Semantically aware computer and phone viruses will make you stay honest

There are plenty of computer viruses out there that are designed to take over email accounts, facebook accounts, and phones.

Now, if this software were mated with software that extracted rudimentary semantic information from the content, you could have viruses that focus on blackmailing you by finding:

- Emails/messages/texts in which you discuss taking illegal drugs, your sexual exploits, how much you hate your job etc ... and then threaten to send them to your employer
- Emails/messages/texts in which you complain about a specific person... and then threaten to send them to that person.
- Emails/messages/texts showing evidence of infidelity... and then identify your significant other and threaten to send them a message

Viruses and blackmail are illegal and bad, but some part of me would smile at a virus writer who creates a weapon that you'd be immune to if you were living your life honestly and transparently. 

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I do believe that systems that encourage frequent self-revelatory posts (eg facebook, twitter, dodgeball, loopt) encourage transparency by making lying more difficult.  If someone tells another person that they can't hang out because they have to study and then starts posting about the awesome bar they're checking out with their friends later, the other person will catch on to the lie quickly. 

Book reports actually work

Yes, I believe grade school teachers knew what they were doing when they asked us to do book reports on books we read for class.  It wasn't just to prove we had read the book.

Looking back, most of the books I remember best from my childhood were the ones that we wrote reports on and talked about in class.  There are many other books that I remember liking or disliking but have no memory of the plot --- only the emotional imprint remains.  A few others made enough of an impression on me that I still remember much of the story despite having not written or discussed it with others. 

However, for the most part, the information from the unreported books is lost.  It seems in retrospect like it may have been a waste of time to read them -- hours of effort spent inserting information that simply faded away -- unless they positively impacted my personality or enhanced my map of human nature in ways I don't realize.

Most adults I know don't bother to write down, collect, or share their thoughts on books they read.  I think this is a pity.  I've recently started making an index card of notes on every book I read.  The process of making these notes improves my retention of the book's information, and referencing the note card later helps keep the material fresh.