It's a darn tough sell, but I threw them $5 - why not? If it comes together, it would be a fantastic Wikipedia-esque next-step of social networking. On the other hand, if Buzz can't do it...
The concern is there, but the difference is that I acknowledge and accept it. These guys are calling for the destruction of Google, which, to me, is a disproportionate response.
If things ever go wrong, well, then I'll suffer the consequences. But people demanding Google stop collecting this information is just crazy talk. Yes, Google is fast becoming a necessity because of its sheer usefulness, but it's by no means crossed the line and doesn't look like it will. If you're really that worried - just don't use Gmail, Gcalendar or any of those other things. Your Google searches will still be reasonably anonymous!
Honestly, it's rubbish like this that gives privacy advocates a bad name. Fight a battle worth fighting, for cryin' out loud.
That said, in the bigger picture, I think better decisions can usually be made with more information. That might include by terrorists, however, so whether or not those "better" decisions are in your interest is debatable, but the less restrictions on open speech the better, in general. IMHO!
(*) Counterexamples welcome...
Neither of the other articles includes a statistic, so I'd just assume there's a (more-than-just-statistically-)significant difference for now.
I just wonder what sort of pricing structure you'd need to justify that.
But a bike is a good alternative!
It's fun to watch people's faces as I go by, but it also helps motivate me to exercise - my brain is engaged learning at the same time as my legs are burning. Plus, geekily, I'm seeing a significant increase in my skill level, particularly on hills, which I'm cataloguing as best I can.
I highly recommend it!
"Engineering without management is art." -- Jeff Johnson