Of all my eccentric opinions, this is the one I have the most confidence in. It is simultaneously my loneliest opinion and the one that is most puzzling to both RL friends and message board interlocutors:

Digital technology is the worst mistake made by humanity ever.

Among an infinity of perverse realities of the Digital State, the most ironic is the concept of ransomware. For the job I quit a couple months ago, I was required to take cyber security training in the form of about 65 four minute cartoons. Each episode of the series took an actual case story from the news, and then showed a fictionalized version of how it happened to real people at real jobs. The lesson of every single edition of the series was simple:

You cannot prevent hacking. To cover your ass, you need to follow the protocols that make it more difficult (but not impossible) for hackers to get into your "secure" computer system.

Virtually nobody wants to face up to what that means. We live in chaos already.

This past summer, one of the TV stations that I represented as a union rep before mandatory vaccination ended my working life, Cox Communications, got hacked and received ransomware demands. To my bewilderment, Cox management pretended that nothing was wrong while they scrambled desperately to stay in business while locked out of their own computers. All employees were forbidden from saying anything about it, even as the orders were delivered by phone, text and personal email messages.

They were compromised for over a month. It made some news, but their blackout strategy was respected by all those honest folks in at the Main Stream Outlets.

The article I link above mentions that it is impossible to assess how many companies have either paid off the ransomware criminals quietly or toughed it out like Cox did.

There is no way to stop this other than unplugging the fucking internet, which now in one generation has destroyed everything in its path.

Luddites of the world unite! All you have to lose is your cell phone bill!

—

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

Submitted by mimi on Wed, 10/27/2021 - 6:37pm

I like your fire !

@fire with fire
May thanks for that great comment.

Of all my eccentric opinions, this is the one I have the most confidence in. It is simultaneously my loneliest opinion and the one that is most puzzling to both RL friends and message board interlocutors:

Digital technology is the worst mistake made by humanity ever.

Among an infinity of perverse realities of the Digital State, the most ironic is the concept of ransomware. For the job I quit a couple months ago, I was required to take cyber security training in the form of about 65 four minute cartoons. Each episode of the series took an actual case story from the news, and then showed a fictionalized version of how it happened to real people at real jobs. The lesson of every single edition of the series was simple:

You cannot prevent hacking. To cover your ass, you need to follow the protocols that make it more difficult (but not impossible) for hackers to get into your "secure" computer system.

Virtually nobody wants to face up to what that means. We live in chaos already.

This past summer, one of the TV stations that I represented as a union rep before mandatory vaccination ended my working life, Cox Communications, got hacked and received ransomware demands. To my bewilderment, Cox management pretended that nothing was wrong while they scrambled desperately to stay in business while locked out of their own computers. All employees were forbidden from saying anything about it, even as the orders were delivered by phone, text and personal email messages.

They were compromised for over a month. It made some news, but their blackout strategy was respected by all those honest folks in at the Main Stream Outlets.

The article I link above mentions that it is impossible to assess how many companies have either paid off the ransomware criminals quietly or toughed it out like Cox did.

There is no way to stop this other than unplugging the fucking internet, which now in one generation has destroyed everything in its path.

Luddites of the world unite! All you have to lose is your cell phone bill!

—

https://www.euronews.com/live

Submitted by Dawn's Meta on Wed, 10/27/2021 - 2:56pm

Well Mimi, I don't think it's good either.

But these days, it's hard to get people to use email, which we prefer.

One thing about the new media that I do like is the opportunity to try writing and get feedback on how it goes. I don't know another way anyone could just give it a try without this sort of platform.

I may be leaving out something really obvious.

On the other hand, I enjoy writing with a good squib pen on good paper. Not many people receive postal mail these days so it's a real gift to get a well written card.

Schlaf gut.

—

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

Submitted by mimi on Wed, 10/27/2021 - 5:23pm

I can't make sense of why I have difficulties

to understand my problems, when it comes to any online communication. I was thinking in a broad sense of the internet, not only blogs or social media sites. May be it is because since 1994 I lived and worked (in basic user terms) with the internet and WWW for the German Press Agency in Washington DC.

May be I am so sceptical, because I remember vividly 1994, when the Press Building in Washington DC, became the first building in DC with broadband internet service. I was fascinated by what the WWW had to offer.

At the same time I watched Amazon.com, smart as Mr. Besoz was, destroying thousands of businesses. Til today I can't get over it, it is something I can't forget and I don't find my peace with the internet and all its destructiveness aside from all its opportunities.

Since I had to come back to Germany I live with two people, who don't know what the internet is, had not used a computer and did ask others to write emails to their loved ones for them. They don't know what google is, but ask me constantly - mockingly - 'to google something for them'

There are people who never used their bank's online services and never used a smart phone. As I watch them in their daily life, I can't say that they miss anything. Though - of course - I can see that none of the two would make it without their kids, who do everything for them online or on phones, if needed be.

I guess I give it up to find a rational balance between the internets two sides, as I see it..

Ok, thanks for the patience. I have to go quickly to read now the internet's writers, of whom I don't know any in person. What an idiotic life, imho.

I have to say to myself. Don't worry, be happy., So it is time for

PS: I will unpublish this when I am asleep.

—

https://www.euronews.com/live

Submitted by CB on Wed, 10/27/2021 - 6:00pm

When you wake tomorrow, it gonna be a bright shiny day!

@mimi
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXeY696gZW4]

Submitted by mimi on Wed, 10/27/2021 - 6:35pm

awesome, many thanks !

@ @CB

how do you always have the right video at hand immediately? Can you open up a school to teach mini-mimis some tricks?

at least now I know why I love it here.

Good Night from the other side.

—

https://www.euronews.com/live

Submitted by zed2 on Thu, 10/28/2021 - 11:25am

The Internet has changed my life tremendously

Mostly for the better. I grew up poor and because I had a real hunger for information spent at least a day per week at the free public library. I would take out tons and tons of books, I probably read a book a day, average. Libraries because commercial libraries exist are one of the public services endangered by GATS, unfortunately. Keep that in mind next time you vote. Don't vote for either of the two neoliberal parties. Were it not for the net, most Americans would be stuck in rural areas with mediocre schools and they would gradually become isolated as jobs and incomes faded away, because of advances in technology. It would be like Eastern Europe where young people are desperate to leave so they could simply get out. Because there would be no jobs there. Bluntly, he Internet would have been invented by now, there is no way that it would not have been. Tim BL invented it at CERN when he did because of several factors, one was the Next operating system and the ease of developing "apps" on that platform, (under NextStep) another is that only non profit organizatioins with adequate funding allow people to work on personal projects, which in the case of "www" paid off handsomely.

I still remember those early days of the Web. When there were only a few hundred, (if that) web sites. It was seen as sacrilegious for corporations to try to sell stuff via the net. Little did we know that they would very soon try to take over.

The early Internet was a very special place where there were very few, if any, really stupid people or politicians..