dangerous blog

The Internet is our species’ greatest ongoing project since the inception and growth of language. It is, in my opinion, the bridge between individual communication and universal consciousness. Our universe is a universe of data and information. It is all there before us, most of it hidden and unknown, but there’s more than enough for all of us to use our conscious minds to perceive and interpret. Some might argue that it is the act of perception that creates the information, but I’m not sure I can completely subscribe to that theory, as there’s nothing to explain how and why my brain my perceives something that I know I cannot personally begin to understand. That debate leads down a metaphysical road. That’s another post altogether.

I was amazed to discover that the death of Michael Jackson yesterday nearly also killed the internet. At once, as soon as the news broke, social media and news websites began to feel an ungodly strain that they were not prepared for. This was the first big experiment in our new age of universal “awareness.” Iran was a bit of a prelude, but only the King of Pop could take it to the next level.

Now obviously we’ve lived in a world that, for some time now, has been able to nearly unanimously react to specific news and information. The last election was a good example. 9/11 another. Massive world changing events have occupied the general psyche through mass media for decades now. What I’m implying is that, more than ever before, human beings can partake in the breaking, parsing and dissemination of that information, going so far as to say that even seemingly insignificant people can whip the spirals of conscious focus in his or her direction with just a cell phone and a little persistence (or ambition).

Iran is a very good example of this. We’ve all been using Facebook and Twitter and numerous other social media services for a few years now, primarily as a means to keep in touch, to promote grassroots projects, to market ideas and products, etc. With the slight exception of the 2008 presidential campaign, the fallout of the Iranian election and subsequent protest is a perfect example of how these services can transform human consciousness. When traditional media fails there is now a means to stay plugged in, to stay aware and conscious of what is going on. The flow of information is much more raw, much less clear, but in some ways far more powerful, hammering home with exponentially greater power than a simple “breaking news” headline. In turn this forces action amongst countless others as a bit of a butterfly effect takes over and suddenly individuals are creating reality in the great “cloud” and those of us outside the cloud can, in turn, jump in and help make headway of information for ourselves before passing it on to another layer of observer, and so on.

Events in Iran happened in cyberspace almost as quickly as they unfolded on the ground. The regime was unable to blanket the state as it would have been able to do probably just 3 or 4 years ago. The protest left the physical borders of the nation and planted itself directly in our brains. What’s more, we could plug directly back into it and communicate our thoughts right back into the data, sharing it with each other in the digital ether.

The future of revolution is nigh and the powers that be shudder at the thought. This is Web 3.0. The sites and technologies of Web 2.0 are now spreading beyond the desktop/laptop interface into our phones and highly portable media devices. Eventually they will be connected directly to our brains. This is the fulcrum on which the future of class power balances. Through consumer demand for communications technologies we now have access to the data across all sorts of different interfaces. Iran tried to shut down the ability for users to transmit, but clearly could not stifle it all. The future depends on how difficult we, as a populace, make it for large powers to turn off the ability to share data. This is one reason I have been strongly opposed to President Obama, as his proposed “Cybersecurity Act” promises to be the first major step backwards for a species so intent on going forward with its communications technology.

Michael Jackson’s death is also an example of how far we have yet to go before we are truly a “linked” species. With one cardiac arrest, millions of people (perhaps hundreds of millions) were suddenly seeking the same information, surging to enter the same data sharing streams together. Networks bent, broke, sputtered. Altogether we became a species immediately in the know, but we were also so connected that we almost knocked ourselves out.

To me, the future depends on precisely how we develop this connectivity and I don’t believe that we have a lot of time or room to experiment. Already cable and telecom companies are fiendishly striving to have complete control over our data flow. They will monetize it, put it behind gatekeepers, saturate it with advertising, both innocuous and agenda-driven. 1984 is a reality that is literally one step around the corner if we are not careful. Perhaps it is inevitable, even necessary, that we have to endure that step. The underground is always one step ahead of the establishment when it comes to cyberspace and if it’s not for the establishment’s effort to control our new universal consciousness, then the underground will not learn how to resist and deploy countermeasures, most of which will be essential to our survival as a connected species.

It’s here, folks. The aliens in our science fiction are often connected by vast communication networks, data flowing directly in and out of their brains. They share information instantaneously across entire populations, melding individual consciousness and ego with a seemingly telepathic link to the species as a whole. We live in an era of technology that is laying the groundwork for that sort of reality. Will we be enslaved by it or will we thrive under it?

Perhaps the greatest irony of our “social media” world is how we continue to funnel control and power to the elite, the wealthy, and to demonic, polarizing political ideologies. “We the people” are creating a wonderful, productive, inspiring world of connectivity… a new species-wide consciousness… and all along the way we’re making sure someone gets to stick an End-User License Agreement on the future of our entire reality.

Happy Father’s, Day, Dad.

Thirty years ago you were having your very first Father’s Day, although I wasn’t nearly coherent enough to actually help you celebrate it. Today, however, we could celebrate in a way that would lead us both to incoherence, and that’s a good thing.

As it is often the way in the culture of Dad’s and sons, there never usually is a lot that needs to be said. While this is tough and manly it often leaves great stretches of time where sometimes important things remain unsaid. For example:

I am a huge fan of yours, Dad. I am really proud of the fact that you are my Dad, as you are way cooler than I could ever aspire to be at this point in my life. I am always honored to tell a story about my Dad, as they are always very cool, and they are always stories that other people find very interesting. Indeed, you probably have many fans you don’t even know of, all because of my big mouth over the years.

I am very proud of all the things you’ve done, especially over the last few years. Retiring from work, going back to school, keeping yourself healthy, even your recent attempt to build your own website — these are all things that I find honorable, things that I hope I can do thirty years from now. I hope I can live up to the many standards you have set.

I appreciate all the crap you’ve tolerated from me throughout my life. From putting up with learning about baseball to infusing me with a passion for real football, from putting up with my bad Nintendo habits to developing a little gaming habit of your own. You taught me all that money is important for three reasons, to be spent on good food, good drink, and travel. Well I have the first two covered, but I admit I need to get out a bit more. When I do, I’ll be sure to follow the many examples you’ve set on how to have a good time on holiday.

Most of all I feel it’s important to say I love you, Dad. Have a beer, enjoy a good book, eat something a little unhealthy, and take it real easy today. Enjoy being king of the jungle, as I go back to continuing to build a kingdom of my own, one that I hope shall rival yours some day.

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Yes, I’ve lapsed again, it seems. For awhile there things were getting pretty routine and then, fizzle, my attention died off.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I really need a consistent theme for my weblog, a strong presence of motif, because a part of me still wants to attract strangers as followers, and not many people care to follow a site that has no consistent theme or message. People can do that themselves.

For awhile I thought I could make this blog’s theme centered around gaming, but alas, I only play a handful of games, do not try a wide variety of new games, and well, I like to keep the nerd in me quiet for the most part. I’m considering exploring more of a futurist theme, although I wonder if I could keep that up. There’s a lot of stuff out there regarding new technologies and ideas and most of it is pretty accessible to the people who are seeking that information. Maybe if I put my layperson’s spin on it, my “average guy” futurism, then perhaps people will stop by once in awhile for a dose of that certain field.

In the meantime, however, I simply have the usual rantings in my mind, things that really are quite trivial. One thing I’d like to post, though, is a video I meant to post a week or so ago. I’m not a big fan of Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s ultra-liberal, female counterpart to Keith Olbermann (who I do like, despite his tendencies toward the dramatic). Normally she’s all up on Obama’s nuts, so when I saw this I did a double-take.

And she’s right. This is not only a continuation of all the bullcrap that we tried to vote out once and for all, it is an escalation of it. It is official, we have all be duped, and he will not get my vote a second time. Nor will anyone affiliated with the Democratic or Republican party. Never again. Both sides can seriously go fuck themselves. The right, of course, can go fuck itself a little more, because they were the ones applauding and cheering as Dubya installed this power-framework for subsequent Presidents to exploit.

Her remark at the end of the video is particularly damning:

This was a beautiful speech from President Obama today, with patriotic, moving, even poetic language about the rule of law and the constitution, and, one of the most radical proposals for defying the constitution that we have ever heard made to the American people.

Like I said, I normally do not like Maddow. Something about her annoys me, but at least she can do what seems impossible for all the partisan blowhards at Fox News, and that is call their fellow right-wingers out on the absolute bullcrap they pulled over the last eight years.

Caps! Caps! Caps!

Even from 1,600 miles away I can tell that Caps-mania is buzzing in D.C., especially with another game 7 looming against the Pittsburgh Pendouches. I couldn’t watch the overtime session of tonight’s game… I couldn’t take watching another heartbreak, but I kept half an eye on the Gamecast at ESPN.com and was immediately relieved to see that 4 become a 5.

This has been a difficult series to endure, as a fan, for a few reasons. First, it’s against the Penguins, and while there’s nothing better than beating the Penguins, it’s not really something the Capitals are good at, historically, in the playoffs. In fact, they usually lose, or more accurately, “choke” after taking a series lead. The one thing going in their favor this time, however, is the absence of Mario Lemieux. That guy killed us. Secondly, the Capitals have played some damn sloppy hockey, consistently being outshot, turning the puck over numerous times, shockingly bad decision making on the ice, and if it weren’t for the play of our rookie goaltender, this series would’ve been over in four games. That being said, this series might also be over in favor of the Caps if it weren’t for some downright amateur moments from, you guessed it, our rookie goaltender.

Lastly, being so far from the fanbase and my friends makes it hard to sit through these pulsating affairs of tension and adrenaline. When something goes wrong with your team, at the very least you want to be able to share the misery with your fellow fans. Doing so alone is really depressing, and the defeats the Caps have suffered have been hard to swallow. Fortunately, though, I’ve turned my girlfriend into a neophyte hockey fan, and while she’s picked the Bruins to root for as “her team,” she is certainly there to cheer with me when the Caps score, and that is a relief.

I am hoping for a victory in game 7. I want to see the Penguins jinx broken and I want to watch the home fans go bonkers on T.V. With any luck this will be the year that will, once and for all, turn D.C. into a hockey town… It’s not like any of their other professional sports franchises have anything going for them.