World wide high tech paranoia

Maybe I'm paranoid.
But the other day, I took my laptop into my room and plugged in the wireless card and as it was loading up and getting a signal, it kind of freaked me out.
I mean, it was like realizing that 'they' can reach you where ever you. There are these air-fingers that you can't escape from. And while sure it's a communication technique, communication is a two-way street; if you can reach out and connect to "them" at will, are you sure "they" don't have the means to reach out and connect to you at "their" will?
Then I saw this story in Scientific American (here) that says "Printers can be hacked to catch on fire." Apparently, "Two researchers at Columbia University in New York say they've found a flaw in ordinary office printers that lets hackers hijack the devices to spy on users, spread malware and even force them to overheat to the point of catching fire."
I am well-known for arguing with my GPS. That I even have GPS is a little disturbing, because I assume if my GPS is connected to some system somewhere that can identify where I am at any given moment, my speed, and calculate my estimated time of arrival, then that same machine can report where I am, how fast I am going, and where I am going.
It's why I don't want OnStar. I recognize the benefits. I hear the commercials about people who have wrecks on deserted country roads or women who go into labor miles from the nearest hospital and by connecting with OnStar, you can talk to a real person who not only will send for help but will express empathy and humor while keeping you company or connecting you to a loved one while waiting for a resolution to the situation.
But the trade-off is ... you guessed it. OnStar also has the ability to determine where I am at any given moment.
It's not like I do anything that requires secrecy. Oh, maybe there was a time when I did (then again, maybe not). It's just that I don't like Big Brother having that kind of access to my life.
If I think about the fact that every key stroke on my computer can be recorded, every web site I visit noted - well, it's enough to understand those people you read about who put tin foil over all their windows, sit in the dark, and write in-decipherable formulas and sayings on the walls, floors, and ceilings of their hovels (they always live in hovels, don't they?).
I like my privacy. I like a little solitude. I'd be happy to find that gap in the cell phone coverage area where you don't get a signal and are therefore, as long as you stay in that exact spot, untraceable.
Or at least as untraceable as anyone can be in today's high-tech world.
Except that I go crazy when I don't have access to my cell phone.
It's a dilemma.

OK, I am paranoid.
I think paranoia can be instructive in the right doses. Paranoia is a skill.