A genuine interest

[azekeil]

Today I popped into the new Tesco supermarket that opened today on the business park where I work. It was actually quite difficult to find a space. So it seems "Build it and they will come" is too true.

Anyway, I saw a paper shredder being marketed with the phrase "Protect yourself against Identity Theft" on it. This was a little surprising to me, but nevertheless got me thinking. I realised that my perspective is one of a geek, and I have little knowledge of how non-geeks think and what things they are concerned with. I therefore have a question to put to all my non-geeky friends: What concerns do you have in everyday life - what worries you? I'm not really talking about social problems, more legislation, safety, money.. that sort of thing. Feel free to answer anonymously if you wish.

Geeks can answer if they wish but for the sake of clarity please specify if you self-identify as a geek or not :)

Comments

[diffrentcolours]

Rather than attempt to answer, I'll just point out that I've seen TV adverts being run to raise people's awareness of the issue of identity theft, with some impressionist in, which advised people to purchase a shredder and use it for disposing of sensitive documents.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I suppose.

[gerald_duck]

What would non-geeky friends be doing on LJ? :-p

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

:P

[oholiab.livejournal.com]

I tend not to worry. I feel uncomfortable whenever I have to organise myself. I am a geek.

[nina321.livejournal.com]

I think I'm toward the non-geek end of the spectrum, but certainly not completely un-geek.
I worry about getting ill, about bad things happening to my friends and family, about my house being robbed, about people driving into me and about running out of money.

I think the house and car thing come under the category of "things I own getting damaged or lost" and family and friends under the category of "welfare of others".

Why, what do you worry about? I certainly don't worry about identity theft... Funny story about that though.

A couple of years back, I tried to start a new contract at the carphone warehouse. He had my switch card and drivers license, as they need to see two proofs of ID or something, and he typed various things into the computer and did a search.
What he failed to type in was my forename. He found my mum, same surname, same address, changed her DOB to nearly mine, he even got that wrong, changed Mrs. to Miss and submitted the rest as is.

Mum got a phone call from orange saying someone had been trying to open an account under her name, and perhaps she should run a credit check as someone was clearly trying to steal her identity, and perhaps she should see if this person had done anything else.
She ran this, it cost £50, we eventually figured out what was going on.

So yeah, identity theft is something that doesn't really worry me.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

I worry about finances and repairs. That's about it really. Pretty much everything else I proactively manage to not cause me worry.

[miss_squiddy]

Watch 'The Real Hustle' on the BBC. Nothing is safe. Ever ever ever.

[growf.livejournal.com]

Geek here. Pretty much my only concern is random, unprovoked violence. There's an awful lot of it that's observable from my flat's window on a Saturday night and, really, the whole concept terrifies me pretty much constantly. My sole defence is running away and that's fairly limited in practice.

As someone who's been conned, mugged and twice burgled, I don't worry about losing stuff or needing to explain my way out of someone else's ill-doing. I'm just a physical coward, that's all.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yes I seem to remember you've had bad luck as far as that goes. Strange to say I don't worry about it - but is that because I have worried about it and carefully choose where I live so as not to be under any significant threat from those things?