Relax, Google Hasn’t Become Evil

Google recently announced a big change to their privacy policy, which will go into effect on March 1st. I know change is scary, and there have been some articles with sensational headlines like "Google announces privacy changes across products; users can’t opt out" and "Google’s Broken Promise: The End of "Don’t Be Evil"" Well, I took some time today to actually sit down and read through the new privacy policy, and everybody just needs to chill out.

The two main changes Google is making is that they are now combining 60+ privacy policies across their different products into one easier to understand all encompassing privacy policy, and that they are now going to combine information from one Google product into another. Now a lot of people have taken this to mean that Google is now going to track your activity across their products to get a clear picture about who you are and who your friends are and where you live and the fact that you failed math in the 3rd grade. And they're probably right.

Here's the thing, Google isn't collecting any more data than they used to. They already keep a history of your searches, the Youtube videos you've watched, your friends, and whole bunch more depending on which Google products you use. Of course Google is going to use your information from one product in another. It's just unrealistic to have any expectations that Google keeps their Gmail, Youtube, Voice, and Calendar data seperate from each other. It would be crazy to think that they didn't already cross the streams. In fact, it would be a shame if Google didn't use the information they already have about me to make their products more relevant to the user.

What I don't quite understand how this change suddenly makes Google "evil." They are collecting the same amount of data in the past, and it is just as easy as ever to manage the data they've collected. A quick trip to Google Dashboard will let you see how much and more specifically, what data they have about you all in an easy to understand list. You can see and change what kind of personalized ads you are getting from google in your ad preferences. The Data Liberation Front easily lets you take your data with you if you want to close your Google account and go somewhere else. And they have a whole bunch of other tools to let you manage your privacy. None of that has changed. I can guarantee you, that every other web service out there collects the same sort of information, but they are not nearly as transparent about it as Google is.

When it comes down to it, people need to remember that what you put on the internet will stay there forever. The only sure way to make ensure your privacy online is to stay off the internet, because it's a reasonable assumption that anything you put on the internet can and will be traced back to you. That's not to say that there isn't a right to privacy, but you need to have measured and reasonable expectations when it comes to the internet (remember, if it isn't immediately clear what a company or a service is selling, you probably are the product being sold). Or, read the all the privacy policies and choose not to use web services that have policies you don't quite agree with. But really, who's going to do that.

Hello Again, Old Friend

Somewhere along the line, I've forgotten all about love. It's just been about my life, my problems, my plans. I forgot all about the love that Christ has shown me. The huge amazing incomprehensible love. I've forgotten about the man Jesus. And how central he is to everything. How meaningless everything else is without him. I've just been putting in the time, without taking into account the fact that Jesus is the end goal. I've elevated my own understanding of scripture above him.

And he's confronting me now to get to know him again. To reacquaint myself with him, and to remember what it means to be in a relationship with him. To love him, and more importantly, to let myself be loved by him.

Hello again, old friend. I've missed you.

Bored

Lately, I've been reevaluating my life and my current situation, and I've been increasingly unsatisfied by it all. I've been aimlessly carrying on, just waiting for something (anything) to happen.

In a word, I'm bored.

And I'm sick and tired of this place I've found myself in. A place of comfort and distractions. A place where I have millions of things to do to distract myself. But even amidst the distractions, I've found myself more bored than ever.

I open my browser, and look at a few sites to see that there hasn't been anything new on any of the sites I regularly read, and then close the browser. And then I sit there for a few minutes, and then I open my browser again and go back to the same sites. Because there is nothing else to do. And I find myself doing this more often than I'd care to admit.

But there is always something I could be doing. Here I am, sitting in this perfect storm of boredom, and yet I'm not praying, I'm not reading the bible, I'm not doing anything. And I could. I think to myself, "I should."

But I don't.

I let the time slip by, doing nothing. Keeping myself busy. It's like a hamster wheel. I spend all day running and running but in the end, there was nothing done.

And I think of the last time I found my life exciting. A time where life was interesting. And I realize, that it all stemmed form a place of prayer. And I look back on that time with a sort of longing, like it's something I can't have now in my current situation.

Why can't I have that now? I'm sick of the excuses, the justifications. The distractions. I want what I had then, but more than that, I want Jesus.

I want Jesus.

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
-Ecclesiastes 1:2

Stuck

These days, I feel more and more like I'm stuck. What forward momentum I seemed to have a few months ago has all but vanished, leaving me languishing in a place that I never really had any intention in being. But I'm not sure if this is all just in my head.

I think I've lost my capacity to be happy. Or maybe, it's the other way around. Maybe I've found my inability to be happy outside of God.

The problem isn't with my circumstances, but it's with my heart.

Is this thing on?

My cycle with this blog: Every couple of days I'll go to start writing a new post. "I have something meaningful to say!" I think to myself. I type a couple words, a sentence maybe at most. Then I erase it all. Then I stare at the blank box. Then I write some more words. Then I erase those. Then I stare at it some more. Then I go check my fantasy baseball team.

I don't have anything meaningful to say.

p=mv

I've been feeling real restless recently. I wouldn't say unhappy, but more dissatisfied. I feel like I'm losing my forward momentum. Curse you friction.

Skipping To The Good Parts

Time isn't a straight line. It's all bumpy wumpy. There's loads of boring stuff like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays. Big temporal tipping points where anything's possible. The Tardis can't resist them. Like a moth to a flame.
- The Doctor

Sometimes I wish I had a time machine. I'm not really all that interested in going back and changing my past (other than punching 17 year old me and telling me to man up, but that's a whole 'nother story) or going to the future and buying an almanac really (do they even still make almanacs now?). I just want to skip the boring stuff. The mundane day to day and get to the interesting parts.

The idea of patience is something I feel like God's been teaching me for the longest time. Which is kind of funny. I recently came across Genesis 29, where Jacob works for 7 years for the right to marry Rachael, only to end up being cheated and having to work another 7 years. 14 years. I can barely do a month without wondering what's next. And while I admit where I am in my life right now is far from terrible, I can't imagine staying here for the next 14 years. That's such a long time.

And yet, Jacob was faithful in his service to Laban for 14 years. And then for another 6 years (Gen 31:41). Faithful every day, in the mundane day to day. God, help me to stay faithful. To not grow weary of doing good. To trust in you. Help me, because there is no way I can do 20 years of anything without your help.

Easter

He's alive. Sometimes its so easy to forget. He's alive. He is still alive, and he will come back. Come back soon.

Okay, now what?

Sometimes I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, but I have no idea why I'm there. It's kinda like showing up to class for the first time in weeks.

Expectancy

There is a restlessness that is starting to creep in. Anticipation my be a better word. Like something HUGE is about to happen, or may be starting to happen already. I don't know what it is, but I can't help but feel excited.