I just wanted to add a footnote to this post to say please don’t view this post in isolation, it’s part of a series of posts to help people understand the political threat, but also the wider societal impact.
It’s about awareness and while I think there’s no escaping the fear element, there is a bigger picture that I hope will unfold as the week progresses.
The amount of data they have on every single American is a gut punch to the soul. My guess is it’s already been shared with the Th*el’s and their data-based company(s). My guess is they are already mining the data for social media posts, income, donations, family relations, taxes and political affiliation’s (just the tip of the iceberg). My guess is the data is already being weaponized against their ideological opponents. My guess is the data has already been sold and transferred into the hands of our adversaries.
This is, of course, a guess based on my own research. My guess is this post will also count against my “rating”, sometime in the near future.
So we have already been warned about Thiel and Palantir. And about how Musk and DOGE have grabbed the data in government departments.
But you are giving us more details - about what happens next- when they introduce AI capacity into the already nightmarish mix and start changing the structures of society by getting rid of the middle class.
And then how easy it will be to track down online dissenters.
Every time I read posts against the trump regime I wonder how long it will be before people online are punished for speaking out. I tell myself at least I am in Canada. (I don’t have the skill to hide my identity online.)
Instead of hiding from reality I feel compelled to keep learning and sharing. Thank you.
You are most welcome Maya. I think few people understand the power of big data and its wider implications. Stay tuned this week as this is the first of a series of posts.
Yes. Big Brother is watching. Yes, people can be influenced. No, I will never love big brother (I hope). But the world is changing. Science/technology/medicine/AI could help to create enough for all if some redistribution was done. But, we still live in a world in which the wolves in peoples nature and no advancement in peoples moral or political philosophy can overcome greed. Empathy and compassion may work on an individual basis, but tribalism is a tool that still manipulates the masses. Short of a charismatic leader, what can be done. Many discuss the problem, I await a solution. How this can be happening at a time of climate catastrophe of our making, with possible solutions on hand, is beyond reason. Perhaps, I am a person without reason? I feel like Alan Bates at the close of King of Hearts. When will we ever learn
You are spot on with your assessment. I hope you’ll tune in over the week to read my wider thoughts, because this is just the first in a series of posts Stuart.
While I do not disagree with the premise of this post, I feel like it has a decided flavor of alarmism. I agree that we need to raise awareness about the use of AI, after all, it’s what allows me to use my phone to dictate comments to posts like this‼️ The danger is that we become so accustomed to using it that we also become inured to its pitfalls. There is no doubt in my mind that AI is here to stay. The real question is whether government, any government, has the foresight and inherent sense of responsibility to help us to regulate the advances and applications of AI and do it in a way that is favorable to those potentially most impacted by the technology. My personal feeling is that the best defense in this context is going to be a strong offense. Essentially, we need to prepare ourselves, position ourselves, in ways that will permit us to take advantage of AI without becoming a victim of it. It’s understood that the oligarchs and billionaires are well positioned to take advantage of the technology, the question becomes how well prepared are the middle class for this onslaught and I’m afraid your post indicates a fundamental lack in that context. Forewarned is forearmed, as always, so I Thank You 🙏🏼 for sounding the alarm. 🚨 At the end of the day, it remains incumbent on each of us to make decisions that will position us for survival. How we do that is a personal choice, but I think it’s important that we all start planning for the inevitability of an AI dominated world going forward.
Thank you as ever for your detailed response. I feel you might have a better idea of where I’m going with this as the week progresses
The intent is not to be alarmist, but to be pragmatic and understand the threat. There is no question it’s here to stay and I think it has an opportunity to do massive good for society, my fears come not from its ability, but our ability to use it for good.
Tragically as a species we just can’t help ourselves when it comes to profit and greed. There are 2 angles here, societal impact and politics.
Consider the impact of a rapid 20% unemployment rate. I actually believe it will be higher. That one dimension alone has potential societal catastrophe written all over it.
I intend to explore this as the week progresses and I share my additional thoughts. I’m not seeking attention here, that’s not who I am. I’m merely providing what I believe to be an objective and pragmatic overview within the context of the current US political landscape.
Please feel free to contribute as the week goes on and I’m always up for a zoom discussion too if people think it might help?
The world is indeed changing. The rapidity of the change and its effect on the disparate societies that co-inhabit the world even within its real and artificial divisions is about to take a quantum leap. Disruption without management can lead to more detrimental and unintended consequences, as DOGE has aptly demonstrated. Medical/scientific changes continually change lives, but have a bias for good. The internet and personal computing has had benefits, but some issues that basic virtue has not been strong enough to eliminate needing governance, which may yet be brought to help. AI may be more disruptive and will need careful consideration and management. Its use to enrich a few by controlling the many, as opposed to opening a door to a more equitable and abundant society that will avoid the climate catastrophe and finally end the dark side of tribalism hangs in the balance. We had a warning when mankind bombed two cities with nuclear weapons, and have not actively made the same mistake. But mankind is still holding these cards in its trembling hands. Anger,fear and tribalism are still weapons of power. I tremble the minds as rational as JFK and Khrushchev, and those around them, no longer have the levers of power. Change is coming in our means, how can we make it come in our understanding.
It’s simple. Just replace three square meals a day with outrage, conspiracy, and a tweet from 2014. You’ll shed critical thinking like water off a fascist’s back.
The media screams, the headlines melt, and while everyone’s eyes are glued to the clown car crash, the actual data—yes, those boring, stubborn little numbers—whispers, “Hey, maybe look over here?”
But no, who needs numbers when you’ve got vibes?
🚨 4% unemployment?
“Fake news.”
🚨 Healthcare costs rising?
“Look, a migrant blinked at the border!”
🚨 Billionaire tax loopholes?
“Hunter Biden’s laptop is tap dancing again!”
Here’s the thing: data doesn’t scream. It sits there awkwardly at the party, clutching a drink and waiting for someone—anyone—to ask how it’s doing.
I wish that this post were mere conspiracy theory paranoia that we can safely ignore; However, I fear that you are correct in your assessment of what is happening. This country is headed for dark times.
I think that we would all agree that predicting the future with any degree of accuracy is virtually impossible in such a complex system as human society. That was the allure of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and it’s Psychohistory (the fictional science that allows for the prediction of the future behavior of large human populations, particularly societies.) Nonetheless, Peter Turchin’s research on cliodynamics (https://peterturchin.com/psychohistory-and-cliodynamics/) suggests that we can make some predictions about how societies can respond to historical trends which result in political disintegration.
I believe that what is now happening in our country is “set to change America forever”. I think it would be wise to stay informed, and be ready to act. Some Substacks to follow: Truth Matters, Peter Turchin, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, Heather Cox Richardson, The Bulwark, among others.
So, what about resistence? If we pay attention and teach people to protect themselves it could turn the tide. It's certainly been done before in our history swveral times. The problem is that most people are not well versed in tech to begin with. TBH, I've always kept my online presence minimal and relatively private, but since 1/20 have been the opposite trying to wake people up (not that I have any real influence); keep throwing mud at the wall hoping something sticks if you will.
I think they’ll begin by targeting dissenters’ employment and finances. That will be crippling. Algorithms will control what is seen, so people won’t realize the scale-or that it’s even happening!
We must assume that all our interactions and activity, commercially desirable or just personally directed, is being fed, as we speak, as we type, into to the
“Main Brain” somewhere, and in the words of Miranda, “anything we say, (or think?) can and will be used against us.”
Knowing this, and knowing my little pea-brain can’t fathom what’s coming, but also knowing the “Main Brain” is informed by all our collective inputs, for good or ill, I’d like to input this little factoid into the Void for It’s meditation and consideration:
Henry Ford realized that regardless of how amazing his assembly line inventions and modifications were, and how fabulously wealthy it was going to make him, he also realized that if the human beings turning the nuts and bolts and screws in the production lines were left out of the benefit side of the ledger, there would be NO CUSTOMERS for his cars. So he had to revolutionize not only the production lines, but also the way wealth is distributed, sort of a mutually assured benefit, and not mutually assured destruction.
One would hope our current “leadership” is not being populated by a bunch of fools.
I just wanted to add a footnote to this post to say please don’t view this post in isolation, it’s part of a series of posts to help people understand the political threat, but also the wider societal impact.
It’s about awareness and while I think there’s no escaping the fear element, there is a bigger picture that I hope will unfold as the week progresses.
Martin
The amount of data they have on every single American is a gut punch to the soul. My guess is it’s already been shared with the Th*el’s and their data-based company(s). My guess is they are already mining the data for social media posts, income, donations, family relations, taxes and political affiliation’s (just the tip of the iceberg). My guess is the data is already being weaponized against their ideological opponents. My guess is the data has already been sold and transferred into the hands of our adversaries.
This is, of course, a guess based on my own research. My guess is this post will also count against my “rating”, sometime in the near future.
My computer has been doing some outside edge flashes occasionally, could this be something?
So we have already been warned about Thiel and Palantir. And about how Musk and DOGE have grabbed the data in government departments.
But you are giving us more details - about what happens next- when they introduce AI capacity into the already nightmarish mix and start changing the structures of society by getting rid of the middle class.
And then how easy it will be to track down online dissenters.
Every time I read posts against the trump regime I wonder how long it will be before people online are punished for speaking out. I tell myself at least I am in Canada. (I don’t have the skill to hide my identity online.)
Instead of hiding from reality I feel compelled to keep learning and sharing. Thank you.
You are most welcome Maya. I think few people understand the power of big data and its wider implications. Stay tuned this week as this is the first of a series of posts.
Also my mother escaped Nazi Germany so I can believe any crazy shit is possible.
I read a lot of science fiction when I was a kid!
Not to make light of this emergency. But there is a lot of cognitive dissonance when so much crazy science fiction is unfolding before our eyes….
Yes. Big Brother is watching. Yes, people can be influenced. No, I will never love big brother (I hope). But the world is changing. Science/technology/medicine/AI could help to create enough for all if some redistribution was done. But, we still live in a world in which the wolves in peoples nature and no advancement in peoples moral or political philosophy can overcome greed. Empathy and compassion may work on an individual basis, but tribalism is a tool that still manipulates the masses. Short of a charismatic leader, what can be done. Many discuss the problem, I await a solution. How this can be happening at a time of climate catastrophe of our making, with possible solutions on hand, is beyond reason. Perhaps, I am a person without reason? I feel like Alan Bates at the close of King of Hearts. When will we ever learn
You are spot on with your assessment. I hope you’ll tune in over the week to read my wider thoughts, because this is just the first in a series of posts Stuart.
This should be the scariest thing you’ve seen in years.
While I do not disagree with the premise of this post, I feel like it has a decided flavor of alarmism. I agree that we need to raise awareness about the use of AI, after all, it’s what allows me to use my phone to dictate comments to posts like this‼️ The danger is that we become so accustomed to using it that we also become inured to its pitfalls. There is no doubt in my mind that AI is here to stay. The real question is whether government, any government, has the foresight and inherent sense of responsibility to help us to regulate the advances and applications of AI and do it in a way that is favorable to those potentially most impacted by the technology. My personal feeling is that the best defense in this context is going to be a strong offense. Essentially, we need to prepare ourselves, position ourselves, in ways that will permit us to take advantage of AI without becoming a victim of it. It’s understood that the oligarchs and billionaires are well positioned to take advantage of the technology, the question becomes how well prepared are the middle class for this onslaught and I’m afraid your post indicates a fundamental lack in that context. Forewarned is forearmed, as always, so I Thank You 🙏🏼 for sounding the alarm. 🚨 At the end of the day, it remains incumbent on each of us to make decisions that will position us for survival. How we do that is a personal choice, but I think it’s important that we all start planning for the inevitability of an AI dominated world going forward.
Thank you as ever for your detailed response. I feel you might have a better idea of where I’m going with this as the week progresses
The intent is not to be alarmist, but to be pragmatic and understand the threat. There is no question it’s here to stay and I think it has an opportunity to do massive good for society, my fears come not from its ability, but our ability to use it for good.
Tragically as a species we just can’t help ourselves when it comes to profit and greed. There are 2 angles here, societal impact and politics.
Consider the impact of a rapid 20% unemployment rate. I actually believe it will be higher. That one dimension alone has potential societal catastrophe written all over it.
I intend to explore this as the week progresses and I share my additional thoughts. I’m not seeking attention here, that’s not who I am. I’m merely providing what I believe to be an objective and pragmatic overview within the context of the current US political landscape.
Please feel free to contribute as the week goes on and I’m always up for a zoom discussion too if people think it might help?
High unemployment fosters crime.
The world is indeed changing. The rapidity of the change and its effect on the disparate societies that co-inhabit the world even within its real and artificial divisions is about to take a quantum leap. Disruption without management can lead to more detrimental and unintended consequences, as DOGE has aptly demonstrated. Medical/scientific changes continually change lives, but have a bias for good. The internet and personal computing has had benefits, but some issues that basic virtue has not been strong enough to eliminate needing governance, which may yet be brought to help. AI may be more disruptive and will need careful consideration and management. Its use to enrich a few by controlling the many, as opposed to opening a door to a more equitable and abundant society that will avoid the climate catastrophe and finally end the dark side of tribalism hangs in the balance. We had a warning when mankind bombed two cities with nuclear weapons, and have not actively made the same mistake. But mankind is still holding these cards in its trembling hands. Anger,fear and tribalism are still weapons of power. I tremble the minds as rational as JFK and Khrushchev, and those around them, no longer have the levers of power. Change is coming in our means, how can we make it come in our understanding.
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”
— Edmund Burke
THE CHAOS DIET: LOSE FACTS FAST!
Ever tried the Trump Chaos Diet™?
It’s simple. Just replace three square meals a day with outrage, conspiracy, and a tweet from 2014. You’ll shed critical thinking like water off a fascist’s back.
The media screams, the headlines melt, and while everyone’s eyes are glued to the clown car crash, the actual data—yes, those boring, stubborn little numbers—whispers, “Hey, maybe look over here?”
But no, who needs numbers when you’ve got vibes?
🚨 4% unemployment?
“Fake news.”
🚨 Healthcare costs rising?
“Look, a migrant blinked at the border!”
🚨 Billionaire tax loopholes?
“Hunter Biden’s laptop is tap dancing again!”
Here’s the thing: data doesn’t scream. It sits there awkwardly at the party, clutching a drink and waiting for someone—anyone—to ask how it’s doing.
Spoiler: it’s not great.
I want everyone to put their thinking caps on. How can we boycott Palantir the way we boycotted Tesla. Help me think this through…
I wish that this post were mere conspiracy theory paranoia that we can safely ignore; However, I fear that you are correct in your assessment of what is happening. This country is headed for dark times.
I think that we would all agree that predicting the future with any degree of accuracy is virtually impossible in such a complex system as human society. That was the allure of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and it’s Psychohistory (the fictional science that allows for the prediction of the future behavior of large human populations, particularly societies.) Nonetheless, Peter Turchin’s research on cliodynamics (https://peterturchin.com/psychohistory-and-cliodynamics/) suggests that we can make some predictions about how societies can respond to historical trends which result in political disintegration.
I believe that what is now happening in our country is “set to change America forever”. I think it would be wise to stay informed, and be ready to act. Some Substacks to follow: Truth Matters, Peter Turchin, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, Heather Cox Richardson, The Bulwark, among others.
So, what about resistence? If we pay attention and teach people to protect themselves it could turn the tide. It's certainly been done before in our history swveral times. The problem is that most people are not well versed in tech to begin with. TBH, I've always kept my online presence minimal and relatively private, but since 1/20 have been the opposite trying to wake people up (not that I have any real influence); keep throwing mud at the wall hoping something sticks if you will.
I think they’ll begin by targeting dissenters’ employment and finances. That will be crippling. Algorithms will control what is seen, so people won’t realize the scale-or that it’s even happening!
We must assume that all our interactions and activity, commercially desirable or just personally directed, is being fed, as we speak, as we type, into to the
“Main Brain” somewhere, and in the words of Miranda, “anything we say, (or think?) can and will be used against us.”
Knowing this, and knowing my little pea-brain can’t fathom what’s coming, but also knowing the “Main Brain” is informed by all our collective inputs, for good or ill, I’d like to input this little factoid into the Void for It’s meditation and consideration:
Henry Ford realized that regardless of how amazing his assembly line inventions and modifications were, and how fabulously wealthy it was going to make him, he also realized that if the human beings turning the nuts and bolts and screws in the production lines were left out of the benefit side of the ledger, there would be NO CUSTOMERS for his cars. So he had to revolutionize not only the production lines, but also the way wealth is distributed, sort of a mutually assured benefit, and not mutually assured destruction.
One would hope our current “leadership” is not being populated by a bunch of fools.