You are being watched

That's my house in that picture. Well it's not my house, my roommate owns the place. I pay rent to him, so you can call it my home, as I have a legal right to live there. That oil spot you see on the right is from my car. I should I get that fixed. But I digress.

That picture came from Google. My home is viewable via the Street View function and if you live in a major city, chances are yours is too. The feature is pretty robust, you can turn the view and see buildings from a variety of angles. You basically have a three-dimensional view of the entire street. For the three of you interested, you can see the street pic for Monk's Cafe here and a view of Seinfeld's would-be apartment here.

Anyone else a little creeped out by Street View? Google hasn't violated any privacy laws by taking these pictures, but then again I doubt lawmakers ever foresaw a corporation having a visual record of every street in America, Google's eventual goal. Already the service has raised some issues with photos showing people exiting adult bookstores and other seedy establishments. A friend suggested even the mere presence of an unrecognized car in a driveway can land someone in deep trouble with their significant other.

I know, I know. "If you have nothing to hide, what are you worried about?" Not much, I suppose, but I can't help but raise an eyebrow. If they can use what you can see from the street, why not what you hear? They can record loud coughs, domestic disputes, and raucous parties. Fifty years from now, Google will record your thoughts the moment you step on a sidewalk. Ultra high-res photos will analyze the effects of UV radiation on your skin. Weight sensors will detect your body-fat percentage. All of this will be recorded into a database searchable by paying customers who will send you emails about sunblock, antihistamines, counseling, beer specials, diet plans, and fast food.

Paranoid? Maybe a little. But not that much. Now where's my tinfoil hat?

Time Extended

I've been following the primaries pretty closely, mostly because almost every blog I read has been following it as well. The Democratic side has been incredibly exciting and it looks like it will be going much longer than anyone anticipated. Meanwhile the Republicans have been mildly entertaining as the Sectarian Right don't have a viable God-fearing, homo-hating dickwad to latch onto. Instead it looks like they're stuck with McCain, who's probably the least objectionable Republican candidate for me, but not nearly divisive enough for the GOP base.

A lot has been written about Hillary and Obama. People seem to marvel about the prospect of electing a female or black man president and simultaneously complain when the media refers to them as the "female" or "black" candidate. Many exit polls show blacks voting along racial lines with 80 percent casting their vote for Barack. However, to merely look at this statistic is oversimplifying things. 1 out of 5 black voters aren't voting for the "black" candidate. And Al Sharpton ran in 2004 and didn't fare nearly as well. Obama clearly represents a lot of things to people -- change, progress, growth, reform. The diversity seen in his audiences reflects his broad appeal.

I'm not going to lie, I support Obama and his race is part of the reason why. His breakthrough performance in Iowa and his stirring speech following his victory represented a shift in the political landscape in this country. All the ridiculous talk about "black authenticity" died out, polls lost their credibility, and suddenly the Democratic race was wide open. Barack's staggering win in four primaries yesterday proves his momentum isn't dying anytime soon.

Don't get me wrong. Hillary Clinton consistently impresses me in debates and interviews. She's clearly knowledgeable about the many issues facing this country and she maintains poise under tough scrutiny. But her campaign pulled some race-baiting tactics that I thought we wouldn't see until the GOP attack machine started up. And part of me dislikes the idea of "Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton" presidential legacies. A trivial reason not to vote for her? Maybe. But increasingly the Clintons represent "the establishment" in my mind, especially when I consider how superdelegates might be a trump card for Hillary securing the nomination.

So I continue to watch the campaigns with great interest. This 2008 election is one that will be long remembered.