favorite station
was 12 and now it often reads "weak signal".
(It is the only station that is worse than
before.) Second: When it is very windy,
sometimes the signal breaks for a second or two,
and there are weird skips or distortion on the
screen. This seems a small price to pay for
the loss of fuzz and buzz. There is a third
thing that makes me a little nervous. The
Digital box turns itself off when there are no
adjustments to sound or channel for a long
period of time. This might be very good for
those who want to conserve energy or are using
the TV as a sedative and become too tired to
turn it off, but it seems to me as if someone
could gather data on individuals and on
populations, regarding what we watch, when we
watch it, and when most of us are vulnerably
asleep. But, I figure the Advertisers are
probably more of a nuisance than Big Brother
when it comes to TV and eventually I'll get a
newer TV and maybe even T-Vo(sp?).
Liz, I have TiVo . It is truly the Box of the
Gods.
If you're concerned about 'big brother," you won't
like it. Because it does transmit your viewing
preferences back to TiVo Central so it can suggest
programs that you might like. My suggestion? Stop
worrying about Big Brother, because it's just
silly. For one thing, what is broadcast on TV
that's so compromising? _This Old House_?
_Frontline_? The Chomsky lecture on WYBE? For
another, let's say there is something on TV that's
politically odd or "suspect." Why should I let
fear affect what I want to watch? That just
invites the censor within, the decision to _not_
watch or read something because of the fear, which
is more effective than anything the GuvMint can
do.
And if you're worried about the TiVo people using
the data to market stuff to you... well, I haven't
noticed any severe intrusions into my personal
life, and I've had TiVo for nearly ten years. And
if they market stuff at me, well, I just don't buy
it.
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