"sharpening the contradictions"

Probably the most cognizant article I've yet read regarding the attack in France Takeaway line: Extremism thrives on other people’s extremism, and is inexorably defeated by tolerance.

you don't see Harry Potter readers committing acts of terror

there are indications that new ideas are moving to the forefront in social discourse enough that I'm growing interested in waking this blog back up

this blog is not dead

it is dreaming. \

marijuana as medicine - videos

in and out the chakras we go - todd rundgren

Something designed to wake up change agents?

i've always been leery of the alternate reality game

i find the notion that some people agree to do things they'd never otherwise consider at the urging of some other people whom they may never actually meet in any way other than virtual

clearly this is a space wide open for exploitation

think, for a minute, about the implications of a big data game tied into specific movements of an individual through a narrative sequence and a storyworld mapped to their geophysical space

an augmented reality live action role playing game

talk about bread and circuses with a few insect drone harvesters and we're two generations from the matrix - or that dim apocalyptic future in which Earth Quest Adventures finally gets built.

Be that as it may, and as odd as that social formation sounds - the ability to network a bunch of agents in the field through a narrative framework then provide a soup of mediated code to distribute - using otherwise innocuous technology (think wifi from a lightbulb) - that could be the holy grail of gaming

to game an entire world - turn the earth into a chess board

jk no one would ever be up to something like that

So yeah - I've always been a bit leery of the alternate reality game, mainly because I'm clearly already playing a few too many of them.

Discordianism is an ARG - in a sense, that's the big reveal - a glimpse behind the frop to the blue tinged goddess revered as chaos these change agents watch this sequestration of her nature through this lense, but discordia is more tangential to chaos - Eris is a coyote soul - her howls are rips in the fabric of space and time where new, tentacled weeds can grow. Do not place her next to the smiler Dobbs and expect them to be equals, she hatches plots long forgot by yetisan scholars, whomever they be friend or foe, yo - she will bomb the orgy. Discordianism is the alternate reality behind all religions - that gods by and large are as much of a squamulous laggard as any given town council.

To say that the worship of Eris is an alternate reality game would not be untrue - in that she plays back at you. But even more importantly, the alternate reality game that fractals in on the 23 current is as vibrant now as it was years ago. Certain 'hashtags' have been coded into society for years - representations of the like-minded, signifying to find the others. Playing along with Eris, the Principia Discordia, and all the attendant materials which have cultivated and deepened the Discordian Religion become a game you play with yourself and those also in on the game - it can be a serious game, but it often feels more like a disposable superstition, anchored to very specific observances, and flax.

However, adapting a set of beliefs, be they in service of a game's borders of narrative, or in service to a religious observance - or societal role, political party, emotional labor for your family or lover - all of these decisions are both environmentally determined and emotionally selected. I when observing a twenty-three am choosing to scream "oh Eris the fnords!" and in so doing, I alone benefit when the fnords devour the souls of those around me. Taking that energy and directing it to something worthwhile - now that's the real magic trick.

Eh?

waking back up

"Bend It Like Bender!" - The Devin Townsend Project

ZOMBIE COOKIES

SSRN-Flash Cookies and Privacy by Ashkan Soltani, Shannon Canty, Quentin Mayo, Lauren Thomas, Chris Hoofnagle:

"We find that more than 50% of the sites in our sample are using flash cookies to store information about the user. Some are using it to 'respawn' or re-instantiate HTTP cookies deleted by the user. Flash cookies often share the same values as HTTP cookies, and are even used on government websites to assign unique values to users. Privacy policies rarely disclose the presence of Flash cookies, and user controls for effectuating privacy preferences are lacking.

(via mefi)

Russia declares state of emergency at Urals nuclear town

Europe - World - The Times of India:

"Russian authorities on Monday declared a state of emergency in Ozersk, home to major nuclear reprocessing plant Mayak, due to wildfires burning around the Urals town, officials said. 'A state of emergency has been introduced in forests and parks on the territory of the Ozersk city district due to a complicated fire hazard situation,' said a statement posted on the district's website."

The Social Ecosystem: The biggest barrier to success?

The Social Ecosystem: Education « The Lab is open: John Moore's Blog:

"The biggest barrier to organizations being successful within The Social Ecosystem is simply the need for education. The lack of awareness, the lack of knowledge, is holding back many organizations. In chatting with organizations across the public and private sector I am constantly encountering confusion. People know the problems they are encountering. These are real, these are personal, and people struggle with them daily. However:

* Organizations often do not understand that solutions exist for these problems. * Organizations often have the wrong information about the solutions that exist."

Rebels and Devils

New Book Coming Out: Rebels and Devils:

"contributions by William S. Burroughs Joseph C. Lisiewski, Ph.D. Timothy Leary Ph.D., Robert Anton Wilson, Austin Osman Spare, Genesis P-Orridge, Aleister Crowley, Joseph Matheny, Peter J. Carroll, Israel Regardie, Jack Parsons, Phil Hine, Osho, and many others."

Churchill ordered UFO cover-up, National Archives show

BBC News

"The files come from more than 5,000 pages of UFO reports and letters and drawings from members of the public, as well as questions raised by MPs in Parliament. They are available to download for free for a month from The National Archives website"

AFP: Hacker makes mobile phone snooping affordable

AFP: Hacker makes mobile phone snooping affordable:

"'I can intercept cell phone calls with 1,500 dollars worth of radio gear and a laptop,' Paget said after the talk. 'You handset thinks I'm your cell phone tower and I get to control your calls. These attacks used to cost millions of dollars, now you can do it for a lot less.' The gear included an antenna and radio equipment and broadcast a GSM signal that imitated a legitimate telecom service tower, prompting handsets to automatically connect."

Two Bills Authored By Rep. Kilroy Continue To Move Towards Becoming Law

Progress Ohio | Dave Harding's Blog:

"On the coattails of the Wall Street Reform bill, Kilroy’s Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act (H.R. 5751) would establish a Task Force to bolster enforcement of rules for federal lobbyists and special interest groups. The bill passed the House unanimously by voice vote today and is on its way to the Senate. “When Americans on Main Street try to cheat or break the law, there are repercussions; but for years, there was no way to hold lobbyists accountable for games they play with their disclosures,” said Kilroy. “The Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act establishes a task force that will go after lobbyists who engage in shoddy reporting practices and hide behind ignorance of the law.” The Lobbying Disclosure Enhancement Act directs the Attorney General to establish a task force with the ability to investigate and prosecute cases referred to the U.S. Attorney’s office for D.C. under the existing Lobbying Disclosure Act."

How To Unfollow On Twitter With Class by Neal Wiser (@nealwiser)

How To Unfollow On Twitter With Class: "Sometimes in life (and Twitter), you just got to cut your losses and start over."

For Mass/Bulk Unfollowing:

• Tweepular
• TwitIn
• Tweepler
• TweetSum
• Mutuality
• TwiPing
• SocialToo (fee required)
• UnTweeps

For Backing up Twitter Accounts:

• TweetBackup
• TwitterSafe
• TweeTake
• How To: Sync settings between multiple TweetDeck installs on Windows
• How to transfer TweetDeck settings between two computers
• TweetDeck Export and Import Group Script (I do not vouch for the quality of code. Use at your own risk)
• How to Download Your Twitter Archive
• Backup your friends and followers on Twitter
• Twitter Back-up Tools

Resources about “Following”

• To Follow Or Not To Follow, That Is The Question
• Neal Wiser’s Following Policy
• How to Follow Everyone Back on Twitter Without Ruining Your Experience
• The Twitter Followholic: An Epidemic
• Prevent your Twitter stream from becoming a flood
• Why I Unfollowed Everyone on Twitter and Why You Should Too
• Pruning Your Twitter Followers

Ari’s posts that inspired this story

• Why I Am (or Not) Following You on Twitter
• Can You Help My Twitter Growing Pains?
• Why My Twitter Train is Stopping

Oregon faith-healing parents fight to get baby back, face criminal charges

OregonLive.com:

"A Beavercreek couple who left their infant daughter's fate to God rather than seek medical treatment for a mass that grew over her left eye will face charges of first-degree criminal mistreatment. Prosecutors revealed Thursday during a custody hearing that a grand jury has indicted Timothy and Rebecca Wyland, members of Oregon City's Followers of Christ church."

Empire Avenue

Empire Avenue:

"Connect with other people who like the same things as you, find interesting bloggers to follow, or unearth a cool new business in your home town! This Internet thing is pretty useful, you know, and Empire Avenue helps you find the people and businesses that are relevant to you."

Grant Morrison’s New Movie, SINATORO

Grant Morrison’s New Movie, SINATORO:

"The film’s producers are Zdonk with video director Adam Egypt Mortimer on board. Grant Morrison describes the film as “a hallucinatory road-trip into the American psyche, and it evolved into a unique and genre-busting project, worthy, we hope, of a new way of thinking about movies.”"