In these strange times we find ourselves in, are you taking more or less time to catch up on the myriad newsletters you subscribe to? I think my level of engagement is about the same as pre-pandemic (oh, the good-ole days) and from what I can tell on LinkedIn, it seems people are still participating — at least on that platform.

If you’re reading this, is it because you have more time on hand? Or are you feeling more compelled now to explore your online tools?

Of course, with everyone now working from home, many of us are forced to use online tools to try and keep going. The New York Times published an editorial this week in which they argued that everyone’s higher level of engagement in using these tools is coming at a cost: the loss of privacy. It’s worth reading. So much so, I’m not going to summarize it here, but be sure to check out the link above.

Another newsletter I subscribe to is The Buzzer by CBC. It’s a daily email summarizing interesting sports stories. I just received today’s edition now, took a break from writing the digest, and was glad I did. They wrote about how, in the near future, one way you might be allowed to attend sporting events is to prove you are immune from COVID-19. The idea being that you will be tested and issued a digital certificate of immunity that would get scanned, just like your ticket, before entering the event. Link to the story here if you’re interested in reading more. It’s a whole other take of the “get out of jail free” card, I guess.

Is it me or does that sound a little creepy to you? Even Orwellian, perhaps? One can just start imagining other changes — which may sound minor, but aren’t — in the not-so-distant future.