[TriLUG] Google Fiber

[John Vaughters]

 It's just business folks. All of them are nefarious. TWC, Comcast, Google, etc. They are all fighting for our information. As a realist I have to accept that if I am going to use an ISP, my data is subject to review, my computers are subject to Gov. intrusion, whether my Gov. or some other Gov or crafty crackers. There is nothing new here since the Telegraph was invented, we have had to deal with intrusion. If I remember my history correct, there were some Telegraph operators that did well in stock markets. We are clearly at increasing levels of information, but the issue has not changed. The basic assumption must be that there are people that CAN read your data. If you do not hold that assumption, then I suggest that you are fooling yourself. Operate on that reality and your perception becomes, who can provide me the best service. That is not to say that you shouldn't do all you can do to prevent access. Mainly you are trying to keep the vast majority from the data. The few that have access to pretty much anything you do.... you cannot stop them if they target you. My assumption is if I stroke a key, it is view-able to the few. Protect yourself by not stroking keys for the few.
We have choices. Fork out the money and build our own network, or deal with reality of a public network. Plenty of large companies build their own networks if geographic means are available to them. 
I have to be a realist about the Yin/Yang relationship of all new technologies. I choose to move forward and I will tell you why. History is full of doom predictions about new technologies, but I generally have faith that we find a way to manage the negatives, because very little of the doom predictions lead to the destruction of humans. Historically, we deal with them appropriately. Not in a straight line, but long term we get it right. Will that continue? You decide. I say yes.
I have a saying, "The end of the world is always a few years away!"
In my lifetime and all the history I have read, this statement generally holds true in the sense that doom predictions always exist and will be soon. 
Did I say that I am a realist yet `,~)
John Vaughters