Issue # 1 \\ Welcome
Jun 21, 2020 5:01 pm
Hey Friends,
Welcome to my first ever weekly email. I'll admit it feels a little strange to be writing one of these, especially since at first there is likely to be only a small group of people who will be reading this. That being said, I've heard that anything that's worth doing feels weird initially, so even if there is only person reading it, i'm going ahead. Of course, even stuff that isn't worth doing feels weird initially - guess we'll just treat this as an experiment.
Each week in addition to writing a new article I will be sending one of these short emails (Every Sunday) with a few of my thoughts and interesting links/books/videos I would like to share. I hope by doing this we can raise awareness and start some much needed discussion regarding important issues relating to technology and privacy.
I think that will do for week one, we can start sharing thoughts next week. Rememeber to check out the interesting links etc below.
Have a great week!
PS: Please do reply to this email to introduce yourself or if you have any thoughts to share / any questions.
PPS: If you have any tips relating to Security, Privacy or Digital Minimalism please email them. I will try to include the best ones in the Quick Tips section of the blog.
Things I've found interesting this week
\\ One Article An interesting article about the failure of the NHS contact tracing app. I have written an article about it here, but briefly, I found it encouraging that two open letters were written by hundreds of scientists and academics attempting to ensure privacy remains at the centre of the proposed system.
\\ Two Video I watched an interesting book review of MindF*uck by Christopher Wylie. The book was reviewed by a YouTuber called Dan White whose thought provoking style made me add this book to my list of books to read. He provided a good explanation of how Facebook / Cambridge Analytica used apps to send your (and even more worrying all your contacts) profile data to app developers. When you consider that CA are political consulting firm you can be forgiven for being concerned with where and whom this data was being sent to. Check out his review or buy the book to find out even more.
\\ Three Book I am currently reading A Million Miles in a Thousand years by Donald Miller. An interesting book which chronicles Don's journey to edit his actual life into a better story. I like how it challenges us to reconsider what we strive for in life, and shows us how to get a second chance at life the first time around.
Favourite Quote
More men fail through lack of perseverance than through lack of ability
I like this quote because it encourages us to accept there will be bumps along the way, choose to keep going and enjoy the journey. Something I found useful to remember during my PhD journey.
