Reading like it's my job #5 - The Second Mountain, Dragnet Nation
Comic Con happened this past week and I’m starting to notice a pattern of serious opposition to my reading goals. I swear if it isn’t one TV show/movie/next-phase-of-Marvel announcement, it’s another... I make an effort not to watch trailers for movies I’m interested in and it is taking a lot of will power to avoid the Top Gun 2 teaser. I did watch that Cats trailer though and…nope, still not interested.
In other news this week, I did read a book about data privacy! And finished The Second Mountain on audio book! Let’s jump in, shall we!?
A quick word on Marvel
The Marvel Studios express train is not slowing down any time soon. They announced Phase 4 at San Diego Comic Con and what struck me was the diversity in movies and shows. I'm excited to see how it will all turn out and I'll continue to be a ticket-purchasing passenger. Whoo whoo!
The Second Mountain by David Brooks
I finished listening to The Second Mountain and I don’t quite know how I feel about it. It feels as though Mr. Brooks is using this book to work through some personal issues. There’s nothing wrong with that; each chapter feels sincere and earnest. He has had a fair share of ups and downs since publishing his first book, The Road to Character. He's being vulnerable; it is all good. So then what about it is rubbing me the wrong way? I'm not sure.
Very little in the book jumped out, grabbed me, and gave me a good shake. It could be that I'm unfairly comparing it to Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life, where major sections resonated deep within me and felt like a wake up call. I don’t feel that with this one. I don't feel the need to re-read it or purchase it and highlight the meaningful passages. It could be that the audio book reader isn’t dynamic, but isn't that a reflection of the writing style? The reader lacks energy because the writing lacks energy? Is the book just boring?
I'm all for the basic premise that making deep and lasting commitments to a vocation, philosophy/religion, spouse and family, and community is what gets us up life's "second mountain" (the first mountain being the self-centered and individualistic pursuit of one's own interests). As a person who feels as though I'm attempting to climb the second mountain, I can vouch for those types of commitments. But if you'd rather be on the first mountain, this book isn't going to change your mind. I don't find the arguments effective and at times they are even contradictory.
Perhaps it deserves more concentration and a re-read with the actual book. I'll admit, I'd zone out while listening to it (again, boring narrator). This is the selection for my non-work book club so I should probably read it again for that. Have you read it? What did you think?
Dragnet Nation by Julia Angwin
This book is to online data what those food documentaries are to McDonald's chicken nuggets: It's arguably better not to know. I'd rather not know that my name, phone number, address, and loads of other personal information are being constantly bought and sold. That I'm being tracked and targeted by advertisers. That I would have to go to expensive and downright ludicrous lengths to become invisible, thus removing any susceptibility to infringements on my privacy (and becoming a social outcast with no friends).
But now I do know and my eyes have been opened and what I love about this book is that it outlines simple, effective measures you can take to "force an adversary to work harder to get at you." Julia did a personal data audit and didn't like what she found. Her Google searches, emails, past addresses, and other information were out there being passed around to the highest bidder. She lost trust for the big internet companies and took action. Not in a paranoid "I have to go off the grid" sort of way, but in a realistic way that didn't require wearing a tin foil hat. But she did have to make adjustments.
One such adjustment was to a search engine called DuckDuckGo, which has a zero-data retention policy.
DuckDuckGo's lack of knowledge about me forced me to be smarter in my searches. In fact, I had gotten so accustomed to letting Google do my work that I found it a bit jarring to have to finish typing an entire word without Google finishing it for me.
It dawned on me that I had tuned myself to Google. I had always thought of Google as a clean sheet of paper - possibly because of its nice white interface - but in fact I had molded my questions to adjust to how Google likes to answer questions.
Her experience gave me confidence to try the same and I've been using DuckDuckGo for about a week now. It is hands down an inferior product to Google Search and can be inconvenient, but I'm also learning its nuances and feel confident that I can adapt. It feels good.
Rapid fire of other small measures you can take:
Password lockers like LastPass or 1Password.
Create a burner email and phone number to use when companies or websites ask for them
Buy a paper shredder to shred mail with potentially damaging information
Use annualcreditreport.com to get a free credit report to see if anybody has tried to open credit accounts in your name.
There are more ideas and I encourage you to check out this book. It's a quick read and Angwin is a savvy reporter-turned-author and I like her style.
Okey dokey, that's it. Thanks for reading. You are great. Let me know what you're digging into these days.
Kyle