Collaboration Zones – Page 916 – Public Intelligence Blog

At the time of writing, Bitcoin has fallen from its $1000-plus value, but it’s still sitting high at just $100, or so, less. Because of the ruthless competition involved in Bitcoin mining, intrepid internet entrepreneurs have been moving over to the cheaper, though less competitive alternative, Litecoin. If the trend continues, Litecoin will soon mimic the cutthroat community of Bitcoin, losing its practicality. Furthermore, if you find all of the cryptocurrency rhetoric and serious-business economics articles sucking all of the fun and joy out of trying to make a digital buck, then the internet’s most beloved Shiba Inu is here to save the day.

Dogecoin: Not a viable alternative to Bitcoin, but possibly the best invention on the internet

It appears Dogecoin is a real (insofar as any digital currency — or currency, for that matter — is whatever “real” means) digital currency for which you can mine using a computer. In this case, though, you’re digging using a doge house, because there’s still humor left in the world.

Continue reading “Jean Lievens: Dogecoin – Beyond Bitcoin – Public Routing Around and Away from Government”

2013/12/142013/12/14

David Swanson: Peace in the Pentagon?

Peace Intelligence

Peace in the Pentagon

I'm a huge fan of peace studies as an academic discipline that should be spread into every corner of what we call, with sometimes unclear justification, our education system. But often peace studies, like other disciplines, manages to study only those far from home, and to study them with a certain bias.

I recently read a book promoting the sophisticated skills of trained negotiators and suggesting that if such people, conversant in the ways of emotional understanding, would take over the Palestine “peace process” from the aging politicians, then … well, basically, then Palestinians would agree to surrender their land and rights without so much fuss. Great truths about negotiation skills only go so far if the goal of the negotiation is injustice based on misunderstanding of the facts on the ground.

Continue reading “David Swanson: Peace in the Pentagon?”

2013/12/13

Chuck Spinney: ACLU Video Spoof of NSA as Santa Rocks the Internet — We Do Not Make This Stuff Up (Someone Else Does)

Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Military, Offbeat Fun, Officers Call

Watch and weep

Dear Alison,

When you think about it, Santa Claus and the NSA have a lot in common—both can tell when you’ve been sleeping and know when you’re awake…

So our civil liberties elves here at the ACLU decided to make an NSA version of that classic holiday tune, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” taking a cue from Santa’s own secret surveillance program. And as one of the more than 35,000 supporters who signed our petition to Congress to rein in the NSA, we want you to have the first peek at the hysterical new music video!

This new video is the perfect way to show your friends that while Santa’s spying operation may be magical, the NSA’s is very real—and why we should all care.

Check out the hilarious music video for “The NSA is Coming to Town” before anyone else, and be the first one to share it with your friends.

The NSA has used every excuse from here to the North Pole to justify their unlawful spying operations, but we’re not buying it. And after all their deception, we’re not trusting them with a program so open to abuse of power.

There’s already good legislation pending in the House and Senate—we just need to get as many people as possible to stand with us and push Congress to pass it now.

Enjoy the video, and most importantly, make sure you share it with your friends and family so they can join in the fun and stand with us to make unlawful NSA surveillance a thing of the past (just like those old holiday jingles).

Thank you for your all your support this year,
Anthony for the ACLU Action team

2013/12/132013/12/13

Berto Jongman: Bits, Bytes, & Stuff

Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Peace Intelligence

CIA FOLLIES: FBI Levinson in Iran Tasked by Analysts (We Do Not Make This Stuff Up) – 3 Veteran Analysts Fired, Others Disciplines (AP)

Phi Beta Iota: One more reason why exploitation of all 15 slices of HUMINT need to be governed and managed as one.

CULTURE: Brzezinski on Ukraine's Irreversible Events

CULTURE: Japanese-Korean Spies & Future

CULTURE: National Security and Local Police (PDF 86 Pages, Brennan Center for Justice)

CYBER: 62% of Web Taffic is Not Human (The Atlantic)

CYBER: Electormagnetic Pulse “Black Swan” Coming Soon? (High Frontier)

Continue reading “Berto Jongman: Bits, Bytes, & Stuff”

2013/12/132013/12/13

4th Media: 3 Ways Tthe Super-Rich Suck Wealth out of the Rest of Us

Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence

3 Ways the Super-Rich Suck Wealth out of the Rest of Us

The facts are indisputable, the conclusion painful. The wealthiest people in the U.S. and around the world have used the stock market and the deregulated financial system to lay claim to the resources that should belong to all of us.

This is not a matter of productive people benefiting from their contributions to society. This is a relatively small number of people extracting massive amounts of money through the financial system for accomplishing almost nothing.

1. They Create Imaginary Money That Turns Real

The world’s wealth has doubled in a little over ten years. The financial industry has, in effect, created a whole new share of global wealth and redistributed much of it to itself.

Continue reading “4th Media: 3 Ways Tthe Super-Rich Suck Wealth out of the Rest of Us”

2013/12/132013/12/13

SchwartzReport: Truths That Matter

Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence

Yet another chapter opens on our distant past. Fascinating story.

Ancient DNA Coded From Early Human, Creating New Mystery
MONTE MORIN – Los Angeles Times

Here is something else you don't see in the corporate media business news. It is the latest in the GMO trend.

China Rejects Fifth US Corn Cargo in a Month, Citing GMO Strain
RT (Russia)

Here is a growing trend you don't really hear much about in the corporate business media, but that should concern all of us considerably. I was leery of this site, but it turned out this is a well-documented report.

Meet Your New Boss: Buying Large Employers [eg Smithfield Foods] Will Enable China To Dominate 1000s Of U.S. Communities
MICHAEL SNYDER – BlackListed News

Whether one calls it Randian, trickle-down, supply side, neoliberal, or austerity it is becoming clearer every day that the Rightist economic theories are utterly discredited and, over the past 30 years, have done incalculable damage to the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Yet these policies are still being pursued by the Republicans in the U.S. House, and touted by Wall Street, which has s! een the greatest transfer of wealth to its coffers in human history. Here is an excellent essay on the subject.

Continue reading “SchwartzReport: Truths That Matter”

2013/12/112013/12/11