I only finally read 1984 about a year ago. Everyone should read it: it's a great combination of entertainment and insight; funny, yet terrifying. The classics don't always live up to the hype, but there's a reason so many terms from the book ended up in our vocabulary.
1984 is on my list. I just finished "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley and although it was a very good read, it was a little depressing since I could imagine the future turning out that way.
Everyone fears big brother, and the term 'Orwellian' became a oft-used word to describe the oppressiveness of an overt totalitarian power.
Huxley wrote about our being lulled into submission through indifference. 'Huxleyian' never became a common term, because we apparently are indifferent about a world in which people are indifferent.
I'd also suggest Fahrenheit 451 and A Clockwork Orange, which make great reads. All these novels are part of the 'dystopian' genre, but the two you mention are likely the most famous.
It's a pretty dark form of humour, I guess. I found Winston to be quite comical character himself, which I think makes the book easier to endure in the darker parts. The extremity of some of the scenes/ministry policies and other characters made them both comical and scary. The former because they seem ridiculous, the latter because you feel it is not actually outside the realm of possibility (when you think on modern history).
It's nice seeing people like Fred stand up for privacy/human rights, but at the same time, it's little a bittersweet because speaking out directly against PRISM companies could affect business -- as companies he invests in are sometimes purchased by PRISM companies. That might hamper abilities to speak out more directly if he really wanted to make a difference.
You're right, it is very unclear. My concern (and what seems to be Snowden's concern as well) is that business is going to keep going on as usual and everyone will let this slide.
I don't think its your duty to do something more unless you really want to change things. That being said, doing something to really stand out, like boycotting those PRISM companies until they change their policies, wouldn't be in the fiduciary interests of your investors.
It's a tough position to be in I think, and that's why I think it's bitter sweet. Mo money, mo problems.
Sign the pardon petition: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/pardon-edward-snow... Not likely to make much difference, but it's something, and if Snowden is pardoned it will make a huge difference in terms of threat of transparency. Don't stop there, though.
That particular quotation seems prescient, but there's plenty in the book that is nothing like what happens today, at least in a literal interpretation.
You mean like the parts here the government rewrites history using a technology that is as similar to the Paladium as you can get with paper?
Or how the governors are a different class that suport each other even on enemy states, thus the wars are nothing but a fabrication to keep the population under control?
Or the parts where they control how the population perceive discidents, by controlling the press?
Or maybe you mean the way how they so perfectly control the population that they must create the dissidents first at the Mini Love, before they turn the population against them. Yeah, reality isn't that way... Yet.
It's nice to see people like Mr. Wilson stand up for the rights of U.S. citizens by quoting passages from 1984, but what can he and other influential members of the tech industry actually do to change the direction of the country?
We, the people, can stop what we're doing and create fundamental change. We have to eliminate the secret echelons that are above their bosses -- us. We can reboot the notion of congress, with elements of direct participation, campaign reform, and make lobbying illegal.
It's easy to point a finger. It's hard to roll up our sleeves. But now is the time; now more than ever.
The idea that security > privacy is brainwashed into the american masses.
Does anyone work as a sysadmin ?
wheel users can read every one's data.
Does anyone go to internet facebook/forums/mailing-lists ?
They are mini totalitarian states where lusers are killed. The rhetoric ? Order and kill spam.
The point is, internet has never been a shining example of democracy. There are no privacy laws for sysadmins.
The internet ocean-tubes are owned by the government, the fact that they want to read email is no fairer than forum admin "banning" lusers or running sql.
In 1984, every home has a cctv. Our 1984 is a paradise. TV's are the thought police. Hollywood takes care of public anger. Internet gives faux democracy.
The government didn't do anything with it. The government only copied what admins since 1980 have been doing.
>The point is, internet has never been a shining example of democracy. There are no privacy laws for sysadmins.
By using a system, you presumably agree to some terms and conditions you never read. Since I also never read them, I'm going to go ahead and presume that those terms and conditions state that any data or activity on said machine is and can be monitored by a sysadmin. If you don't want to be watched, you have to be the sysadmin.
Since I'm too noob to downvote, I thought I'd just chime in here and inform you that you are wrong.
