Another metaphor for our times.
Somewhat to my surprise I find that I've only mentioned CSI once in these pages, and that in a very different context and only in passing. I found this strange because almost as popular as the constantly being watched metaphor is what I refer to as the CSI metaphor - that even the tiniest shred of evidence is capable of exposing the entire crime. Dirt left from the criminal's shoes, or pollen that has brushed off from his or her clothes, is able to pinpoint precisely where he or she was before the crime. It's not just DNA - everything has a distinct "signature" which sooner or later is going to give us away.
Interestingly, I find further corroboration of this idea
in what I guess can be called a continuation of the Joyce Hatto story referred to in the above link. Only a few months after referring to Hatto I mentioned the as-close-to-exact-as-I-guess-is-possible reproduction of Miles Davis' classic Kind of Blue album by the jazz group Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Not able to leave well enough alone, I listened intently to the new "version", and readily admit that to my ears it sounded just like the Davis original. However, I checked all of the cuts on both of the versions via Shazam, and each time Shazam correctly identified which one I was listening to.
Go to: Common knowledge, or
Go to: Ain't no need to hide, ain't no need to run.