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Issue #227: November 27, 2011

Q: I’m being prompted almost daily to install os 5.0 for my iPhone. The description says it will back up my info to The Cloud. I would prefer to keep my personal info – contacts, calendar, etc. – between me, my iPhone and my laptop. Am I being paranoid? If I don’t install 5.0, am I forever stuck with my current os?

– Marianne K.
Destin, Florida

A: I don’t think you’re being paranoid, Marianne, but I also don’t think you fully understand the nature of the mysterious Cloud. Frankly, neither do I (who does?) but I’ll be happy to give you my take on it, and answer your question. I’m sure I’ll either put your mind at ease, or scare you away from the Internet for the rest of your life.

The so-called “Cloud” is really nothing more than servers on the Internet. I’d be willing to bet that you already have a substantial amount of information floating around in the cloud that you rarely even think about. Do you shop online with a credit card? That information is in the cloud. Do you do any online banking? That’s the Cloud. Any monthly bills automatically drafted from your checking account? Cloud. Do you use any social media, such as Facebook or Twitter? Cloud. Even e-mail – particularly webmail – is a form of data in the cloud. These are obvious examples that require you to actually do something to put your data online. There are others that aren’t so obvious, and happen outside your control. If you own a home, have a credit card, use a cell phone, or have pretty much any kind of financial account, you’re in the cloud somewhere. It’s nigh impossible to stay OUT of the cloud these days. However, we rely on the companies to whom we entrust our personal data to keep it secure. Most of the time they do, but the news is constantly filled with examples of spectacular data breaches where people’s data are compromised, often with financially disastrous results.

Apple’s iCloud is no more revealing than any other cloud service. What they are offering is merely a simplified way of connecting your iPhone to other devices. For example, take a picture, create a contact, or purchase music on one device, and it automatically appears on all of your iCloud-connected devices. Not everyone else’s – just yours. It’s not as if Apple will be posting your contact list and photos for the world to browse at their leisure. The upgrade to iOS 5 that you asked about? It does not force you to use iCloud – you can disable it if you want. But if you refuse iOS 5.0 (which is now 5.0.1, by the way) then yes, you pretty much lock yourself out of any future updates. Whether you want iCloud or not, I highly encourage you to just go ahead with the update, because iOS 5 includes a lot of other nice new features.

Shameless Plug: This is one of the most exciting weekends of the year for me, as I put the finishing touches on The Geek Lights on the Corner so it can make its annual debut on Monday, November 28th at 6:00 PM at the corner of Bluewater Blvd and Antiqua Way in Bluewater Bay. This will be our 4th annual show season, and as always, it promises to be bigger and better than ever. For those of you unfamiliar with G.L.O.T.C., it is far more than just someone decorating their house with a lot of lights. This is a full-on computer driven Christmas lights and music show. Each show is just under 30 minutes long, and there is a story at the beginning, so to get the most out of it, you don’t want to miss the first couple minutes. The best time to arrive is a few minutes before the hour or half hour. You needn’t rush right out to see it on the first night. Shows run every single night from November 28th to January 2nd. That’s 36 show nights this year, with eight shows per night Sunday – Thursday, and 10 shows per night on Fridays and Saturdays. For complete show information, including directions, up-to-the-minute weather cancellations, back-lot information, and more, visit the show’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/GeekLightsontheCorner. When you arrive, please find a safe place to park that is not directly in front of the display, or in any of our neighbors’ yards or driveways, and come stand next to the lighted barricade in our viewing area. Oh, and if you see some goofball running around in a lighted hat, saying hi to all the kids, be sure and holler “Hey, Geek!” I hear he loves that.


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