How Many Calories in a Cookie?

​You cannot help but play with the word association for cookie when discussing the technical term cookie. Most of us know that a cookie is a small amount of data generated by a website and saved on your web browser. Its purpose is to remember information about you, similar to a preference file created by a software application.  In  my thinking we make similar type preference files with people in our lives.  We mentally and emotionally store bits and pieces of information that help us to identify them and their connection to us.  We store their settings and what they have viewed in our connections and conversations.  For those individuals close to us, we do not need to ask their login user name and password – we just start where we left off. And of course, they are collecting cookies about us.

TechTerm.com continues with a more detailed definition, “browser cookies come in two different flavors: "session" and "persistent." Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when the browser (brain, my view) is closed. These types of cookies are often used by e-commerce sites to store items placed in your shopping cart, and can serve many other purposes as well (I bet).  Persistent cookies are designed to store data for an extended period of time. Each persistent cookie is created with an expiration date, which may be anywhere from a few days to several years in the future. Once the expiration date is reached, the cookie is automatically deleted. Persistent cookies are what allow websites to "remember you" for two weeks, one month, or any other amount of time.”

This is where I see storing cookies getting weighty. “Most web browsers save all cookies in a single file, and the file is not meant to be opened manually.” “Single file” makes me think of linear, confined, in-the-box thinking. “Not meant to be opened manually” I see as locked in a preconceived fashion – a prejudiced view. Think of what often happens when family members, friends, or colleagues want to change a pattern of behavior, try something different.  Individuals become locked in a pattern of perception by others. “You’re not good at that sort of thing," or “you never follow through on anything.” Then there are the continual looping comments and attitudes that keep individuals from ever thinking of themselves in a different way. The small amount of data collected bothers me, too.  Much too often, we make assumptions about people with limited information. So the cookies basically become stored empty calories, not adding to the energy of an individual or group.

All the geeks agree that we should delete the cookies and temporary files stored on our browser (brain) frequently. This gives us refreshed and updated data, and clears away stored weighty bulk that slows down a system. However, the most important piece is the tracking of real-time log files of our own personal thoughts and emotions. This could certainly secure a loophole for hackers, or could be the energy for new ideas, fresh starts, and adventures. And if this is the case, who cares about the calories?

​Also, check out the cookie recipes!

As always, the SEARCH is on. Join me.