Four for Friday Saturday

(link in blogroll)

Q1 - Pictures: Privacy groups in the United Kingdom want Google's 'Street View' service to go away. In support of the effort, residents of the village of Broughton in Buckinghamshire formed a human barrier to stop Google from photographing their village last week, expressing fears that an online display of the resulting images was an invasion of their privacy and would contribute to the facilitation of future crime. Would you object to Google's Street View vehicles driving through your neighborhood and taking and displaying on-demand pictures that included your home?

Oh, please. There is a link--at least in the U.S.--where you can ask that the view of your house be changed. Street View has been through my--semi-rural, by the way--neighborhood and there's literally NOTHING to see. We obviously weren't home at the time, but there's no datestamp (that I'm aware of) so I'm not bothered. It is a huge help in navigating to someplace you've never been to "streetview" the turns so you can see what the corners look like.

This makes me laugh, because CCTV is, literally, EVERYwhere in England. And these folks are worried about Google? Hah.

Q2 - Assurances: As we worry less about what car we drive to work and more about whether we have a job to drive to, car companies are throwing us a security blanket of sorts. Hyundai offers protection for new buyers who lose a job and can't make their monthly auto payment. General Motors, Ford, and Saturn recently followed with programs that provide varying degrees of protection to distressed customers. If you were in the market for a new car, would you be swayed by one of these assurance programs?

Nope. Non-issue. Moving on....

Q3 - Optimism: President Obama said this week that the U.S. economy is showing signs of progress as a series of his administration's policies begin to kick in, despite mounting unemployment and rising foreclosures. In remarks to reporters, the President said: "What you're starting to see is glimmers of hope across the economy," adding that it's too soon to make any firm pronouncements. Do you agree with the President's opinion?

Yes. Then again, I'm a sucker for optimism. But seriously, I do think there is a faint glint of sunlight at the end of the tunnel, which means we're still in the tunnel, mind you, but at least there are some signs that we will come out of it.

Q4 - Balance: Which of the following best describes how you generally handle your credit card balance at the end of each month: do you pay off the entire balance, make a partial payment, make a minimum payment, or do you not use credit cards?

Pay it off.
Every month.
For 20+ years--with just a few short-term exceptions.
My parents grew up in the Depression; it was ingrained in me never to owe 'too much' to a bank