73 degrees this morning, walk 35:53 minutes
Reading the other day about how marketing companies, hiring companies, employers (and of course, the government), could misuse data from “activity trackers”.
Apparently by using algorithms, they feel they can forecast by your pulse rate, blood pressure, etc. a tendency for violence, what kind of job you will do, honesty etc.
I am beginning to think algorithms are becoming grossly misused and even abusive. They are prone to human errors and misrepresentation and, especially, jumping to wrong conclusion based on skimpy or incomplete evidence.
Even the blood pressure devices that operate on algorithms can be completely off at times (when they retake your blood pressure using a usual blood pressure device).
To think that someone could make hiring decisions, decide how long or if someone is jailed, or other important decisions based on incomplete and possibly flawed studies is really scary It is becoming a short-cut for decisions. And that is all it is, an attempt to be lazy and let an “algorithm” decide for you.
For some reason, we have been getting a lot more fraud type proposals (win a free trip, etc.) and I wonder if some algorithm isn’t being used that somehow we are tapped as susceptible to fraud type proposals. (Probably age, although it could be location or whatever also, or maybe even where we shop).
Sometimes, I think I will go to all cash purchases or something but then I think, “do I really care if “they” (meaning anyone from marketers to the “government”) really know anything about me” anyway. As long as it’s not illegal or whatever, I really don’t care, except it seems to lead to nutty e-mails and phone calls, even to weird ads on my iPhone.
I began to realize how much time I spend deleting (unread) unwanted e-mails and it really makes me angry that companies and organizations actually have the gall to waste my time.
Kind of like the phone call I get occasionally from “Microsoft” telling me “Windows control” has noticed something about my “windows” that needs repair. I used to tell them “I don’t use Windows” before hanging up, now I just hang up.
Anyway, back to algorithms, I think even Google and other search engines have indicated the potential for abuse and misuse of algorithms, if nothing else by allowing advertisers to pay for higher “hits” (or whatever they call them).
Listening to the book on Tesla, I was surprised to hear of the “electrical shows” they put on, where thousands of people could come to watch an electric show, frequently including electric passing through his body and lighting up to things as simple (now) as a light bulb lighting up from across the room.
It actually sounds like they were a lot more advanced than I realized. They really sound more and more like the 70’s and 80’s computer wizards, with the experimentation, learning from each other, and then the rush to make money by lawsuits over patents etc.
The moon has been wonderful over the last few days. Last night, and this morning, it is shining brightly in the sky, with clouds occasionally obscuring it, or at least acting as a decorating type of activity.
Right now, the light clouds are moving past the moon, as the full moon shines. It is even now (almost 50 years later) to realize that persons from earth have walked on the moon
That’s it for now, Thursday, August 18, 2016.
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