There’s A Fine Line Between Helpful And Creepy...
I’ve learned a lot in these past four years of being in the crypto space. One of the main lessons is the importance of being aware of and protecting your online privacy. As we all know many of the larger tech companies don’t have a good track record when it comes to this. Your data is actually how they make their money and it’s sometimes easy for the average consumer to forget this.
Google is clearly becoming much more intrusive. I was aware that Google tracked keystrokes in their own products like Gmail and Google Docs, however I haven’t typed a single keystroke about beta-readers in either of those products. Imagine my surprise when the story above showed up in my Google newsfeed. Creepy. I think it’s time to switch to another browser.
“Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” ― Edward Snowden
This Week In Crypto
This past week Bitcoin continued to flirt with $12k. It made it as high as $12,071 in the last seven day cycle but then quickly retreated.
Link had another stellar week, it’s up over 76% but seems to have been resting in the past 24hrs. The DeFi sub-sector is continuing to prove that it’s the hot commodity in the crypto-sphere.
Another of my favorites, Nano, showed a very respectable 18% gain since last Saturday’s “Musing”.
This bull cycle is proving to be very different from those in the past. It’s interesting to see social media comments of the people just coming into the space. Their euphoria and excitement leaves me feeling a bit of nostalgia for the “old days” (2017).
Traditionally, late summer/autumn is when the bulls really get going and I’m hoping that’s the case this time around. However, 2020 is proving very unpredictable so we’ll have to see what it has in store.
Disclaimer: This isn’t financial advice. Don’t listen to me, I only know enough about crypto to be dangerous.
Quarantine Diaries
Yep, I posted this gif again for you, @sultnpapper. If Covid-19 has done nothing else it's given us more free time. I've decided to try to use some of that extra time wisely. I had mentioned in a previous Musings post that I was trying to get a roundabout installed at a dangerous intersection in our neighborhood.
It took a few weeks but I found the proper contacts at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDot) to bring the idea up to. We'll see how many weeks it takes them to get back to me. In my email I made sure to include a link to my post on NextDoor. It now has almost eighty replies from neighbors who, mostly, agree with it. I know the wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly so I'm not holding my breath.
Streaming Suggestions
We’re well into the second and final season of Sense8 now on Netflix. I love the concept of the series but haven’t always connected with how it’s executed.
A friend of ours recently appeared in DC Comic's Stargirl. He was cast as a villain called Brainwave in the series. Chris is a great guy and is the kindest person you'll ever meet but he, ironically, usually ends up playing bad guys. There's so much work behind the scenes on this series and it was interesting to hear the details of some of it as he was filming. We were thrilled that we finally found Stargirl this week and it was fun to see him in it.
Have you found a streaming series lately that has blown you away? If so, I’m always looking for suggestions.
Mindful Moments: Perfecting The Pause - Book Update
Beta Reading
This week I’ve gotten around to posting two of the chapter drafts (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2) for my Hive beta-readers. I’d like to thank everyone who’s participated so far! I really appreciate all of the comments/feedback you’ve given. Your suggestions are making this a better book. When you’ve stared at these words literally hundreds of times like I have, fresh eyes and different perspectives are immensely valuable.
This open-source process is working better than I imagined. If you haven’t seen these posts yet and would like to contribute, please do so. I’ll be taking beta-reader suggestions even after the post voting closes.
Illustrations
The illustrator has shared her initial ideas with me and I’m very excited about the direction she’s taking. Next, she’ll be sending a few concept drawings. After approval, she’ll get started on the final drawings. I’ve known the artist for a while now and her work is stellar so I know these original drawings will add a lot to this project.
Next Steps
In the coming week I’ll be posting a few more chapters on Hive, incorporating beta-reader suggestions into the final manuscript, brainstorming on the final book cover, and continuing my search for someone (preferably someone well-known in the self-help, mindfulness realm) to write a cover quote for the book. I'm also beginning to think about some fun promotional things we can do for the launch.
Random Shots of the Week
Every seven days I log nearly fifty miles of walking with our beagle, Amstel, through our neighborhood and below are a few shots from our walks this week.
Autumn is clearly knocking on our door in this part of the country, the sun is setting about an hour and a half sooner than during the first part of summer. Most of the plants are almost done blooming and, astonishingly, some of the leaves of the maple trees are beginning to turn colors. The sunsets are amazing here in late summer.
This is the time of the year when we really begin to relish the sunshine and the warmth in the upper Midwest. We all realize that first frost can’t be too far away.
That’s all for now. I hope you all enjoy your weekends!
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com, photos are original)
I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
My book on meditation, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!
Sens8 was one of my all time favorite shows. It started pretty slow but then once it got going, it was totally awesome. The concept was pretty amazing. I think they ran into issues with all of the locations and the cost of filming which is part of the reason it got cancelled. Thankfully the fans were able to speak loud enough and they gave it a proper ending. There are apps that request permissions to your microphone on your phone and I think that is where Google gets it's creeper skills from.
I can't even imagine what production costs were for that series. I'm sure the Wachoskis had enough pull in Hollywood to keep it up longer than most could have. It's intriguing to think about and has sparked some ideas for some short stories of my own. Ahh, I didn't even think about them listening. That has to be it!
Did you hear about the bald eagle that took down a state drone recently in Michigan?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bald-eagle-takes-down-michigan-government-drone-n1236687
Yeah, it was all over the news. Like $950 lost somewhere in lake Michigan I think it was. Too funny. We get that all the time where someone mentions something and suddenly we start getting ads for it. If you have an Android phone you can see a of the apps that have access to your microphone. As a test you should talk about something you would never think of buying or searching for and see if you start getting ads. My favorite part of Sens8 is when they first started realizing they could "take over" each other's bodies. So epic.
I guess it's pretty common for those birds of prey to take them down. Something to remember if I ever get a drone. : ) I think I'll try that test. Maybe I'll post the results in next week "Musings". We're just about done with the series now, the plot is building now. They could have stretched this out so much longer than two seasons.
Yes, for sure. I look forward to reading that post about your experiment!
Wow, that sunset against the background of the downtown building is magnificently colorful.
I keep hearing about Sense8. Sounds good! Currently, I am enjoying The Last Dance. As a sports guy, the camaraderie and relationship aspects of a winning team is fascinating.
Excited for the good feedback on your book! Funny how a different perspective opens up so many more thoughtful words for writing. Have a great one Eric!
That building reflects the sunset in an amazing way this time of the year. It's been doing that a while too, it was built in 1881. Sense8 is amazing but it starts very slowly. I haven't heard of The Last Dance, I'll have to look it up!
I appreciate that! The beta-reader phase is one of the most interesting aspects of the process to me. All of those different angles and perspectives really allow me to see it from the eyes of the readers and make those necessary last minute adjustments. I hope you enjoy your weekend, Lydon! Thanks for stopping by.
And a blessed weekend to you Eric!
Thank you!
I hate that nonsense, I have been using duck duck go for my searches for a while but still get adverts from Google about things I have done outwith Google. Grr
I've heard of Duck Duck Go and the Brave browser. Someone else is also saying it could be my mic settings so I'm going to have to check that as well. It's getting tougher and tougher to hold onto any kind of anonymity.
How long until 1984? Big Brother called Google is watching our steps. Sometimes I have felt that there must be a place in the world where there is a file with all the data of the people who live on earth (I have a slight suspicion that with that data they will create clones hahaha). The chapters in your book are great and the pictures are amazing. Bright, vivid colors for this hot Friday! Nice weekend for you, Eric!
I think we’re there already (1984)! That theory would make an excellent peace of fiction, Nancy. I’ve often wondered if they’re feeding all of this data they’re collecting in real-time to a super computer (like Tesla cars are gathering data constantly to upgrade the autonomous driving feature) for use in some future artificial intelligence application. Talk about creepy! Thank you so much and enjoy your weekend!
how are you dear friend @ericvancewalton good night
Many people have already stopped using google, and more and more news about the invasion that they do about privacy, there are even great judgments.
It is very good what is happening with cryptocurrencies, it would be good if bitcoin continues to rise, thus dragging hive.
I hope that the agencies do not take too long to respond to your request.
How beautiful you have all made, I appreciate that you let us know these beautiful photographs
Have a wonderful weekend dear friend
All is good here! Yes, those big tech companies are gathering more data than people realize. I hope we see some movement with Hive soon. I see little spikes here and there and then it always settles back down around the $.20 range. Thank you for your comment and enjoy the weekend!
Promoting Hive on Twitter.
@vincentnijman here, curating for Natural Medicine.
I'm really looking forward to your book, Eric.
People like you are an inspiration to me.
Keep it up! 💚
Thank you very much @vincentnijman! I really appreciate your support. I'm so excited about this book launch. It feels different from previous ones, it's as though there's electricity in the air when I think about it.
That's called lightning.
Just kidding, couldn't help myself :<)
I can feel your excitement over the airwaves.
All the best! ✨
That’s why my hair is smoking! 😂
Hahaha! Almost missed this comment.
Next time you use a hairdryer, try to be more careful.
😂
I love that clip.
Just be careful what you wish for, the transportation dept just might give one like that in the clip.
It would really be interesting to know how much info google has stored on each of us and how much they make on average for each of us.
That bull run on FIRED in 2017 was just after I arrived there, would love to see another one here with HIVE.
Well, on to chapter 3, just trying to catch up.
Sult
It's a great one! It's now been two weeks and I still haven't heard form either of the contacts at MNDot about my proposal. That's par for the course when dealing with the government though. I'll give them another week and will follow up if I haven't heard anything. They have no idea yet the kind of persistence they're dealing with. Lol.
I hope to see the Hive token grow like Steem did but would prefer slow and steady growth for this token because, as they say, what goes up must come down. Tokens that spike quickly tend to crash equally as hard.
I added an affiliate link to my website to help onboard new bloggers to Hive. The description of Hive on there could use a lot of work, I just drafted that quickly yesterday. I'm also going to be adding QR codes linking people to Hive in my new book. The more folks we get to join, the better. The onboarding process is getting easier but could still be much better than it is. This has always been a hurdle.
Hope you're having a good week, friend!
Eric
I took a look at your website, it had been a while since I had done that. I like the Hive link and this, "Follow my blog to catch up on a daily dose of my current book projects, published pieces, random musings, as well as details and photos of my latest travel adventures.'
One of these days I'm going to do that "daily dose" kind of thing, it sounds really like a lot of fun. More people should do it and use that hash tag #dailydose , I think its really under utilized as far as I can tell, but what the hell do I know anyway?
You might want to revise the release dates on the fiction category, unless I'm just reading something wrong.
Have a great week Eric,
Sult
Thanks! There “a daily dose” the there’s “THE daily dose”. 😊 I appreciate the heads up about those incorrect dates. My website needs a major revamping! Enjoy the rest of your week, Sult!