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Keeping up by keeping track

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LET'S BE FWENDS ISSUE #29:

KEEPING TRACK OF THINGS

"When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it."

~ Lord Kelvin

Keeping Journals

Three years ago, author Laura Vanderkam did something strange, and quite remarkable:
She started recording how she spent her time in 30 minute increments. In 48 time slots per day she entered what she was doing.
As a full-time journalist and mother of four, you’d expect those journals to be full of hectic activity, and that probably is true.

But writing down how she spent her time led to an interesting conclusion:

„My time logs showed me that even in a full life there can still be space. Knowing where the time goes allows you to redeploy time from the mundane to the meaningful, and from the forgettable to the memorable."

When you record something, and do it diligently and intentionally, you cannot escape reflecting on it.
And once you reflect on something, change becomes inevitable.

Lord Kelvin was very strict when he postulated numbers as a way of recording. Of course, he was referring to scientific knowledge.
For everyone else, simply recording might do the trick.

If you find yourself repeatedly devastated when something goes wrong, and you’re sure that very very bad things will happen to you now, Seth Godin has an interesting proposal for you:
Start a catastrophe journal.

Every time a catastrophe happens (and if you’re that kind of person they are happening quite often - at least in your opinion), write down the following:

- What you did that was so horrible.
- What consequences you are expecting now.

Then, after some time, read your entries, and reflect on them. Did that bad thing really happen? Was what you did really that horrible?

"It’s not really a catastrophe, It simply feels that way.“ ~ Seth Godin.

Tracking things is a security disaster in the making

Possible military base locations derived from GPS-enabled fitness trackers.

Remember when fitness trackers had a big security issue and people all over the world were able to find secret military and espionage bases because staff stationed there uploaded recordings of their workouts to websites like Strava?

The world was looking, but not everyone in the industry was listening. Now Polar involuntarily exposed hundreds of sites, including names and addresses of people stationed there.

A few short observations:

Consumer-grade devices and services will always neglect security over other functionality because security creates no immediate value.
What gets recorded can get exposed.
What can get exposed will get exposed, it is just a matter of time and interest.

To avoid your personal security and privacy disaster, make sure that:

You know what the devices you carry are recording, and to whom they send these records
You can turn off recording at your discretion

Both requirements have hard- and software implications. For example, you should be able to remove the device from your body to physically make sure it is not tracking you. Sounds trivial, but impossible for all the cows that have their fitness trackers implanted.

Numbers make for some amazing logos

Not only are numbers good for keeping track of things. They can also make pretty cool logos

7 Deadly Sins of Social Media

(Source: https://twitter.com/mhackling/status/987770801653862400)

You knew I would end this issue with a number, didn't you?

Thank you for reading this edition of Let’s Be Fwends.

Please high-five yourself because five is a number, and if you feel so inclined write it down in your journal. 🎱 💯 🔢

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View this issue of Let's be Fwends in your browser

Keeping track of Things

KEEPING TRACK OF THINGS

Keeping Journals

Tracking things is a security disaster in the making

Numbers make for some amazing logos

7 Deadly Sins of Social Media