1. Although Facebook has recently started allowing people to see the kind of data the company collects on them, there is no way to opt-out of Facebook’s aggressive information collection, which can even track people who are not logged into Facebook.

    — 

    Twitter Implements Do Not Track Privacy Option

    Facebook’s “aggressive information collection” is not all that exceptional though. Google and hundreds of other online services track us site by site, click by click.

    That doesn’t make it any better, of course. A quick Ghostery install is a good way to reduce your trackability, and reveal just how many services out there are watching you browse online.

    For what it’s worth, I actually use Facebook exclusively through a Fluid app with separate cookies from my system’s Safari. It’s probably a little bit crazy, but it does have the added benefit of making Facebook usage extremely intentional (and thus limited).

  2. There’s nothing wrong with holding on to a few tchotchkes and family heirlooms. But you’re probably overestimating the future use or enjoyment you’re going to get from most of the things you cling to.

    — Some thoughts on our attachment to stuff.

  3. Makes me miss the 1026 house.

  4. Arch-nemeses.

Doghouse Diaries.

The authors at Doghouse Diaries license their comics using the Creative Commons license. Smart dudes.

    Arch-nemeses.

    Doghouse Diaries.

    The authors at Doghouse Diaries license their comics using the Creative Commons license. Smart dudes.

  5. Most Americans are more concerned about hacking and cyberattacks on the nation’s infrastructure than they are about terrorism, according to opinion research published Wednesday by the computer security firm Unisys.

    — 

    Does anyone really believe that Americans have informed fears regarding “hacking”?

    This is either lazy and irrelevant journalism or an example of a media outlet shilling for pro-CISPA factions.

    Of course those aren’t mutually exclusive options.

    (Source: washingtontimes.com)

  6. We scare the bejeezus out of them,” says one U.S. government participant.

    — 

    In regard to lecturing CEOs about “cyber” threats to US companies.

    They’re easily scared less because the government has some special knowledge that the private sector lacks and more because the CEOs simply don’t listen to private sector security experts. They’re scared because CEOs need not have developed a good technical intuition before rising to their post.

    At any rate, scaring the shit out of CEOs certainly sounds like a great way to get private corporations to cooperate with the defense and security establishment.

    Think about that sentence, because such cooperation has a place in history associated with controlling citizens as much as it does planting a flag on the moon.

    (Source: NPR)

  7. Less helpful QR codes (spotted on I-95 N)

    Less helpful QR codes (spotted on I-95 N)

  8. Bed cartography (FlowingData)

    Bed cartography (FlowingData)

  9. The mighty Sazerac

    The mighty Sazerac

  10. Mime in a box.