20100120 Your Digital Footprint (1)

Your Digital Footprint

How much information are you leaving behind?

It's Monday morning, and you're late for work. Instead　of walking as usual, you head straight to the subway. On the train, you use your cell phone to call a co-worker　about a meeting. Then you use your laptop and the　subway's Wi-Fi connection to update Facebook and catch up on your e-mails. When you finally get to your　office building's lobby, you swipe your ID card and zip up to your office. Without realizing it, you've left a trail of information easily accessible to others starting back at the subway station. This is your digital footprint.

Your digital footprint consists of all the information about you that is stored digitally. Why does this even matter? It matters because people you don't know have access to your information whether you like it or not. Your information can be divided into two categories - active and passive. Your active data is everything you've added to the digital universe, like personal details on Facebook and Twitter. Your passive data is the information about you that is being recorded without your knowledge.



Wi-Fi 無線網路
=> wireless internet

update v. 更新

zip v. 快速行動/迅速地通過
zip zipped zipped
eg: Mom always wants to zip through the duty-free shops before departure.
eg: A convertible zipped by us when we were about to cross the road.
=> 我們正要過馬路，有一輛敞篷車飛快地由我們身邊穿過。

digital adj. 數位的
digitally adv. 數位地
eg: All the customers' statements were digitally stored in the bank's main computer.
eg: The production line is controlled digitally.

passive adj. 被動的/消極的
eg: Women are sometimes educated to play a more passive role in relationships.

active adj. 主動的
Jake played an active part in this strike.


//== library ==//

catch up with someone 追上某人

catch up with someone
=> 遇到多年沒見的老朋友，也許會了解他的近況及過去一段時間他的生活，
=> 則會說catch up with someone


catch up 趕上進度
catch up on one's reading
=> 如果想在兩個星期內看完一本書，但是進度落後，則需要catch up on one's reading

catch up on your emails
=> 很多email等著你回覆，則你要catch up on your emails

catch up on one's sleep 補眠



//== Grammar on the Go ==//

It matters because people you don't know have access to your information whether you like it or not.

whether you like it or not 不管你喜不喜歡

eg: Whether she likes it or not, we're still going to have a birthday party for her.
eg: Whether you like it or not, I'm going to take your video games away.