Archive for August, 2009
The Strangest D&D Game of All
Here’s a fascinating new interview with the two creators behind “Eclipse Phase,” a weird role-playing game which “expands the transhuman conversation”. Its spookiest concept is probably universal surveillance when “everything is networked and equipped with sensors and all meshed
together.”
But it raises other mind-bending political and moral dilemmas. All the characters can be identical clones, and “when you switch bodies, it affects your core characteristics. Of course, this damages your sanity. (Especially after-death insanity, or the trauma of occupying non-human bodies.) And if an octopus mind gets uploaded into a human body, watch out!
It raises what may be the ultimate question. With humanity on the edge of extinction, “how do you use the technology? How much do you change yourself?”
Sibel Edmonds: The Poisoned Well
Today in our nation, with the help of the mainstream media and the pseudo alternative-media alike, anyone who dares NOT to drink from the well poisoned by the establishment corruption, greed, abuses and lies, tainted foreign policy agenda, and cover-ups, is destined to find himself stuffed into the same bucket of crazies, loonies, the mad and insane.
Do you want me to be a bit more specific? My pleasure.
Since I recently posted excerpts from Representative Ron Paul’s speech titled ‘Is America a Police State?’ let’s start with him. During his Presidential candidacy he was consistently, and falsely, marginalized as Anti-Semite, racist, extremist, radical, and many other pejorative adjectives. Who did that? Not only the mainstream media, but also those pseudo alternatives who happen to be the extension of the same establishment media only with a different front/mask. These adjectives and intentional marginalization were used for other candidates as well. Whether it…
FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds Finally Testifies Under Oath
High-ranking officials from the Bush Administration named in her testimony, as part of the criminal conspiracy on behalf of agents of the Government of Turkey, include Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz, Marc Grossman, and others.
During the deposition — which we are still going through ourselves — Edmonds discusses covert “activities” by Turkish entities “that would involve trying to obtain very sensitive, classified, highly classified U.S. intelligence information, weapons technology information, classified Congressional records … recruiting key U.S. individuals with access to highly sensitive information, blackmailing, bribery.”
Werewolves as Evil Sorcerers
“(Werewolves) are certayne sorcerers, who having annoynted their bodies with an ointment which they make by the instinct of the devil, and putting on a certayne inchaunted girdle, does not only unto the view of others seem as wolves, but to their own thinking have both the shape and nature of wolves, so long as they wear the said girdle. And they do dispose themselves as very wolves, in worrying and killing, and most of humane creatures.”
This description, from the fifteenth century, of spells to transform oneself into a werewolf reminded me of a modern version of such a satanic ritual from The Devil’s Notebook by Anton Szandor LaVey, in the chapter entitled How to Become a Werewolf…
Werewolves as Evil Sorcerers
“(Werewolves) are certayne sorcerers, who having annoynted their bodies with an ointment which they make by the instinct of the devil, and putting on a certayne inchaunted girdle, does not only unto the view of others seem as wolves, but to their own thinking have both the shape and nature of wolves, so long as they wear the said girdle. And they do dispose themselves as very wolves, in worrying and killing, and most of humane creatures.”
This description, from the fifteenth century, of spells to transform oneself into a werewolf reminded me of a modern version of such a satanic ritual from The Devil’s Notebook by Anton Szandor LaVey, in the chapter entitled How to Become a Werewolf. . .
The Fast Food Industry’s 7 Most Heinous Concoctions
Brad Reed, AlterNet: Some of America’s favorite chains have concocted some thoroughly repellent dishes that make the Double Quarter Pounder look like a celery stick.
In recent years, in fact, some of America’s favorite chains have gone above and beyond the call of duty and concocted thoroughly repellent dishes that make the Double Quarter Pounder look like a celery stick. These companies have offered Americans these revolting meals despite the fact that roughly one-third of the country is now obese, a deplorable state of affairs that accounting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers estimates costs the U.S. health-care system $200 billion a year in wasted spending.
In this article, we’ll name and shame the very worst offenders, whether they’re 1,400-calorie hamburgers or 550-calorie cups of coffee. So let’s get things rolling with…
No. 7 — The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Sundae: Two years ago, the brain trust at Krispy Kreme decided to answer the age-old question of how…
‘Mars Spectacular’ Email Hoax Making Its Yearly Round
Andrew Fazekas,National Geographic: An email promising a “Mars spectacular” on August 27 has astronomers seeing red, as scientists try to counter a seemingly unending Mars hoax. The anonymous message from an unknown part of the globe says that the red planet “…will look as large as the full moon” in the night sky, and that “no one alive today will ever see this again.”
The claim has been bombarding people’s inboxes worldwide every summer for five years. Today the Mars hoax has grown into a kind of cyber legend—one that astronomers are still struggling to debunk. “The possibility of seeing Mars as large as the moon strikes the imagination,” said Marc Jobin, staff astronomer at the Montréal Planetarium in Quebec.
In reality, astronomers say, Mars will never be more than a brilliant orange-colored star to the naked eye, as seen above at right in a picture of the December 2007 sky over…
Scientist Writes ‘Ideal’ David Bowie Song
Newslite: An academic has used a scientific analysis of David Bowie’s career to write a song which would a be guaranteed chart success for the star. Using something called Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, Dr Nick Troop compared the language used and success in the charts of all of Bowie’s 26 albums and 266 songs.
The Psychology expert from the University of Hertfordshire found that songs with positive emotion and social processes had been the artists more successful. Based on his findings the Bowie fan then penned a song ‘Team, Meet Girls; Girls, Meet Team’ which he claims (according to psychological theory) should lead to success if Bowie was to release it. As that seems unlikely, Dr Troop has recorded it himself — complete with faux Bowie vocals — and put it on YouTube … something tells me the whole research was an excuse for him to do this.
The Last Days of Aleister Crowley
Yes, I realize that I nicked this from Boingboing.net. Very good article still.
‘ There was a choice of rooms and Crowley opted for number 13, which was at the front of the house. ‘He wanted to go into that one,’ she remembered. ‘It was furnished in the same way as most of the other rooms. There was a large wardrobe, a writing table, a bookshelf and a single bed, as well as a bathroom and toilet. He put up quite a lot of pictures, including several he had painted in the Himalayas.’
Crowley brought with him some special gold coins, which he claimed had magic powers and was anxious about keeping safe, and a ‘box of (I Ching) sticks’. He made frequent use of the latter. ‘When he had an appointment for the dentist, for instance, he threw the sticks in the air. And once he called me and said, “Phone…
Mass Mind Control is Upon Us — It’s Time to Awaken Your Consciousness
Nathan Janes, PUPAGANDA.com: Many people may not realize that when they turn on the television in their home, what they see as a constant flow of images is actually flickering. Although we do not see this consciously, the repetitive pattern of flickering images creates a state that is similar to hypnosis in the television viewer.
Studies by researcher Herbert Krugman have shown that within 30 seconds of television viewing, brain waves switch from predominantly beta waves, indicating alert and conscious attention, to predominantly alpha waves, indicating an unfocused, receptive lack of attention. The brain’s left hemisphere, which processes information logically and analytically, tunes out while the person is watching TV, while the right hemisphere of the brain, which processes information emotionally and non-critically, is allowed to function without hindrance.
Due to this phenomenon, television transmits information, which is not actively thought about at the time of exposure, much like hypnosis. When viewing…
Robot-Leg Pogo Stick Jumps 9 Feet. But What Happens on the Moon?
A new pogo stick jumps 9 feet using legs developed for running robots! (It replaces the stick’s spring with a fiber-reinforced “bow” that was developed at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics institute.)
But here’s the best part. One scientist even suggests robots could use its “BowGo” technology in the zero-gravity of the moon. “Hopping many meters above ground level, the robot would have an excellent view of the terrain…”
And even better: the views from multiple angles “would provide a precise baseline for generating 3D vision data…”
Battle of the Self-Mutilating Amphibians
Susannah F. Locke: In one corner, we have the “hairy” frog, Trichobatrachus robustus, hailing from Cameroon. In the other corner, meet the Spanish ribbed newt, Pleurodeles waltl, hailing from the Iberian peninsula.
Which skin-busting, bone-poking amphibian will win the PopSci deathmatch?
Our frog contender, when provoked, contracts muscles in its front feet, which causes clawlike bones to cut through its skin. The hairy frog’s skin and artery strands that hang off its torso like a beard during mating season (thought to help it absorb more oxygen) are a fright to many humans, although it might not have any effect on hypothetical newt assailants.
The other contender, the newt, pushes its ribs to the side until their pointy ends pierce through its skin, producing a row of barbs, say scientists who published a study of the little beast last week. These barbs are poisonous because the newt secretes a deadly chemical on its skin,…
New Research Examines How Career Dreams Die
Jeff Grabmeier, PhysOrg: A new study shows just what it takes to convince a person that he isn’t qualified to achieve the career of his dreams.
Researchers found that it’s not enough to tell people they don’t have the skills or the grades to make their goal a reality.
People will cling to their dreams until they’re clearly shown not only why they’re not qualified, but also what bad things can happen if they pursue their goals and fail.
“Most people don’t give up easily on the dreams. They have to be given a graphic picture of what failure will look like if they don’t make it,” said Patrick Carroll, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University at Lima.
The findings are especially relevant now as students prepare for an uncertain job market and they, along with their teachers and guidance counselors, try to find the best career…
American Weapons in the Hands of the Taliban
Michael Crowley: Our allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan are using our money to pad their pockets — or worse, giving it to terrorists.
A platoon of U.S. soldiers crouched in the darkness of Afghanistan one night last April, awaiting a group of approaching Taliban fighters. The men of Second Platoon, Company B, had spent nine months fighting in the area, near the Pakistan border, and 11 of their members had been injured or killed. This time, Company B was primed for revenge. When the Taliban came close enough, the Americans hit them with automatic-weapons fire and grenades, mowing down at least a dozen enemy fighters. It was a decisive victory. But afterward, the troops made a startling discovery.
A check of 30 magazines taken from the dead insurgents’ rifles found that at least 17 held ammunition that bore the distinctive factory stamps of U.S. suppliers in California and the Czech Republic. The…
2030: A Perfect Storm of Food, Water and Energy Shortages?
Alex Emerson, US Infrastructure: The world’s population is growing, food supplies are diminishing, water supplies are becoming more scarce, the ice caps are melting, prices are rising. Things one could argue, are looking bleak — and it looks like they’ll be looking bleaker.
According to Sir John Beddington, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, all these factors will come together to form a ‘perfect storm’ disaster in the year 2030.
In 21 years time, the world’s population will have increased by a third, rising to 8 billion people. In response, demand for food will increase by 50 percent, water by 30 percent and energy by 50 percent. All these factors will come together to create a problem much more serious than the sum of its parts.
Remembering Ted Kennedy’s 2002 Speech Against The Iraq War
Jason Linkins, HuffPo: As the press labors today to capture the life and legacy of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, it will be interesting to see if anyone makes mention of Kennedy’s response to one of the singular events of recent years — the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq. On September 27, 2002, Kennedy gave a speech at Johns Hopkins’ Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. concerning the war.
Kennedy’s speech is astoundingly prescient, to put it mildly:
“Let me say it plainly: I not only concede, but I am convinced that President Bush believes genuinely in the course he urges upon us. And let me say with the same plainness: Those who agree with that course have an equal obligation — to resist any temptation to convert patriotism into politics. It is possible to love America while concluding that is not now wise to go to…
There Are More Slaves Today Than at Any Time in Human History
Terrence McNally, AlterNet: One writer spent four years inside the world of modern-day slavery; an industry that produces huge profits and countless wasted lives.
The world suffers global recession, enormous inequity, hunger, deforestation, pollution, climate change, nuclear weapons, terrorism, etc. To those who say we’re not really making progress, many might point to the fact that at least we’ve eliminated slavery.
But sadly that is not the truth. One hundred forty-three years after passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and 60 years after Article 4 of the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights banned slavery and the slave trade worldwide, there are more slaves than at any time in human history — 27 million.
Today’s slavery focuses on big profits and cheap lives. It is not about owning people like before, but about using them as completely disposable tools for making money. During the four years that Benjamin Skinner researched…
White Supremacist Radio Host, on the Payroll of the FBI, Calls for the Lynching of Cynthia McKinney
Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney sent an email around on Sunday in which she wrote:
“[I]t has just now come to my attention that a ‘journalist’ who suggested that I be lynched was actually being paid by our own government to say that. Now, when I reported it to the FBI, how in the world was I to know that he was at that time on the FBI’s payroll?”
“Hate blogger” Hal Turner’s lawyer said last week, and prosecutors agreed, that Turner was “trained by the FBI on how to be deliberately provocative” and “worked for the FBI from 2002 to 2007 as an ‘agent provocateur’ and was taught by the agency ‘what he could say that wouldn’t be crossing the line.’”
. . .
John Judge, who worked for McKinney, writes of Turner:
“This is the guy who announced a program topic suggesting that Cynthia McKinney be lynched on her way to the polls to…
Long-Range Taser Reignites Safety Debate
Paul Marks: The manufacturer of the Taser stun gun is sparking new controversy with the commercial launch of a long-range version that can be fired from a 12-bore shotgun.
Government-funded tests on initial versions of the new Extended Range Electronic Projectile (XREP) have revealed possible health risks to people on the receiving end. The manufacturer, Taser International of Scottsdale, Arizona, says the issue has been addressed in redesigned devices, but these have been yet to be independently tested.
Unlike the current Taser X26, which fires darts attached to short wires, the XREP is wire-free. It’s projectile, the size of a shotgun cartridge, is designed to pierce the target’s skin and contains battery-powered circuits that deliver a debilitating shock. It has a range of 20 metres or more, compared with 5 metres for previous Tasers.
