Archive for the 'Social Engineering' Category
White House Calls for ‘Trusted’ Internet Identities for Americans
January 8th, 2011At this point, with things as far gone as they are, this hardly should come as a surprise to anyone. Compared to what’s already in place, this hardly rates as sinister. They’re saying that it’s not a national ID card and it’s voluntary, etc. So, here are some guesses as to what voluntary will mean: […]
Forum for the Future: Megacities On the Move, Four Scenarios
January 7th, 2011No thanks. Via: Forum for the Future: Megacities on the move presents four vivid scenarios exploring exploring how population growth, the energy we use, the strength or weakness of global institutions and other factors will shape our cities in 2040 and the way we access goods, services, information and other people. Megacities on the move […]
Germany: How the Left Took Things Too Far
January 7th, 2011I wish that Joël van der Reijden, of isgp.eu (mirror), was still looking at these issues. Via: Der Spiegel [WARNING: EXTREMELY DISTURBING]: Germany’s left has its own tales of abuse. One of the goals of the German 1968 movement was the sexual liberation of children. For some, this meant overcoming all sexual inhibitions, creating a […]
U.S. Government Agencies to Measure ‘Relative Happiness’ and ‘Despondence and Grumpiness’ to Gauge Trustworthiness
January 6th, 2011One for your Unworkable, Maniac Fascist, Magic 8 Ball Schemes file folder. Via: MSNBC: The Obama administration is telling federal agencies to take aggressive new steps to prevent more WikiLeaks embarrassments, including instituting “insider threat” programs to ferret out disgruntled employees who might be inclined to leak classified documents, NBC News has learned. As part […]
Americans Watched More Television Than Ever in 2010
January 4th, 2011Via: New York Times: Historians may someday note with wonder that by the end of 2010, at least six cable television shows were about auctioneers and pawnbrokers. And all were considered successes by their respective channels. Countless shows were about cops and robbers, too, and countless hours were devoted to competitive singing, dancing and even […]
Britain: Whitehall Policy Unit Dreaming Up Psychological Tricks to Alter Behavior; Default Policy Options for Passive Citizens to Bring About ‘Benevolent Outcomes’
January 3rd, 2011Ahh, the diabolical Cass Sunstein is in the news again. You’ll love this. Via: Independent: The public will have “social norms” heavily emphasised to them in an attempt to increase healthy eating, voluntary work and tax gathering. Appeals will be made to “egotism” in a bid to foster individual support for the Big Society, while […]
How America Turned Into a Nation of Speedfreaks and Ritalin Patients
January 3rd, 2011Via: Alternet: In the fullness of history, all the different varieties of speed may have been products of the twentieth century, even though they are still around nearly a decade into the twenty-first, and show no sign of waning. Speed is too much of a reflection of its time. The twentieth century was an era […]
The TSA’s State-Mandated Molestation
December 31st, 2010Via: Guardian: The ACLU maintains an ever-growing database of these indignities, many so graphic they’re illegal to broadcast over public airwaves. Actions that violate FCC standards are embraced by the TSA. “Mary in Texas” reported: The TSA agent used her hands to feel under and between my breasts. She then rammed her hand up into […]
One Tip Now Enough to Put Name on Terrorist Watch List
December 30th, 2010Oh, well, “As long as it is deemed credible.” But of course. This is The Land of the Free. We don’t just add people to the Magic 8 Ball shit list for Whistling Dixie. Who helped Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab board Northwest Airlines Flight 253? Sharp-dressed man aided terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab onto plane […]
Empathy Declining: ‘The American Personality Is Shifting In An Ominous Direction’
December 30th, 2010Via: Scientific American: Humans are unlikely to win the animal kingdom’s prize for fastest, strongest or largest, but we are world champions at understanding one another. This interpersonal prowess is fueled, at least in part, by empathy: our tendency to care about and share other people’s emotional experiences. Empathy is a cornerstone of human behavior […]
