February 20, 2008 archive

When I got thrown out of Naranjastan, I hung out in a meta cantina for awhile. I’ll probably still visit on the weekends. Good group over there, a wide swath of people. Some whose very behavior reveals they are in character.

Some, unfortunately, are just born that way, God love them. Finding their own way across the cyber, emotional nomads floating across the sea of this shared world wide hallucination.

This multi-user shared hallucination, known as a MUSH ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUSH ) , is just an extension of the collective unconscious. The MUSH won out for the format of the internet, though its brother the MUD ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD ) destroys lives today. It goes by the name of World of Warcraft. Do not buy this game, for you or anyone. Imagine bumping up your blog addiction on the par of  with a backwoods trailer living meth addict. Back where it’s so dark, they have to pipe in the sunlight.

The Global MUSH is nothing but win. If you pause for a second and realize just twenty years ago we were using card catalogs at libraries. And the book was never in. The global library at your finger tips is historical. This has never happened before.

For the first time in recorded history, the flow of information is no longer centralized. The MUSH filled out into empty space, expanding at the will and direction of humanity. Volumes of data filled searchable storehouses of infinite knowledge. And you had unlimited access. The Gutenberg Press doesn’t have shit on the Internet.

Of course, now the central powers want to close off parts of the MUSH, which is their want. The counterwant of the collective unconscious is complete access to all information. This is true internationally. This is a whole earth affair. At the end of the day, we are all the same monkey. We just come in all kinds of fun and exciting shapes and sizes. And the monkeys love their intertubez on the river of wisdom.

A seemingly out of control machine, there is order in the chaos. One aspect of the way the internet works is its information traffic control system. This beautifully couples with the term “ingress traffic.” If one could understand the modes and facets of the initial points of entry for all data as ingress traffic to entire internet, one could hack the MUSH.

One could hack a part of the collective unconscious.

I decided to give it a try.

Tomorrow:

Why I supported Ron Paul

Stick around, it’s the Ron Paul Quartet, they will be playing all the week.  

in rejecting ACLU vs. NSA today.

A number of good folks in the blogosphere are huffing and puffing over the Supreme Court’s rejection of the ACLU’s Petition for Certiori in the case of ACLU v. NSA.  They don’t need to.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court today dismissed the first legal challenge to President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping order, but without ruling on any of the key issues.

It is traditional and expected in our Federal system that the Supreme Court wait until a controversial legal issue is litigated in more than one of the lower Circuits before creating a binding precedent.  This way, the Supreme Court both allows for a broader range of opinion and ensures that a greater number of arguments and issues are considered before the Court decides the final law.  

In ACLU vs. NSA, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals had the first bite at the apple on unwarranted wiretapping, and spit out a Bushie worm. Yet the sour 6th is not the only Circuit with a say about whether our government can secretly spy on us.  

That’s right, I’m a candidate’s wife, it happened rather quickly too.  Well, I’ve been married to the guy for almost ten years, but the candidate part has unfolded in just a few days.

Now, why am I not the candidate?  Oh, it’s a long story and I’ve not been as good of a Democrat as my husband has been, really.  I am still registered as Decline to State.  Yes, how is that for a confession?  But Gary, my husband, has been registered as a Democrat for many years and he unabashedly calls himself a party loyalist.

So how did this come about?  Let me tell you…

The woman who was forcibly strip searched and thrown naked into a cell wanted this to be shown in order to prevent it from ever happening to anyone again. I am assuming that part of the justification for wanting it to be shown is to ask difficult questions; so, I’m thinking of the questions she might want asked as I watch this horrific violation of her rights again. I’m not looking forward to watching this again. In fact, I dread it.

The story may be hard to watch, but the victim and her husband want me to show you what happened – in hopes that you and those you love will never experience a night like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…

     To me! To me! Now that we all have the theme song from the Mad Hatter’s Unbirthday Party stuck in our heads, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s at least a good reason for it.  Because actually, today really is my birthday. Yes, it’s true — I’m 27 years old. Awww, quit yer snickerin’! Just because I was already 27 once before doesn’t mean I can’t do it again. It was a fun year, and if something is good the first time, what’s the harm in revisiting the good old (but not that old!) days? It’s like an instant replay in sports – only better, because there are no sports involved.  

Okay, now, you’re probably breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking – OMG, A GIFT, I DON’T HAVE A GIFT!!!! No worries!  Just put those platinum cards away! Really, there’s no need to get me a gift. I can’t even think of anything [Aston Martin] I want [Jimmy Choo] or need [Louis Vuitton].

Just kidding! Honestly, I don’t need a single thing. I’m allergic to jewelry (for real!). My car is paid for (and it’ll be celebrating its 21st birthday this summer, so you can buy it a drink then). All my clothes come from vintage stores – known elsewhere as “thrift” shops, but hey, it’s Hollywood – land of embellishment, what do you expect?) And I don’t smoke, drink or do drugs (just high on life!).

        So … aside from being overqualified for the Most Boring Person Ever award, I’m also impossible to buy anything for. But since it’s the thought that counts (right, and this would be on what planet?) here’s a chance to think about giving a virtual gift that probably won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Just visit this week’s un-sponsor – Bad Gift Emporium (http://www.badgiftemporium.com/)- and go nuts! BGE is what I imagine eBay was like when it first started. A few crummy items that people hoped to unload for a couple of bucks. But like all good Pony Party sponsors, BGE doesn’t take itself too seriously. Some of the descriptions are pretty funny (and some are just weird – or both), like (ta da!)

                       Poker Memories Re-enacted By Frogs.

“My best friend gave me this when I moved abroad as a memento of our weekly poker games. It is hideous but the gesture was so sweet, I have kept it for the past three years (hidden in the basement, away from public view).”

    Like so many other cherished gifts, this one is available, if the price is right. A word of warning: the BGE website is sluggish, so you might want to just go find a bad gift elsewhere. It’s not like they’re hard to come by!

     Okay, fun’s over (temporarily). Seriously, if anyone is feeling the least little bit generous, I highly recommend making a donation (no such thing as too small) by clicking on the “Rebuild NOLA” link on the right-hand side of the page . Plus, there’s great information on why and how you can do that in these diaries by kj (https://www.docudharma.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4154) and Nightprowlkitty (https://www.docudharma.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4138). (Apologies to any others I overlooked; please add them in the comments.)    

    If you’re not familiar with New Orleans, don’t understand what all the fuss is about or think Feds are doing an outstanding job on that rebuilding deal in the Gulf (that’s the Gulf in this country, not the other one we’re destroying), you might want to spend some time reading what Gentilly Girl (https://www.docudharma.com/userDiary.do?personId=1183) and Louisiana 1976 (https://www.docudharma.com/userDiary.do?personId=1099) have to say about that. (Full disclosure: Former NOLA resident here, best place in the world, imo.)

    Now back to our regularly scheduled nonsense.    

    Okay, the ball’s in your court. The ponies are pawing through six weeks of homework for tonight’s mid-term. Wish us luck, be excellent to each other and don’t forget – there’s the always informative Front Page and a whole bunch of remarkably coherent Recent and Recommended Diaries, where gifting is totally off the table. Enjoy it while you can because most likely I’m going to milk this birthday thing for all it’s worth!  

WBZ TV Boston is now ending it’s “news” with a story about a record deal contest.  “An entertainment event is looming over our heads”.  Ya, I am trying to hold my supper in my stomach.  Surprised the news isn’t sponsored by the satellite emergency hard hat people.

http://people.csail.mit.edu/ra…