Just De-G**gle It

When I read 1984 back in the early 70’s I, like everyone else, had no idea that Big Brother would not in fact be the Government, but would be Big Business.  Government is a late comer to using the power of algorithms.  How many of us could actually define, with any great confidence, what an algorithm actually is.  I couldn’t, but I don’t like their insidious intrusion into my life, and every day I am more convinced about it as I read and listen to current affairs podcasts and radio.  I want to be more anonymous and roam freely in this world without being tracked so closely.

So what am I willing to do about it?  Good question.  Seems to me that G**gle is a front runner in terms of knowing way too much about me.  Their search engine tracks everything I look at, their mail server tracks who knows what about who I contact and what I say to them.  Yikes, it feels creepy.  So de-g**gle.  Not so easy.  This blog is written on WordPress.  When I investigated getting my own email through them, low and behold, they have a deal with g**gle to provide a suite of tools to supplement the ones that you get from WordPress, including email and cloud space and word processing and spreadsheets and blah blah blah.  I pulled right back from that and searched a little deeper.  I can get my own dedicated email, and I can direct it to another email server.  But which one?  My email is their email!  So maybe the best that I can do is spread being tracked by algorithms over a variety of Big Businesses.  So expect a new email shortly, one that I am going to try and keep personal and only give to friends like you that will not spam me.  It will serve another purpose for me as well.  I would prefer to get emails back from you rather than a comment on the blog so I will add putting my email on the bottom of the blog to the list of things I still have to learn.

If you have got this far in reading this blog here is a reward, or at least I hope so.  You really are invited to the Hastings Ave street party on June 9th.  If you have kids come along any time after 3 so they can enjoy all the kid activities including charging up and down the street on bikes, scooters, skateboards.  Participating in the water balloons.  Taking dress up selfies, taking part in the badminton tournament.  Watching the talent show and movie under the stars later.  If you don’t have kids come for the potluck and BBQ.  The idea is to add to the potluck and bring your own BBQ food.  Listen to the live music, take dress up selfies, take part in the adult badminton tournament or just relax with a beverage.  I would love to see you.