unexpected results

Today I announced on my Facebook account that I will be deleting my account from the service at a date in the near future. I’m not doing this as part of any larger statement or campaign; I’m simply no longer interested in maintaining my account.

Since everything on the internet requires a list, I’m including mine:

1. I Don’t Use It.  The most important reason for me to quit using Facebook is that I simply don’t use it.  When it first came out, Facebook was a nice way to keep tabs on my friends without having to do much.  Now, the information stream is overloaded.  Sure Facebook has tried to improve the process, but it’s also working to keep eyeballs on the screen for as long as possible.  I don’t have the energy for that.
2. I Do Use Complementary Technology.  The other social networks I use are more suited to my personality and lifestyle. 
   • Twitter represents more of a public converstation or a snapshot of the world as it is now; it’s a good way to snag a quick update without a long-term commitment to what’s been going on.
   • Google+ is more streamlined than Facebook, and it allows me to better control more long-term postings.  Plus, it has a nerdier/tech bent to it, which is more of what I’m looking for.  Also, it integrates with all the technology I’m already using.
   • Tumblr (this site) is for my long-form communications.  I’m not always the best at writing updates, but it is the most flexible platform I have.
3. I Don’t Like It.  In much the same way that AOL build a walled “internet” for the computer illiterates, Facebook works too hard to control how you interact with it.  Given the size and scope, it seems to be attracting a “lowest common denominator” aspect that I find off-putting.
4. It’s Only Going to Get Worse.  For years now, FB has made headlines regarding its bad privacy policy changes, arrogant CEO, and other forms of negative press.  With the prospect of an IPO a big possibility and the peverse incentive of FB to act in the short-term interests of its investors instead of being responsible to its customers likely, the situation will only get worse with time.
5. I Need a Fresh Start.  Facebook has a “notch-in-the-headboard” vibe to it; there is so much emphasis on acquiring more and more friends.  Of the 228 “friends” I have on FB, I think I’ve spoken to about a dozen of them in the last year.  Maybe it’s just because I’m anti-social, but it is all the more reason to pare down my list of contacts.

In a nutshell, I need to simplify my online presence.  Given the relative strengths of the other sites, something had to go.  Facebook just happened to be it.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a strong nostalgia for old computer technologies.  Old hardware, old software, or old ideas, they all appeal to me for some strange reason.  Even now, I spend time becoming proficient using software or tools that were obsolete 20 years ago.  For me, the value is not in the ability to utilize this skills in my career but to appreciate the evolution of current technology and learn more about how things used to be done.

What I’ve come to realize about a lot of the early computer science innovations is that they were making the absolute most out of a very limited set of resources.  At the dawn of the computer age, every little bit counted.  As a result, a lot of very, very clever programmers were able to develop some very, very clever technologies.  Memory was prohibitively expensive, so programmers learned to get by using very little memory and reusing it where they could.  We would not have the IT we have today if not for the creativity these early engineers had to use.

Now that I’m deployed, I’m starting to see some value in a number of these old techs.  I run a tactical communications network, so I know just how precious bandwidth can be.  Every megabit of bandwidth I can offer comes not only at great financial expense but is a precious resource that must be shared.   My systems are designed to absolutely push every last ounce of information out of my tubes.

While the current generation of commercial and consumer IT technology is quite impressive, it is not nearly as impressive as some of this early tech.  Waste, like everything else in the US, is the norm.  Because the costs have come down on computing resources, there is no longer the impetus to write tight, efficient code.  In my opinion, this lack of focus is not only waste of resources but the root cause of our computing security problems.

Silicon Valley hot-shots quite often forget that for most of the world, especially the developing world, broadband technology is not ubiquitous or cheap.  For those communities that have only begun to utilize computers and the internet, scarcity is still the order of the day.  To get megabytes of data is a challenge for many markets, and the terabytes of traffic Americans consume every day is simply unfathomable.

We would be well served to revert back to these old ways.  Information efficiency, like energy efficiency, is not necessarily about getting less; it’s about getting more out of a precious, finite resource.