A Former Special Forces Soldier Responds to Bush’s Invitation for Iraqis to Attack US Troops: “Now, exercising his one true talent–blundering–George W. Bush has begun the improbable process of alienating the very troops upon whom he depends to carry out the neo-con ambition of restructuring the world by arms.” — Stan Goff, Counterpunch
And:
Anger Rises for Families of Troops in Iraq. NY Times
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Reaching Through the Net to Touch: “Scientists are developing devices that let people share their
sensation of touch with anyone connected to the Net. It’s perhaps
creepy, but the technology could have wide applications.” Wired News
In a national survey conducted last month, Response Insurance of Meriden, Connecticut, found that cell-phone users — even when they weren’t talking on their phones in the car — are more likely than other drivers to be distracted from the road.
The study suggests that cell-phone users who regularly talk on the phone while driving pose a greater risk than drivers who do not, the company said.
The results also imply that cell-phone-using drivers may be more predisposed to be a ‘distracted driver personality type behind the wheel’ than drivers who never talk on the phone while on the road, said Response spokesman Ray Palermo.
‘We’re somewhat surprised by these results,’ said Palermo. ‘It could point to the fact that there is a certain type of driver that is already more likely to be distracted.’ Wired News
Why in the world would anyone find this surprising??
Is It Addictive?: “The ubiquity of technology in the lives of executives, other businesspeople and consumers has created a subculture of the Always On — and a brewing tension between productivity and freneticism. For all the efficiency gains that it seemingly provides, the constant stream of data can interrupt not just dinner and family time, but also meetings and creative time, and it can prove very tough to turn off. ” NY Times
“An experiment in the United States has created a mixed-sex human embryo. The team involved insists that the creation of the embryo was designed to cure illness, but critics say moral and ethical standards have been breached.” BBC News
“The record industry blames piracy and downloading for sagging sales — here’s the whole story.” Sound And Vision Magazine
Coalition troops looted and vandalized the Iraqi airport that now must be rebuilt. “Much has been written about how Iraqis complicated the task of rebuilding their country by looting it after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell. In the case of the international airport outside Baghdad, however, the theft and vandalism were conducted largely by victorious American troops, according to U.S. officials, Iraqi Airways staff members and other airport workers. The troops, they say, stole duty-free items, needlessly shot up the airport and trashed five serviceable Boeing airplanes.” Time
“The Mob Project was an invitation-only thing. A guy called Bill sent out email invitations, which in turn were forwarded on to others. This was no protest, no expression of social angst, not even an inaugural meeting of a carpet fetish society. Instead, these people were all happy just to be there. As one of them put it, ‘I always wanted to say ‘I’m a member of the mob’ and now I can’ .
This kind of thing is being taken seriously. The technology commentator and social software advocate Joi Ito described the Mob Project as a ‘very cool social hack’, and bloggers throughout the blogosphere are making similar comments ” — Martyn Perks, sp!ked
Because the Mob Project’s much-heralded gathering in front of a carpet salesman in a New York department store had little social purpose (“Here technology is no longer just a tool – it becomes the means and the end”), the commentator extrapolates that ‘smart mobs’ (à la Howard Rheingold) are pointless and scoffs at the current anti-war and anti-globalization movements for using mobile technology, claiming that this proves they have no central organizing principles. His argument is as misguided as the caricature of the smart mob theory he lampoons. Apart from the logical fallacy behind his unwarranted generalization, he understands nothing about performance art and the relationship between culture hacks and subversion. Organizers themselves fear that the mob events are not sustainable without an underlying purpose, given the potential for either boredom or, well, mob rule.
“Let’s apply the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder quiz to our fidgety president and his foreign policy team…” -Maureen Dowd, NY Times
