Thelma Jones, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Minnie Riperton, Nancy Wilson, Aretha Franklin and more...

Oddfellows Hall

More info on this amazing set here

Corporate Espionage is a Problem

As part of my work I get to look at a lot of very senior technology profiles. The number one identity involved with commercially available intercept, monitoring and snoop technology are Israelis and dual passport Zionists. 

Now mathematically that raises a question. If they were all Welsh or Moroccan (a similar sized country chosen at random), would anybody think it's worth asking a question. Is this power and influence disproportionate to population size?

In my experience people are obsessed with numbers and turn a blind eye when entrained to do so.

The PENTAGON™ - A Bloody Gravy Train

U.S. citizens aren't able to speak critically and openly about the Pentagon's budget which is larger than the rest of the world combined and has killed more foreign peoples than any other country in history.

There are a brave few dissidents in the United States who have spoken out and faced the wrath of the omnipresent and sleepless internal security services (D.H.S & N.S.A) but they are subjected to smear campaigns, dirty tricks or even detained by the police state.

This intimidates the public to stay silent in public and online and probably privately too as it only takes an email to the Department of Homeland Sicherheitdienst ....erm I mean security to place them under surveillance or warrant a visit to the workplace which threatens careers.

Douglas Dietrich worked for the Department of Defence at The Presidio and is a radical historian who was charged with destroying the Pentagon's records that they, like the Soviet and People's Army didn't want their populations to know. Fortunately for us he did his best to observe the historical records that were being bulk incinerated.

By establishing which  of the stories Dietrich (and we) can independently verify we learn some amazing history that will blow your mind. It's rock and roll history and will not suit those who are living the American illusion...erm ...dream.

2007

Its drawing towards the end of the year now and what a year its been - I'll never forget 2007 AD because it came fully loaded with really good people, terrific connections, quality conversation and deeply interesting times - I can't say that about every year. There have been a few turkeys.

All the people I went out of my way to meet this year were both digitally-literate and networked to the hilt. I've been pondering recently that in theory I could go missing, and still feel confident that it wouldn't take me more than a few days to get back up to speed; what's new, where to look, what's interesting, where its developing. I'd probably never ditch Twitter though even if I do try a spell as a Benedictine monk. There's nothing in their rules on a vow of silence preventing an SMS of what I'm doing! 

What am I trying to say? I think this augmented extension of the self through the internet, can provide an ability to repair foolishly untended relationships quite quickly. That I think this nascent network in 2007 is invaluable in terms of digitally experiential relationships, and probably seminal in terms of human relationships. There's nothing quite like meeting the characters behind the keyboard. It doesn't matter about the country or the culture. I think this new social pattern is a different process than say being disconnected from your mates, since you left school and then the internet kicking off and finding Classmates.com or Friendsreunited.com rudely interrupting the illusion we hold of ourselves. The one that we have built in the absence of continuous partial attention reminding us of who we all actually are. I think this says bundles about the difference between the digital natives and the digital immigrants. I find it fascinating that in the future there will be no people like some of us immigrants who have the benefit of both hindsight and I hope a little digital foresight...... But I'm not planning on going anywhere. There's just way too much interesting stuff going on. 

You could do no better than look at Johnnie Moore's recent post about David Snowdon which reaffirms what I think is a profound change for 21st century communications. There is the notion that we are rewiring our brains to do what they always did best anyway; absorb lots of loosely connected information and build a picture from that which equates to a much closer representation of reality than the one that 20th century hierarchically driven monologue and the militantly linear and didactic process that the scientific method dispensed us. Oh shit, that sounds like an intellectually conceited mouthful doesn't it? I do go off on one occasionally. Sorry about that. 

An easier way to understand all this might be to highlight that humans are designed for chit chat. We absorb stuff much better that way. Anyway I didn't know I was going to go down this path when I set out on this post because I find blogging about communication theory a little bit like complaining about the food not being salty enough when the salt mill is to hand. But I am very grateful that some people have been paying attention because I'm (it should be we, but I don't want to sound like I'm aping Wallpaper), are just a little bit chuffed that Punk Planning made it into Campaign's top ten blogs. We're also deeply indebted to people like Rob Campbell from Musings of an Opinionated Sod for showing the rules and conventions that can be broken, while still being able to spot the corporate/agency stench of bullshit from leagues and furlongs away. Opinionated Sod! We salute you :)