Tag: privacy Page 1 of 4

Seems like it’s been a long week for a lot of people. But it’s Friday and time to forget about the stresses of work days gone by, suck it up one more day and then get our weekends on.
I was thinking out of all the safeguarding-of-documents technology that is out there, my shredder gets the least use and my encryption software needs a vacation.
Some commercial building offices do not permit cleaning crews to enter certain rooms during off hours. Employees put their trash cans outside their rooms and lock up their doors at the end of the day. If we lived in the twentieth century this might be something we would consider a precautionary measure to prevent those without a need to know from knowing. But nowadays, this practice is silly and speaks to a lack of awareness regarding folks like Harry in Glasgow who is accessing the data in that room remotely (from across the pond). I’m all for safeguarding of data, but we need to keep things in perspective. The only thing someone might find in my office waste receptacle after I’m gone for the day is the remnants of what I had for lunch. I can see the value of obtaining this kind of information, I think, but you won’t find the contents of my next blog in the recycle bin, unless I write about what I had for lunch.
Paper files have become a thing of the past. With the Affordable Care Act (ACA) kicking in, the non-controversy over security has reared its pretty head. I say pretty because concerns for security in the electronic age have to be taken with a grain of salt. We cannot go back to paper records. Both paper and electronic record-keeping have their security pitfalls. The main point we should keep in mind for their adoption is that electronic systems afford more central control by governing bodies. Yes, there are other reasons, but the ability of governing bodies to access and yes, control, our information remotely should be acknowledged the primary advantage (if you’d like to call it that) of making the electronic format switch.

Outrage over electronic surveillance, privacy, confidentiality and monitoring is too strong a word. I do not believe there is outrage so much as there now is acceptance (over these practices). We use our social media and while in the back of our minds we are aware our privacy no longer exists, our collective cerebral cortexes are too busy enjoying the latest, witty Tweets from (insert witty person here), for it to matter. Essentially, we just do not care. Our Edward Snowden fascination becomes so much yesterday’s news after Miley Cyrus twerks at the next awards presentation. It is not sad so much as it is just the way it is, and I am part of it just like you are.
People who do not use the Internet are in the minority according to recent studies. These are people who say they just do not need it in their daily lives. Yes, some of them are elderly, but a lot of elderly are using the Internet. Many demographic groups, including the elderly, who need the Internet occasionally, however, have friends or family members access it for them. They get what they need and then continue their lives off the Internet connectivity grid. Some who do not use the Internet are concerned about their privacy. Some say they cannot afford a connection at home. Whatever the reason, these are but a few of the remaining people in this country who are not connected and online.
And now for a few random, daydreamy thoughts (as Fridays would not be Fridays without them)…
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I look out the window in the morning and see people walking their dogs with light jackets or fleeces on. Is fall great or what? I know we have the option of wearing additional clothing, but I like the crispness and still am wearing shorts and t-shirts—at least until it gets a bit colder.
Speaking of colder…I hope we get to see a lot of NFL games in snow. Something about the frozen tundra that just screams football to me. So, be gone tropical weather in November and December.

Although it will definitely trump up receipts for physicians, telemedicine will serve more people in need that presently cannot access medical care. My warped sense of humor, however, has me imagining that when combined with house calls from robots (hey, it’s coming!), the possibilities for things like annual prostate exams being performed in the comfort of one’s home, are infinite. Seriously, though, telemedicine will prove to be a good thing robot use notwithstanding. Early reports on its current adoption (sans robotic intervention) are encouraging.
Miley Cyrus recently let on the moment she knew her engagement was over and I…what was this sentence about again?
The federal government is in danger of shutting down! The federal government is in danger of shutting down! The federal government is in danger of shutting down! But it won’t.
The NFL goes better with guacamole and chips.
The economy is improving (hey, that’s what they tell me!) and so I’m giving myself a raise in order to avoid losing me to a competing sweetspot.
The economy is not improving (hey, that’s what they tell me). So, I’m freezing my wages.
News flash: Selling out is no longer a bad thing.
Bill Clinton thinks he knows who the next something or other will be and I…what was this sentence about again?
Is it possible to not budge on a new budget proposal?

There are tons of headlines and stories out there purporting to educate you as to what the ACA will mean for you. The fact is, folks…wait for it…wait for it…nobody knows. But, any federal health plan bill that did not contain long-term elder care provisions is no plan at all and should not have been passed in the first place. This is not to say that some good will come from the ACA, but watching the elderly and their families bankrupt themselves so they might eventually receive a Medicaid bed speaks to a bill passage made in haste and not well thought out.
I’m at the tip end of my seat as I type. This is evidence of this post’s edginess.
Did you see that flash? That was the world’s fastest trend not being a trend anymore.
I don’t want to wear a device that records every step I take. Every step you take. Every vow you break. Every move you make.
Someone’s preparation for colonoscopy should never make it into a Facebook status update. Rectum? Damn near killed ‘em.
Happy Trails, Mariano Rivera!
And we’re outta here. Have a great weekend.