Marathon Training
40 days to the Erie Marathon. And this is my last down week (i,e, scheduled break with reduced mileage & volume) in the 20 week marathon training. It is not only a break for the legs but also the mind as well.
Therefore no running today. Instead, I cross-trained: yoga for upper body strength.
Big Data & Politics
With Big data, businesses target their customers to find out their needs, preferences, and so on. The businesses know when, where, and how to push their goods. Thanks to the Big data and our voluntary relinquishing of personal data.
No problem. Right? Better products or services in exchange for the consumers’ hard earned dollars. What is not to like? The real danger however lies when the motive is beyond selling goods and services but to control our behaviors.
Take politics for instance. With 2020 election in mind, candidates will vie for voters’ eyeballs and ears. Deep pocketed campaign will utilize Big data to target voters with custom messages to win their votes. Case in point is Cambridge Analytica’s involvement with the Trump’s 2016 campaign.
And now we know how it feels being manipulated. Unlike buying something online, there is no money back guaranty nor return policy with election outcomes. The question is: Are we going to be sold again in 2020?
How can we be better or smarter from being manipulated?
Running with Buddha 