• I, personally, have never posted anything to Facebook that would incriminate me in any way.
• I haven’t posted anything that might cost me my job.
• I haven’t posted anything that might damage any of the relationships I have with friends and family.
• I haven’t posted any photos that would embarrass me, or anyone else for that matter.

So, why on earth would I be concerned with Facebook’s privacy issues?

First and foremost, Facebook’s business model is undergoing a fundamental shift. I ask you this question: Are you, as a Facebook user, one of Facebook’s customers? If you answered something along the lines of “Yes, of course Facebook’s users are their customers”, then this may come as a shock to you. Quite simply, you, as a user, are not Facebook’s customer. You, as a user, are Facebook’s PRODUCT that they sell to their REAL customers.

It comes down to one very simple concept: Data is king. Data is worth a boatload of cash.  Facebook has realized that there is a lot more money in aggregating data and selling it to others than there is in running a service that lets you keep in touch with your friends and family, and supporting it with targeted advertising.

I recognize how valuable this data can be, which brings me to my second major concern. There are lots of companies who have lots of data about us, but, there is a big difference between a company like Google and a company like Facebook, and that is the man at the helm. In my opinion, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to ethical behavior. Between the legal battle over who owned the original source code to Facebook, and more recently, accusations surrounding hacking email accounts to read other people’s email, I have decided that this is not a man who I want deciding who can do what with my data. If you haven’t read the book The Accidental Billionaires, you should.

My third concern is with the annoying behavior that Facebook has exhibited lately regarding privacy settings. When many of us created our Facebook accounts, we were under the impression that our accounts were private, or, at least, as private as we configured them to be. Even though I have my Facebook privacy settings locked down, Facebook has repeatedly added new features, and, by default, opted every subscriber’s account into an “open” setting. I have then had to manually go into my privacy settings and opt out of the new feature in order to protect my data.

I’m conflicted over this decision though, since I really do find value in Facebook. I am reluctant to leave because I have so many friends who use the service. I suppose, in a way, that should be one more reason to leave. I know, that probably sounds backwards. I have to wonder though, if I am having trouble leaving Facebook because so many of my friends use the service, it stands to reason that my friends would also think the same thing. By staying, I would continue to be part of the problem, by giving my friends one more reason to continue using the service.

I’m really leaning towards deleting my account, and I want everyone else to think about it to.

It’s been years now that I’ve known I’ve needed to make some changes, but I’ve always just thought about it and said “I wish”, as if change in my life was this unattainable thing.  Sure, there have been a few changes along the way, but not the ones I’ve been dreaming I could make.

I’m talking about changes in who I am.

I’m talking about changes in how I think.

I’m talking about changes in how I relate to others.

I’m talking about changes in how I view the world around me, and changes in how I perceive my place in the world.

It’s time for me to stop dreaming and start doing.

Through Twitter, I have had the opportunity to interact with others in Delaware, and on Friday, met up with a few of them for lunch at El Vaquero.  It was great to finally meet in person and make some new friends.  I’m really looking forward to continuing to forge new relationships and expand my personal network within the local community.

I am also excited that I have been offered the chance to write for a new web site focusing on Delaware, Ohio.  Look for my first post over there soon!

It’s been too long since I’ve updated here.  I’m going to have to make some time to write more often.

I had the opportunity to help out with some of the promos for the show.  I recorded a handful of lines for Brian to use.  He mixes them and puts some music behind them, and in the end, they sound pretty good!

Promo number 1

Promo number 2

Doing a little bit of recording for Cave Radio has made me think about doing my own show again.  I’ve wanted to do a podcast of my own for a few years now but I haven’t been able to settle on a topic.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up!

Back when I lived with my parents, I had a pretty cool bedroom.  My dad and I had built a loft style bed that mounted to the wall on two sides.  The unattached corner was suspended by a chain from the rafters in the ceiling.  I had a couch under the bed where I could sit and watch TV.  When I moved out, we saved that bed in case it was ever needed again.  Yesterday, we found a new use for it.

I needed a storage shelf and a place to store my truck cap.  A quick trip to Lowes and and we were ready!

We turned that old bed into a twin sized storage shelf in my garage.  We mounted two 2×4’s on the walls in the corner to make a mounting rail to support the bed and make hanging and leveling it easier.  Next, we added a couple of support members to the roof trusses to strengthen them.  The trusses are designed to be loaded from above, and I was concerned about suspending the corner of the shelf from the bottom of the truss without extra support.

The other half of of the project was to build a rack to store the truck cap that came with my truck.  I’m not a fan of caps, but this one is to nice to get rid of.  At some point, I’m sure I’ll be glad I have it.  The rack for the truck cap was also suspended from the ceiling.

]]> http://matt.gehrisch.us/2009/03/22/adding-a-little-garage-storage/feed/ 3 http://matt.gehrisch.us/2009/03/11/my-new-toy/ http://matt.gehrisch.us/2009/03/11/my-new-toy/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:57:45 +0000 Matt http://matt.gehrisch.us/?p=131 I was hoping to get a couple more years out of my old Blazer, but it had finally reached the point where maintaining it was going to cost more than the payments on a newer vehicle.  It served me well for the 7 years that I drove it.

Surprisingly, my suggestion to get rid of the ‘97 Blazer and my ‘94 Silverado and consolidate down to a single newer pickup truck received full support from Becky.

For the most part, the decision to buy another pickup truck instead of a car was based on the fact that we heat our home with a wood burning stove.  I need a vehicle to haul firewood.  I’m always on the look out for a “score”.  A “score” being a tree that has been cut down (and many times cut up) and left for the taking.  Sometimes they are left left by the power company, other times they are left by the property owner.  Free wood is like money in the bank.  There were simply too many times that I would pass a good score in my blazer and wish that I had been driving my pickup truck so that I could stop and collect it.  My old pickup truck had issues of its own though, which was why I was usually driving the blazer.

The other part of the decision to buy a pickup truck instead of a car is the simple fact that I’m a truck guy.  I can’t help it, a nice truck will catch my eye any day.  In fact, my seeing an nice truck on the road has been known to totally derail a conversation.  My new pickup is a 2004 Chevy Silverado 4×4.  I absolutely love this truck.  In addition to the start of wood scrounging season, I’m really looking forward to loading it up and heading out for camping and fishing trips this summer.

I’m not a big fan of truck caps, but the one on it is too nice to get rid of.  I’m going to suspend a rack from the rafters in the garage to store the truck cap so that it will be out of the way.  At least I’ll have it if I need it.  After I take the cap off, I’ll be able to put to put on a set of bed rail covers and install my toolbox in the bed.

I’m also working on plans to install my radios and antennas.  New toys are fun.

Last week, Becky made a comment that she thought that Montana would be a great place to live.  I’d have to agree.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Ohio, but I have to be honest… The scenery here has nothing on the scenery in Montana.

I’ve always loved the outdoors.  I enjoy fishing and camping, and would like to hunt.  Montana is frequently described as an outdoorsman’s paradise.  According to information that I’ve found online, the entire state (forth largest in the US) has less people than the Columbus Metro area.

The consensus among my friends over at hearth.com is that they would move in a heartbeat.  The thought of relocating is a bit daunting, but quite exciting at the same time.  I’m not sure what the next steps are at this point, as I’m still trying to figure out if this is just a dream that is better left as such, or something that is worth pursuing.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

It was every bit as cool as I had expected it to be.  Nationwide Arena is a little small for trucks that size, but there was enough space for the drivers to show their stuff.  One thing I didn’t consider until we sat down was the sound.  Those trucks are LOUD!!!  If I ever get the chance to go again, I will certainly be taking ear plugs.

Our seats were pretty good, so I got my first chance to see a real monster truck, live and in person.  Out of six trucks, Grave Digger was the only one I recognized.  There was another truck called Stone Crusher, that looked similar to Big Foot, the reigning champion monster truck that I remember from my youth.  These things were huge.  The men on the ground barely stood as tall as the tires.  Like Bo and Luke Duke, the drivers climbed in and out through the windows.

In the breaks between the “rounds” of competition, they had a bunch of guys on quads who came out and raced their four wheelers.  There was also a “halftime” show with a bunch of RC trucks.  One of the RC drivers actually took his nitro powered model truck off the real trucks’ ramps.  Thats right, just like the real trucks!  Not only did the RC truck jump over multiple cars, one of those cars was a full sized van!

What would a monster truck ralley be without some damage?  We got to see one of the trucks blow a tire and mangle it’s front suspension.  They had to tow it out in order to get on with the show.  The entire show ended with Grave Digger rolling onto it’s side, flames burning from both front and rear axles.  What a great finale!