In the first half, online privacy expert Katherine Albrecht joined George to discuss the rapidly evolving field of tracking technology including wearable tech. Albrecht says that people need to pay attention to where they allow any of their personal information to appear online. She mentioned the recent revelation of the Yahoo system hack, which she referred to as the "biggest security breach in the history of the internet." Quoting from an early book on the internet, Albrecht suggested that passwords are like toothbrushes: "don’t share them with others and replace them every six months." She pointed out that companies like Google exist solely to farm data from users and sell them to advertisers.
Albrecht warned that one of the most insidious ways that we give away our most personal information is through health tracking devices and other wearable tech like smart watches. These electronics monitor vital signs, stress levels, etc. and are not subject to the privacy laws that govern standard medical records. The data can be accessed by insurance companies and others without the user’s direct consent. She also believes the biblical prophecy of people not being able to buy and sell unless they have the "mark of the beast" on their heads or hands is coming true through our adoption of personal electronics, and continuing with the introduction of implantable electronics. She also suggested that if they can, people should use Linux-based operating systems for the best security online.
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Mark Mirabello, Ph.D., is a professor of history at Shawnee State University in Ohio. He has appeared on Ancient Aliens and America’s Book of Secrets. In the second half, he discussed beliefs from many different cultures on the soul, heaven, hell, and reincarnation and other aspects of the afterlife. Mirabello began by stating that he "doesn’t really doubt" that we survive bodily death. He looks to the eastern religions for what he believes are more accurate versions of what happens when we die. He said that the ancient Greeks believed that birth was the most terrible experience in life, while death was actually easy or even pleasurable. Mirabello described the Jainist religion in India, which looks at our existence as eternal, while the Western religions see a beginning at birth and life in the hereafter as an end.
He discussed the instructions for passage to another realm during death as listed in the famous Tibetan Book of the Dead. The main idea, Mirabello said, is that the soul takes 49 days to complete the process of dying and being reborn. During his time, we supposedly pass through many realms that are either heavenly or frighteningly hellish. The point is to remain calm and detached through this process so that the soul may pass into its next incarnation. We must remain "alert, awake, and focused" through the entire experience, and Mirabello suggested that narcotics or painkillers are not recommended for this process because they could dull awareness when it is needed the most. He believes that the universe and reality are created by our expectations and that people probably experience death as their faith or expectations dictate.