What are you passionate about?

I like that analogy...

Another reason is that my passion does NOT equal = I am world expert / savant.  It's just something i feel compelled to do and like doing and maybe end up with moderate skill.  

I get this! It's like making a friend a mixtape (back in the day) of your favourite songs and they don't like any of them. Heartbreaking!

I wonder if somewhere in our memories all the detailed information we learned is still lurking? Certainly the older I get the more I experience feeling like I definitely know something but can't retrieve it.

I used to run (was very bad at it but loved it until my knees went!) and would obsess over times and training, even though my main aim was usually not coming last. :)

I guess that's true of the internet in general. Getting tagged in Facebook photos without permission is a common one.

It's hard finding a balance between connecting with people and also keeping one's privacy.

I think he lived in Portland for a while as Quasi are from there and they were friends. 

The 2000 album was Figure 8. Very beautiful album.

I like The Shins too but haven't really listened to the Dandy Warhols.

My passions are so precious that I am wary of sharing them with people in case they say something bad about them or disagree with me. Imagine someone says something and you can never look at your passion the same way again. So bah humbug I'm not telling...

I attended a conference once about how data is scraped, traded and used by financial companies. So what, people say.. Well that was in 1994. It was impressive and terrifying in equal measures even then. Imagine how much more they can do now. I always take the few extra steps to protect my identity and details from public viewing. Don't own a club card or loyalty card, not due to paranoia but you are giving away rights to your data. 

And by the way... The dull industries such as insurance and life insurance... They have the most data. Social media is catching up but insurance companies have been tracking our lives, deaths and health since the 1940s.

There is a TV in my house but I have never operated it. My husband is the only user. On the other hand,  I can listen to the radio nearly 24/7

i have a terrible memory as well but you are probably picking up patterns, learning skills, and gaining experiences you can talk about. nothing beats being passionate about a subject.

I think we are curious by nature so self learning is very common. Keeps us busy and out of trouble. I used to like languages and found a book about Esperanto in the library and decided to teach myself that. Can't remember anything about it now. I don't have the autistic memory that others have .

When I was a keen runner I knew all the stars and the upcoming stars, records and times. Avidly read Athletics Weekly. I could only retain this info whilst being interested though. Now I no longer run I probably couldn't answer any athletics questions at a quiz . 

Mine has always been sport, however, over the last few years I have studied at uni and taken strongly to exercise physiology and doing very well, my brain just stores a lot of detail, but I also like biomechanics and physics, if I get the chance to talk about them it is hard for me to stop. I enjoy reading articles and books. I have a large collection of books and notes. If not that, then I probably exercise, lol. I enjoy learning all sciences though. Like I say, I used to be obsessed by football as a youngster, and quite good at it, but I still enjoy it and retain a lot of useless info, except for quizes. I also had quite an obsessive interest in music, and built a large cd collection. Fortunately, I have put a lot onto i-tubes or amazon music. My interest hasn’t spilled into playing yet, though I can play the guitar. I aim to take up some form of learning, even if self-directed. I find it a good use of creativity too, and relaxing.

I don't understand. Are you are saying I have no money because I buy everything targeted at me online? And it's always at a price I can afford? Why would you presume that?  It's simply because I'm out of work, not that I'm a spendthrift ;). 

I understand you are wary and that's OK to be. When you think about it, where would we be without advertising, targeted or not? How would you know where to buy something you need, whether goods or services? Our local community magazine has adverts for heating oil, logs and coal because most of us don't have gas. Is it wrong to 'target' people this way? I don't think so. 

Newspapers years ago would have targeted adverts suited to the readership.  It's just online now. 

In terms of personal data, the thing I hate is job application forms. Applying for lots of jobs will mean significantly more of your personal data is everywhere. Name, DOB, schools, qualifications, email, phone number, areas you have lived in, jobs you have done. When you consider the amount of jobs I have had my data could literally be available to thousands of people in the UK! 

You have no money to spend because everything you look at online from car insurance to holidays to Amazon prices are likely to be adjusted personally to maximize profit for the seller.   If they have all your information, they know exactly how much they can fleece you for everything.

If Big Brother was so benevolent, why do you think they are so desperate for your data?

Ahh, so that's what your concern is. Given I have no money to spend adverts are wasted on me.

I thought you were worried about more serious issues Plastic. Perhaps fraud, identity theft etc

There is targeted 'advertising' everywhere. Take your toddler to the shop and plastic crappy toys are at toddler height. Sweets are at the checkout. Buy something online and you get targeted advertising ( I presume you don't like buying online which is understandable given your concern).

My local Tesco know I have dogs (or enjoy eating dog food) and that I buy copious amounts of sweetcorn (however they don't know this is for my hens - or perhaps they have worked that out?). The trade off to using their clubcard is that I get money off the things I buy often and targetted advertising which I can choose to ignore. 

I live in the belief that Big Brother is not out to get us. 

Then you do not understand Targeted Advertising.

Well nothing's happened to me or mine since joining the website, other than good things. I haven't had my bank cards cloned, my identity stolen nor have MI6 been at my door - yet . 

I don't think people understand what they are throwing away and have no clue how much it is being used against them.   If they did, they would lock everything down.

Wow! Just because you have a problem with social media, the rest of us are selfish in satisfying our own desires. You are just slightly paranoid about Big Brother I think. 

Henpecked said:

When you think phone books used to have your name, address and phone number! 

I've always been ex-directory. 

My name may be available - but not the links to everyone else and dates of birth and relationships.   It's an enormous step in breaching personal data and privacy - all so someone else can satisfy their own desires.

Yes, we have had all sorts of fun meeting my husband's cousins from America. It has opened up our world. We met them in Edinburgh, visited the farm where the family lived in the 1800s in the Borders before most of them emigrated (my husband's director ancestor the only one who stayed in Scotland).

The cousins were invited into the farm where their family had lived 200 years ago and had a lovely chat with the current farmer. None of this would have been remotely possible without the website. 

As for the CIA I don't doubt it. I don't see why you should be at all worried that your name and your parents names could possibly be available on Ancestry. It's nothing that isn't available elsewhere. When you think phone books used to have your name, address and phone number!