Get the Scoop!
My Aunt C (name changed to protect the guilty) is a very nosy woman. She knows everything that goes on in her house and everyone else's. Aunt C's mind is as sharp as a chef's blade and her memory is as long as Crystal Gayle's hair. Lucky for me -- and everyone else -- she's well into her 80s and computer technology hasn't been her thing. She still snoops the old-fashioned way. But I fear this is going to change. A few weeks ago she discovered that her local public library offered free computer courses and she signed up for three of them. She's already taken two classes and just loves "that enter-net."
Apparently, during one of the classes, Aunt C "overheard" a conversation (obviously one that she wasn't a part of) about Google Maps and its ability to zoom in on just about any location worldwide. Google Maps may not be news to the computer literate, but Aunt C is excited that she has free access to technology that lets her zoom in on people and events half way around the world.
That reminds me about a little addendum to this spy story. Several new start-up companies (Spock.com, Wink.com, zoominfo.com) have created more comprehensive ways to search for people online which includes photos mined from social networking sites and blogs. This is great if someone is trying to locate you to give you lottery winnings, or to tell you that your sixth cousin removed died and left you his title and castle in the Scottish Highlands. But this information could also be a gold mine for identity thieves, stalkers, and spammers. Of course there are ways to protect yourself.