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As a matter of historical analysis, the relationship between secrecy and privacy can be stated in an axiom: the defense of privacy follows, and never precedes, the emergence of new technologies for the exposure of secrets. In other words, the case for privacy always comes too late. The horse is out of the barn. The post office has opened your mail. Your photograph is on Facebook. Google already knows that, notwithstanding your demographic, you hate kale.

The Samsung example is just the latest privacy-related concern involving smart TVs - many of which routinely require users to agree to having their viewing data sent back to the TV maker and shared by them with advertisers and others simply in order for them to gain access to the service. But the clarity of wording in Samsung's privacy policy is impressive - given it amounts to a warning not to talk about private stuff in front of your telescreen because multiple unknown entities can listen in.

We, the public, have looked on, at first horrified, then cynical, then bored by the revelations, by the well-meaning but seemingly useless protests. But what is the personal and psychological impact of this loss of privacy? What legal protection is afforded to those wishing to defend themselves against intrusion? Is it too late to stem the tide now that scenes from science fiction have become part of the fabric of our everyday world?

Parks and Recreation has never shied away from addressing real-world topics and the intricacies of geek culture. But a small time jump (this season takes place three years after the last) has given it the ability to comment on our society like true science fiction. And I'm not kidding when I say sci-fi. Everyone on the show now carries transparent smartphones and tablets that have the ability to project holograms (which seems crazy, but it's something that we may see soon). Plus, there are those aforementioned drones flying around and delivering unwanted packages, an obvious play on Amazon's very real, very fantastical drone concept.

Despite myriad health information standards and a landmark law to protect patient privacy, it appears insurance giant Anthem (ANTM) didn't encrypt personal data of 80 million of its customers, according to several news reports.

It's been a long time since there was a true generation gap, perhaps 50 years-you have to go back to the early years of rock and roll, when old people still talked about "jungle rhythms." Everything associated with that music and its greasy, shaggy culture felt baffling and divisive, from the crude slang to the dirty thoughts it was rumored to trigger in little girls. That musical divide has all but disappeared. But in the past ten years, a new set of values has sneaked in to take its place, erecting another barrier between young and old. And as it did in the fifties, the older generation has responded with a disgusted, dismissive squawk. It goes something like this: