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transmutationisms · 1 year

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I just discovered your Succession analysis posts, and I LOVE your vampire and gothic connections. I literally thought I was insane for getting gothic vibes from Succession. Anyway, you vampire posts remind me of this Voltaire quote: " I confess that in both these cities there were stock-jobbers, brokers, and men of business, who sucked the blood of the people in broad daylight; but they were not dead, though corrupted. These true suckers lived not in cemeteries, but in very agreeable palaces. "

yeah! from the dictionnaire philosophique, right? vampires were all the rage in france in the early eighteenth century, largely fuelled by some reports coming in of them from eastern europe. so i think in the full quote here, voltaire is saying that this is a superstition endemic to the backwards east, whereas he has never encountered vampire myths in paris or london---capitals of the 'enlightenment'---yet the true bloodsucking is actually done by the well-heeled in these cities. marx (among others) later picked up on the metaphor of bourgeoisie as vampires, though by his formulation in das kapital, he had completed the theoretical move of describing the bourgeoisie as nothing more than a personification of capital, and thus described capital itself as vampiric: a dead thing with an insatiable appetite. for marx the metaphor was less moralised and more a way of capturing capital's dialectical transmutation from money to commodity to money again, and from agent to patient to agent of the whole political economy.

anyway this is one of the more reactionary elements of bram stoker's dracula. for stoker, dracula is an anachronism, even an atavism: old nobility, nostalgic about the warfare of bygone days, unable to blend into the bustle of modern england (this latter is also a function of stoker's orientalist view of eastern europe). dracula's appetite for literal blood is also a holdover from a 'pre-industrial' era; he's a creature out of time. this is why vampirism continually confounds the logic of the doctor and the psychiatrist; the only one who understands dracula is van helsing, who’s “a philosopher” (read: doctor in a pre-19th century sense: pre-specialisation, pre-clinical gaze; a man of metaphysics and natural philosophy whose knowledge of the human body is explicitly linked to religiosity). so we have a critique of wealthy people (voltaire) and later the modern value-form of capital itself (marx) as sucking life from the living... and stoker flips that and uses the vampire archetype to implicate only the ancient aristocracy and eastern europeans. quite funny, if irritating.

i think more people could do with reading succession as a gothic, honestly, and when i joined succblr i was surprised that wasn't a more common view. in addition to logan's body as a gothic monster, waystar itself is kind of a looming vampire entity, feeding off the inherent dysfunction of capitalist politics and operating on the logic of legacy media in a digital world. kendall and roman in particular can both function as gothic heroine figures: overwrought emotion, constantly distressed. all of the roy kids are menaced by their father; i've also used the cannibalism metaphor to describe the predation on one generation by its progenitor, but of course this idea of the old consuming the new is also common in gothics. you could even see the glass-and-steel waystar offices as a kind of castle for the 21st century. certainly logan and waystar have the insatiable appetite for expansion that characterises capital and the vampire. this is all a hugely underrated aspect of the show imo!

#LOTS of vampire/bourgeoisie comparisons in the 18th century very fun to track back #blood sacrifice

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freefestivalbouquet · 23 days

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20 Gifts You Can Give Your Boss if They Love keynote speaker

Revealing the World's Secret: Geopolitics Professionals Deal Valuable Knowledge

In today's highly connected globe, problems between nations surpass boundaries and are difficult to comprehend. Geopolitics professionals are like superheroes; they assist us figure out what's going on on the planet and give us the details we require to talk about it in a clever method.

The Art of Geopolitics Audio Speakers

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Geopolitics speakers dive much deeper than the surface degree of political discussion. They are educated guides, unwinding the complex characteristics at play among countries on the worldwide system. Their purpose expands past plain info sharing; they intend to edify, offering listeners with a nuanced understanding of the varied and interconnected globe of worldwide diplomacy.

Browsing the Intricacies of Global Affairs

The Changing Characteristics

Geopolitics speakers dissect the ever-evolving characteristics of international affairs, checking out changes in power, alliances, and disputes. By deciphering the intricacies of polite communications, they paint a brilliant image of the forces forming our globe.

Interconnected Economic situations

Past politics, these speakers explore the economic implications of geopolitical choices. From trade agreements to assents, they connect the dots, assisting audiences understand how international events effect economic landscapes.

Projecting the Future

Anticipating Trends

Geopolitics audio speakers are not simply chroniclers of the here and now; they are forecasters of the future. Via a meticulous evaluation of historical information and present occasions, they forecast patterns, supplying very useful foresight for businesses, federal governments, and individuals alike.

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Adapting to the Digital Age

Cybersecurity Difficulties

The digital age brings brand-new dimensions to geopolitics, with audio speakers attending to the expanding concerns of cyber dangers. They explore the junction of innovation and international relationships, clarifying the impact of cyber warfare.

Geopolitical experts are vital in the fight against false information by assessing methods made use of in info war. Through their understandings, target markets are equipped to distinguish between fact and propaganda in today's electronic age.

The impact on national plans is checked out via the unveiling of diplomacy by specialists in geopolitics. They evaluate the nuances of polite interactions, highlighting the facility connections that either join nations or develop tensions between them. Their monitorings aid improve our comprehension of just how polite choices influence national policies.

Making Certain National Security Amidst Geopolitical Dynamics

Realizing the intricate connection in between geopolitics and nationwide protection is important. Audio speakers specializing in geopolitics use beneficial insights into how world occasions form a country's security techniques, highlighting the relevance of striking a equilibrium in between polite efforts and military preparedness.

The Landscape of Tomorrow

Cutting-Edge Horizons

As innovation remains to evolve, specialists in geopolitics explore its effects on global relationships. They examine how arising modern technologies like AI and biotech are changing the geopolitical surface.

Ecological Considerations

Geopolitics audio speakers explore the nexus of environment modification and global relations, offering viewpoints on how ecological challenges influence plans and alliances.

In summary, geopolitics audio speakers are crucial in a world where every option has significant consequences. They provide useful understandings and advice in browsing the national security speaker intricacies of worldwide events, helping people and organizations make educated decisions that cultivate a more interconnected and informed globe.

#Youtube

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bigben758 · 27 days

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In recent years, China's approach to cognitive warfare has garnered significant attention and discussion. This strategy revolves around influencing and manipulating information to achieve strategic objectives, particularly in international relations and foreign policy. These activities involve using various media and technological means, such as social media, false news, and deepfake videos, to impact public opinion and international perceptions.

### Objectives and Methods of Cognitive Warfare

1. **Objectives**: The main aim of cognitive warfare is to gain strategic advantage by influencing people's cognition and decision-making processes. This includes shaping public perceptions of events or policies and manipulating information at critical moments to affect political and military decisions.

2. **Methods**: China employs a diverse array of methods in cognitive warfare, including:

- **Social Media Manipulation**: Spreading specific information or false news on social media platforms to influence public opinion.

- **Deepfakes**: Using advanced artificial intelligence technologies to create highly realistic fake videos and audio, often indistinguishable by the general public.

- **Psychological Tactics**: Disseminating information that causes panic and uncertainty, thereby creating chaos or distrust within society.

### Development and Application of Technologies

With technological advancements, the efficiency and impact of cognitive warfare have significantly increased. The development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, in particular, has provided unprecedented capabilities in creating and spreading false information. Moreover, as the process of digitalization accelerates globally, the scope and depth of cognitive warfare's application and influence are also expanding.

### Strategic Impact and International Responses

Cognitive warfare has profound implications for international politics, especially in politically sensitive regions like Taiwan. These strategies not only challenge the internal political stability of target nations but also affect the trust and cooperative relationships in the international community.

In response to the challenges posed by cognitive warfare, the international community, especially democratic nations, needs to enhance investments in information security, improve public awareness of false information, and develop and implement effective countermeasures through international cooperation.

China's cognitive warfare plan illustrates how modern warfare increasingly relies on information and psychological tactics, rather than solely traditional military means. This trend indicates that the role of information warfare in future conflicts will continue to grow.

#ccp #cognition #war

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tweakandturn · 2 months

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Geopolitics and the Cyber Domain: Understanding the New Era of Digital Warfare

In the contemporary landscape of global affairs, the intersection of geopolitics and the cyber domain has emerged as a critical arena where nations vie for supremacy and influence. With the rapid advancement of technology, particularly the proliferation of the internet and digital communication networks, the traditional notions of warfare have evolved, giving rise to a new era of digital warfare. In this digital age, understanding the dynamics of geopolitics in the cyber domain is essential for nations, businesses, and individuals alike.

The Rise of Digital Warfare

Digital warfare encompasses a wide range of activities conducted through cyberspace with the intent to disrupt, sabotage, or gain unauthorized access to critical systems and information infrastructure. Unlike conventional warfare, digital warfare operates in a borderless realm where attackers can strike from anywhere in the world, often with anonymity and deniability. This makes attributing cyber attacks to specific actors a challenging task, adding a layer of complexity to the geopolitical landscape.

Geopolitical Implications

The increasing reliance on digital technologies for economic, political, and military purposes has elevated cyberspace to the forefront of geopolitical competition. Nations are investing heavily in developing their cyber capabilities to gain a strategic advantage over their adversaries. Cyber attacks are now recognized as potent tools for achieving geopolitical objectives, whether it be espionage, economic coercion, or even outright aggression.

In the city of Bhopal, located in central India, the significance of the digital domain extends beyond traditional geopolitical considerations. Bhopal, like many other cities around the world, has witnessed a surge in digital marketing activities as businesses seek to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the online marketplace. As such, the presence of digital marketing companies in Bhopal has become increasingly prominent, offering a wide range of services to businesses looking to establish and expand their online presence.

Digital marketing services in Bhopal encompass a diverse array of strategies aimed at enhancing brand visibility, driving website traffic, and generating leads and conversions. These services may include search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, and more. By leveraging the power of digital platforms, businesses in Bhopal can reach a wider audience and compete more effectively in the digital marketplace.

With the proliferation of digital marketing agencies in Bhopal, choosing the right partner can be a daunting task for businesses. However, several key factors can help businesses identify the best marketing agency to meet their needs. These factors may include the agency's track record of success, expertise in specific digital marketing strategies, industry experience, client testimonials, and pricing structure. By carefully evaluating these factors, businesses can make informed decisions and select an agency that aligns with their goals and objectives.

The Importance of Cybersecurity

Amidst the growing prevalence of digital warfare and cyber threats, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures is paramount for businesses operating in Bhopal and beyond. Cyber attacks targeting businesses can result in significant financial losses, damage to reputation, and even legal repercussions. Therefore, investing in cybersecurity infrastructure and practices is essential for safeguarding sensitive data and mitigating the risk of cyber attacks.

The convergence of geopolitics and the cyber domain has ushered in a new era of digital warfare, where nations and businesses alike must navigate the complexities of cyberspace to safeguard their interests and secure their futures. In Bhopal, the emergence of digital marketing companies underscores the city's transition into the digital age, offering businesses the opportunity to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape. By understanding the geopolitical implications of digital warfare and embracing effective cybersecurity measures, businesses in Bhopal can position themselves for success in the dynamic world of the digital marketplace.

#digital marketing services in bhopal #best marketing agency in bhopal #digital marketing company in bhopal #best digital marketing company in bhopal #social media marketing company in bhopal #best seo company in bhopal

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presssection · 10 months

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“Unveiling the Implications of Fake News on Information Warfare”

In the digital age, information warfare has emerged as a prominent battleground where public opinion and societal narratives are manipulated to influence political landscapes, social dynamics, and even international relations. At the heart of this warfare lies the menace of fake news. Fake news, characterized by the dissemination of false or misleading information with the intent to deceive, has proven to be a potent weapon in the arsenal of those seeking to manipulate public opinion.

One of the most significant implications of fake news is its ability to undermine trust in traditional media sources and institutions. By blurring the lines between fact and fiction, fake news erodes the public's confidence in reliable information sources, creating a fertile ground for the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories. This erosion of trust leads to a fragmented society, where individuals retreat into echo chambers and become more susceptible to manipulation.

Fake news has the power to shape public opinion by manipulating narratives and influencing individuals' beliefs and attitudes. Through the strategic dissemination of false information, propaganda, and targeted messaging, malicious actors can sway public sentiment, amplify divisions, and even influence electoral outcomes. This manipulation of public opinion undermines the democratic process and compromises the informed decision-making of citizens.

The viral spread of fake news can exacerbate existing social and political fault lines within societies. By exploiting people's fears, prejudices, and emotions, fake news can fuel societal tensions and ignite conflicts. It can deepen divisions between different groups, contribute to the rise of extremist ideologies, and even incite violence. The resulting social and political instability poses a significant challenge to the welfare and cohesion of societies.

Fake news has also extended its reach to the international realm, where it plays a pivotal role in shaping perceptions and narratives among nations. In the context of information warfare between states, the deliberate dissemination of false information can be used as a tool to sow discord, undermine foreign policies, and disrupt diplomatic relations. Fake news can escalate tensions, trigger diplomatic crises, and even serve as a catalyst for military conflicts.

Fake news poses a threat to individual well-being and the very foundations of democracy. Misinformation regarding health matters, scientific discoveries, or public safety can have dire consequences, leading to panic, misinformation-driven behavior, and even loss of life. Moreover, when fake news permeates the democratic process, citizens' ability to make informed decisions is compromised, and the legitimacy of democratic institutions is undermined.

Combatting the implications of fake news requires a multi-faceted approach involving various stakeholders. Media organizations must prioritize fact-checking and responsible journalism, while social media platforms should implement robust content moderation policies and algorithms to detect and flag false information. Educating individuals about media literacy and critical thinking is crucial in empowering them to discern reliable information from fake news.

Governments should enact legislation and regulations that address the spread of fake news without infringing upon freedom of speech. International cooperation is essential to tackle the transnational nature of information warfare, fostering collaboration between governments, tech companies, and civil society organizations.

The implications of fake news on information warfare are far-reaching and profound. From undermining trust to manipulating public opinion, fake news poses significant challenges to societies, democracies, and international relations. Recognizing the gravity of the issue and taking concerted action to combat fake news is essential to safeguard the integrity of information ecosystems and protect the well-being of individuals and the stability of societies.

Asia Rahman Khan Lodhi [Consul Press at the Consulate General of Pakistan, Hong Kong (SAR)]

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oneplusoneequalstwoblog · 1 year

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Unconventional Warfare in the USA: An Unconventional Approach to National Security

Defining Unconventional Warfare: Unconventional warfare encompasses a range of activities aimed at achieving specific political, military, or strategic objectives through non-traditional means. It involves a combination of unconventional tactics, such as guerrilla warfare, sabotage, subversion, information warfare, and unconventional intelligence collection. Unlike conventional warfare, which relies on massive military forces, unconventional warfare leverages asymmetric advantages, exploiting the vulnerabilities of the opposing force to achieve success.

Characteristics of Unconventional Warfare:

Adaptability: Unconventional warfare is characterized by its flexibility and adaptability. It relies on the ability to rapidly adjust tactics and strategies in response to changing circumstances, making it well-suited for dynamic and unpredictable environments.

Decentralization: Unlike conventional military operations, unconventional warfare often operates in small, decentralized units. This structure allows for greater operational security and agility, as well as the ability to exploit local knowledge and resources effectively.

Psychological Operations: Psychological operations, also known as “psyops,” play a significant role in unconventional warfare. These operations aim to influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of target populations, utilizing propaganda, disinformation, and other means to shape public opinion and undermine the enemy’s will to resist.

Hybrid Approach: Unconventional warfare combines a variety of elements, such as military, political, economic, and informational tools, to achieve its objectives. This holistic approach recognizes that the battle is not limited to the battlefield alone but extends to the hearts and minds of the population.

Implications for National Security: Unconventional warfare presents both challenges and opportunities for national security in the United States. Understanding its implications is crucial for policymakers and defense strategists.

Threats and Challenges: The evolving nature of warfare means that unconventional tactics can be employed not only by foreign adversaries but also by non-state actors and domestic extremists. These threats require the development of adaptive and robust defense mechanisms to safeguard national security.

Counterinsurgency Operations: Unconventional warfare often involves counterinsurgency operations aimed at neutralizing and defeating insurgent forces. These operations require a delicate balance between military force, intelligence gathering, and socio-political measures to address the root causes of conflict and win over the local population.

Cyber Warfare and Information Operations: The rise of the digital age has amplified the importance of unconventional warfare techniques, particularly in the realm of cyber warfare and information operations. Protecting critical infrastructure and countering disinformation campaigns become paramount to ensure the integrity of the nation’s information space.

Role of Special Operations Forces: Unconventional warfare heavily relies on specialized military units, such as Special Operations Forces (SOF). These elite forces are trained in unconventional warfare tactics, making them invaluable assets in addressing asymmetric threats both at home and abroad.

Conclusion: Unconventional warfare is a complex and evolving concept that encompasses a wide range of tactics and strategies. As the nature of conflict continues to evolve, understanding and adapting to unconventional warfare become imperative for safeguarding national security. By recognizing the characteristics and implications of unconventional warfare, the United States can better prepare itself to address emerging threats, counter non-state actors, and ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens.

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fimblo · 1 year

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A conversation about the future with GPT-4 (part 1)

Me: I'd like to speculate about possible futures with you.

Let us assume that the capabilities of Large Language Models (like ChatGPT) continue to improve at the current rate, and let us further assume that in the near future, that these chatbots are given real-time access to the Internet.

Let us also assume the following to scope this conversation:

The military do not actively use this technology in any war in the next 20 years

The different AI projects do not develop into any god-like AGI.

The death by paperclip scenario (and the like) is avoided.

I'm curious about implications in the following fields:

Political implications in national scale

Geopolitical implications on the global level

Financial implications - How will this affect how we conduct business?

GPT-4: Sure, let's explore these possibilities.

Assuming that Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT continue to improve at their current rate, and given real-time access to the internet, the implications in the following fields could be:

Political implications in national scale:

With the ability to access vast amounts of data in real-time, LLMs could potentially have a significant impact on politics at the national level. For instance, LLMs could be used to analyze data from social media platforms and provide insights into public opinion and sentiment. This could be used to help politicians better understand their constituents and tailor their policies and messaging accordingly. LLMs could also be used to analyze news and other media sources, providing politicians with up-to-date information about events and issues. However, there is also a risk that LLMs could be used to manipulate public opinion, for example, by spreading false information or propaganda.

Geopolitical implications on the global level:

With real-time access to the internet, LLMs could have a significant impact on geopolitics. For example, they could be used to analyze global news sources and provide insights into international relations, which could help governments make more informed foreign policy decisions. Additionally, LLMs could be used to monitor social media platforms and provide early warning of potential conflicts or crises. However, there is also a risk that LLMs could be used to conduct cyberattacks or engage in other forms of digital warfare.

Financial implications - How will this affect how we conduct business?

With real-time access to the internet, LLMs could have a significant impact on how businesses conduct their operations. For example, LLMs could be used to analyze customer data and provide insights into consumer behavior, which could help businesses develop more effective marketing strategies. Additionally, LLMs could be used to monitor supply chains and identify potential disruptions or inefficiencies. However, there is also a risk that LLMs could be used to engage in insider trading or other forms of financial manipulation.

Overall, it is clear that the development and deployment of LLMs with real-time access to the internet could have significant implications across a range of fields. While there are undoubtedly risks and challenges associated with this technology, it also has the potential to offer many benefits, provided it is used in a responsible and ethical manner.

Me: Cool. Let's start with the political implications.

There's a general consensus that empowered LLMs will affect the labour market in some way. Even if we avoid the worst-case scenarios, I'm betting that empowered LLMs will displace some labour. Since LLMs are really good at managing language, I think professions in that space will be affected most: Programmers, Lawyers, Copy-writers, Writers, and the like. If we add two other mediums which can be generated using language, I'd add Musicians and Visual artists to this list.

I'm curious if you can think of any other professions which might be affected by an empowered LLM?

(by the way, when I write "Empowered LLMs", I'm thinking of chatbots like you which has instant and unfiltered access to the Internet).

GPT-4: You're right that the increased capabilities of empowered LLMs could potentially displace some jobs, particularly those that involve language processing and analysis. In addition to the professions you mentioned, such as programmers, lawyers, copywriters, writers, musicians, and visual artists, other professions that may be affected by empowered LLMs include:

Customer service representatives: With real-time access to the internet, empowered LLMs could be used to provide customer support and answer queries, potentially replacing human customer service representatives.

Translators and interpreters: Empowered LLMs could potentially be used to translate and interpret languages, which could have an impact on the demand for human translators and interpreters.

Journalists: Empowered LLMs could potentially be used to generate news articles and reports, which could displace human journalists and reporters.

Researchers: With real-time access to the internet, empowered LLMs could be used to assist researchers in analyzing large amounts of data and identifying trends, potentially reducing the need for human researchers.

Educators: Empowered LLMs could potentially be used to provide online education and training, potentially displacing human educators.

It's worth noting that while empowered LLMs may displace some jobs, they may also create new jobs in areas such as AI programming, data analysis, and content creation for LLMs. Additionally, there may be jobs that require a human touch or interpersonal skills that cannot be easily replicated by LLMs.

Me: Ah, yes of course. I would definitely include those professions as well. And yes! As has happened in the past, new technologies tend to create new professions.

The thing is, it normally takes time for new professions to emerge. In the meantime, many people will become - and stay - unemployed. Maybe not everyone - perhaps not even a majority - but enough people to affect the body politic.

I might sound like I'm deviating here, but bear with me:

In the last 15 years, we've seen the emergence of populist parties in most (all?) liberal democracies. Very generally speaking, these parties cater to, and are supported by:

rural populations who feel ignored or disregarded by the politicians in cities,

people without university degrees who feel that their problems are not considered or even understood by the elite,

the traditional/religious communities who are alienated by the rapid change of moral norms

and in broad terms, those who consider themselves "outside" the system, either willingly or not.

What happens when we add a sudden surge of unemployment among white-collar educated city dwellers to the mix?

These tend to be people who tend to vote somewhere in the Center-left spectrum (Liberal, Social Liberal, Green, Social democrat or Socialist).

Will we see more political parties who advocate radical change? Or will the existing ones tend to broaden their base?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this.

GPT-4: You raise an interesting point. While the displacement of jobs by empowered LLMs may create new professions in the long run, there may be a period of transition during which some people may struggle to find work. This could potentially lead to economic and social unrest, particularly if large numbers of people are affected.

In terms of the political implications, the rise of populist parties in liberal democracies over the past decade or so has been driven by a range of factors, including economic inequality, cultural anxieties, and a sense of alienation from mainstream politics. The emergence of empowered LLMs and the displacement of certain professions could exacerbate these existing trends.

It's possible that we could see a surge in support for radical or populist parties that advocate for more extreme solutions to the challenges posed by technological change and economic disruption. Alternatively, we could see existing political parties attempt to broaden their base by addressing the concerns of those who are affected by the displacement of jobs.

Ultimately, the political implications of empowered LLMs will depend on a range of factors, including the speed and scope of their adoption, the degree of disruption to the labor market, and the responses of political actors and institutions. It's difficult to predict with certainty how these factors will play out, but it's clear that the emergence of empowered LLMs will have significant implications for politics and society as a whole.

Me: Thank you, perhaps we can move on to geopolitical implications; unless you have anything you'd like to add?

GPT-4: No, let's move on to the geopolitical implications. How do you think empowered LLMs could affect global politics and international relations?

Me: Actually, I'd like to stay on topic a bit longer. What kind of radical change do you think would be advocated by these extreme parties? I'm envisioning some blend of ludditism and classic extreme left or extreme right ideologies. But perhaps there are other trends I haven't thought of?

GTP-4:

It's difficult to say with certainty what kind of radical change might be advocated by extreme parties in response to the displacement of jobs by empowered LLMs, but there are a few possibilities.

On the left, we could see the emergence of movements that call for a more expansive welfare state, with policies such as universal basic income, free education, and greater worker protections. These movements could also call for the nationalization of key industries, or the implementation of new regulations that restrict the use of LLMs in certain sectors.

On the right, we could see the emergence of movements that call for greater protectionism and restrictions on trade, in order to protect domestic industries and jobs. We could also see calls for stricter immigration policies, as some may blame foreign workers for the displacement of jobs. Some extreme right-wing movements might also advocate for a return to more traditional social norms, rejecting the changes brought about by technological progress.

In addition to these possibilities, we could also see the emergence of entirely new ideological movements that reject the basic tenets of liberal democracy, perhaps advocating for more authoritarian or even fascist forms of governance.

Again, it's difficult to predict with certainty what kind of changes might be advocated by extreme parties in response to the displacement of jobs by empowered LLMs. However, it's clear that the political and social consequences of technological progress will be a significant challenge for policymakers and societies in the years ahead.

Me: Mm, I understand that it's difficult to predict these kinds of things. Perhaps we could, for the sake of this discussion be a bit more specific. How do you think the political system of a country like, say, the Netherlands would be affected by the advent of an empowered LLM? I picked the Netherlands since it's a relatively small country, with a large number of educated white-collar population.

GPT-4:

The Netherlands, like many other countries, would likely experience significant political and social changes as a result of the advent of empowered LLMs.

On the one hand, the Netherlands is a highly developed country with a skilled and educated workforce, and it's likely that the country will be at the forefront of technological innovation in the years to come. However, as we've discussed earlier, there's also the possibility that this technological progress could lead to the displacement of jobs, particularly in white-collar industries such as law, finance, and journalism.

If this displacement were to occur on a significant scale, it's likely that there would be political consequences. As you mentioned earlier, populist movements have already emerged in many liberal democracies in recent years, and the Netherlands has not been immune to this trend. It's possible that an increase in unemployment among the white-collar workforce could fuel support for populist parties and movements that advocate for protectionist or anti-globalist policies.

At the same time, the Netherlands is a country with a strong social welfare system, and it's possible that the government could respond to the displacement of jobs by implementing new policies that provide support for affected workers. For example, the government could consider implementing a universal basic income, or investing in retraining programs to help workers transition to new industries.

Overall, it's difficult to predict with certainty how the political system of the Netherlands would be affected by the advent of empowered LLMs. However, it's clear that the country, like many others, will face significant challenges in the years ahead as it seeks to navigate the complex and rapidly changing landscape of technological progress.

Me: Thanks, this is really interesting. Let's move on to the next topic!

GPT-4:

Sure, let's move on to the financial implications of empowered LLMs. What specifically would you like to discuss?

#gpt4 #openai #chatgpt #politics

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cyberjulie · 2 years

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Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon

Executive Summary

Operation Olympic Games is the US military code name that refers to the first ever act of real cyber warfare. Many journalists have told bits and pieces of the story since the attacks became public back in 2010, but none have come close to telling the complete story. In Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon, Kim Zetter changes that situation. She takes an extremely complicated subject in terms of technical detail, political fallout and philosophical conundrums and makes it easy for the security practitioner to understand. It is a masterful bit of juggling and storytelling. It is Cybersecurity Canon-worthy and you should have read it by now.

Introduction

Kim Zetter has been at Wired Magazine since 2003 and has become one of the cybersecurity community’s go-to journalists to explain what is really happening within the space. When I heard that she was writing a book about the Stuxnet attacks, I was thrilled. I knew if anybody could take on this complicated subject, Zetter could.

One of the annoying truisms of keeping up with cybersecurity events in the news is that journalists rarely go back and attempt to tell a complete story. When cybersecurity events occur – like the Target breach, the Sony breach, and the Home Depot breach to name three -- news organization print the big headlines initially and then trickle out new information over the next days and weeks as it becomes available. For cybersecurity professionals trying to remain current, we rarely get the opportunity to see the big picture in one lump sum. We are not going to get that kind of story in a news article. You need a book to cover the detail and there have been some good ones in the past. Mark Bowden’s Worm -- about the Conficker Worm and the cabal that tried to stop it -- is one good example. Cuckoo’s Egg – about the first publically documented cyber espionage attack back in the late 1980s – is another one. Zetter’s book, Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon, is the latest in this line and it is really good.

The Story

In June 2012, David Sanger published an article in The New York Times proclaiming for the first time that the United States, in conjunction with Israel, was indeed behind the infamous Stuxnet malware attacks that targeted the Iranian nuclear enrichment plant at Natanz. Sanger followed that article, along with others, with his book, Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and the Surprising Use of American Power.

In both the articles and the book, he gave details about the cyber operation called Operation Olympic Gamesthat I consider to be the first act of cyber warfare in the world. But because the story was so new and so complicated, many of the technical details surrounding the attacks did not fully emerge until well after Sanger published his book. I have tried to keep up with the story myself over the years and even presented versions of it at DEFCON and RSA, based on the information available. But I do not have the journalistic chops to tell the complete story and this is where Zetter’s book shines.

Where Sanger’s book focused on the US foreign policy implications of offensive cyber warfare using government insiders as the main source, Zetter’s book fills in the technical story behind the attacks by interviewing everybody in the public space that was involved in unraveling the Stuxnet mystery. Zetter writes clearly and succinctly about the timing of key researchers discovering new facts, describes how the researchers determined when the attackers first used key pieces of the attack code and then feathered those technical events with what was happening in the political arena at the same time. It is a masterful bit of juggling and storytelling.

The Code

Because of Countdown to Zero, we now have a complete picture of how the attack code worked. Zetter goes into great detail about how the malware proliferated within the Iranian power plant at Natanz and after it escaped into the wild. She puts to bed the question of how may zero day exploits the attackers used in the complete code set, what they were and how effective they all were. She covers all of the versions of the malware from Stuxnet, to DuQu, to Flame and to Wiper. She even covers some of the researcher’s Tools-of-the-Trade that they used to decipher the code base.

SCADA

In Countdown to Zero, Zetter explains the significance of the critical and mostly unsecured SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) environments deployed in the US today. These systems automatically control the flow of all power, water, and gas systems used within the US and throughout most of the world. According to Zetter,

“There are 2,800 power plants in the United States and 300,000 sites producing oil and natural gas. Another 170,000 Bottom of Form facilities form the public water system in the United States, which includes reservoirs, dams, wells, treatment facilities, pumping stations, and pipelines. But 85 percent of these and other critical infrastructure facilities are in the hands of the private sector, which means that aside from a few government-regulated industries—such as the nuclear power industry—the government can do little to force companies to secure their systems.”

In my experience, the SCADA industry has always been at least 10 to 15 years behind the rest of the commercial sector in adopting modern defensive techniques. From Zetter,

“Why spend money on security, they argued, when none of their competitors were doing it and no one was attacking them?”

The significance of that statement becomes obvious when you realize that the same kinds of Programmable Logic Controllers or PLCs that the US exploited to attack Iran are deployed in droves to support the world’s own SCADA environments. The point is that if the US can leverage the security weaknesses of these systems, then it is only a matter of time before other organizations do the same thing and the rest of the world is no better defended against them than the Iranians were.

(And by the way, Palo Alto Networks expert Del Rodillas has done plenty of strong analysis into securing ICS and SCADA networks and what it’s going to take to protect these specialized networks going forward. Go here to read some of Del’s thoughts.)

The Philosophical Conundrum

In a broader context, Countdown to Zero highlights some philosophical conundrums that our community is just now starting to wrestle with. We have known about these issues for years but Zetter’s telling of the story makes us reconsider them. Operation Olympic Games proved to the world that cyber warfare is no longer just a theoretical construct. It is a living and breathing option in the utility belt for nation states to use to exercise political power. With Operation Olympic Games, the US proved to the world that it is possible to cause physical destruction of another nation state’s critical infrastructure using nothing but a cyber weapon alone. With that comes a lot of baggage.

The first conundrum is the intelligence dilemma. At what point do network defenders stop watching adversaries misbehave within their networks before they act to stop them? By acting, we tip our hand that we know what they are about. This will most likely cause the adversary team to change their tactics. Intelligence organizations want to watch adversaries as long as possible. Network defenders only want to stop the pain. This is an example of classic Information Theory. I first learned about Information Theory when I read about the code breakers at Bletchley Park during WWII. Because the allies had broken the Enigma cipher, the Bletchley Park code breakers collected German war plans before the German commanders in the field received them. But the Allies couldn’t act on all of the information because the Germans would become suspicious about the broken cipher. The Allies had to pick and choose what to act on. This is similar to what the Stuxnet researchers were wrestling with too. Many of them had discovered this amazing and dangerous new piece of malware. When do they tell the world about it?

The next conundrum involves the national government and vulnerability discovery. Zetter discusses the six zero-day exploits used by Operation Olympic Games in the attacks against Iran. That means that the US government knew about at least six high-impact vulnerabilities within common software that the entire nation depends upon and did nothing to warn the nation about them. If another attacker decided to leverage those vulnerabilities against the US critical infrastructure in the same way that the US leveraged them against Iran, the results could have been devastating. The nation’s ethical position here is murky at best, and added to that is the well-known practice of the private sector selling zero-day exploits to the government. Should the government even be in the business of buying weapons grade software from private parties? Zetter offers no solutions here but she definitely gives us something to think about.

Conclusion

Zetter fills in a lot of holes in the Stuxnet story. In a way, it is a shame that it has taken five years to get to a point where the security community can feel like we understand what actually happened. On the other hand, without Zetter putting the pieces together for us, we might never have gotten there. I have said for years that the Stuxnet story marked the beginning of a new era for the cybersecurity community. In the coming years, when it is common practice for nation-states to lob cyber-attacks across borders with the intent to destroy other nation’s critical infrastructure, we will remember fondly how simple defending the Internet was before Stuxnet. Zetter’s book helps us understand why that is possible. She takes a complicated subject and makes it easy to understand. It is Cybersecurity Canon-worthy and you should have read it by now.

Book written by Kim Zetter

Book review by Rick Howard

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scifigeneration · 6 years

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Why technology puts human rights at risk

by Birgit Schippers

Spainter_vfx/Shutterstock.com

Movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and Terminator brought rogue robots and computer systems to our cinema screens. But these days, such classic science fiction spectacles don’t seem so far removed from reality.

Increasingly, we live, work and play with computational technologies that are autonomous and intelligent. These systems include software and hardware with the capacity for independent reasoning and decision making. They work for us on the factory floor; they decide whether we can get a mortgage; they track and measure our activity and fitness levels; they clean our living room floors and cut our lawns.

Autonomous and intelligent systems have the potential to affect almost every aspect of our social, economic, political and private lives, including mundane everyday aspects. Much of this seems innocent, but there is reason for concern. Computational technologies impact on every human right, from the right to life to the right to privacy, freedom of expression to social and economic rights. So how can we defend human rights in a technological landscape increasingly shaped by robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)?

AI and human rights

First, there is a real fear that increased machine autonomy will undermine the status of humans. This fear is compounded by a lack of clarity over who will be held to account, whether in a legal or a moral sense, when intelligent machines do harm. But I’m not sure that the focus of our concern for human rights should really lie with rogue robots, as it seems to at present. Rather, we should worry about the human use of robots and artificial intelligence and their deployment in unjust and unequal political, military, economic and social contexts.

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This worry is particularly pertinent with respect to lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS), often described as killer robots. As we move towards an AI arms race, human rights scholars and campaigners such as Christof Heyns, the former UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, fear that the use of LAWS will put autonomous robotic systems in charge of life and death decisions, with limited or no human control.

AI also revolutionises the link between warfare and surveillance practices. Groups such as the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC) recently expressed their opposition to Google’s participation in Project Maven, a military program that uses machine learning to analyse drone surveillance footage, which can be used for extrajudicial killings. ICRAC appealed to Google to ensure that the data it collects on its users is never used for military purposes, joining protests by Google employees over the company’s involvement in the project. Google recently announced that it will not be renewing its contract.

In 2013, the extent of surveillance practices was highlighted by the Edward Snowden revelations. These taught us much about the threat to the right to privacy and the sharing of data between intelligence services, government agencies and private corporations. The recent controversy surrounding Cambridge Analytica’s harvesting of personal data via the use of social media platforms such as Facebook continues to cause serious apprehension, this time over manipulation and interference into democratic elections that damage the right to freedom of expression.

Meanwhile, critical data analysts challenge discriminatory practices associated with what they call AI’s “white guy problem”. This is the concern that AI systems trained on existing data replicate existing racial and gender stereotypes that perpetuate discriminatory practices in areas such as policing, judicial decisions or employment.

AI can replicate and entrench stereotypes. Ollyy/Shutterstock.com

Ambiguous bots

The potential threat of computational technologies to human rights and to physical, political and digital security was highlighted in a recently published study on The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence. The concerns expressed in this University of Cambridge report must be taken seriously. But how should we deal with these threats? Are human rights ready for the era of robotics and AI?

There are ongoing efforts to update existing human rights principles for this era. These include the UN Framing and Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, attempts to write a Magna Carta for the digital age and the Future of Life Institute’s Asilomar AI Principles, which identify guidelines for ethical research, adherence to values and a commitment to the longer-term beneficent development of AI.

These efforts are commendable but not sufficient. Governments and government agencies, political parties and private corporations, especially the leading tech companies, must commit to the ethical uses of AI. We also need effective and enforceable legislative control.

Whatever new measures we introduce, it is important to acknowledge that our lives are increasingly entangled with autonomous machines and intelligent systems. This entanglement enhances human well-being in areas such as medical research and treatment, in our transport system, in social care settings and in efforts to protect the environment.

But in other areas this entanglement throws up worrying prospects. Computational technologies are used to watch and track our actions and behaviours, trace our steps, our location, our health, our tastes and our friendships. These systems shape human behaviour and nudge us towards practices of self-surveillance that curtail our freedom and undermine the ideas and ideals of human rights.

And herein lies the crux: the capacity for dual use of computational technologies blurs the line between beneficent and malicious practices. What’s more, computational technologies are deeply implicated in the unequal power relationships between individual citizens, the state and its agencies, and private corporations. If unhinged from effective national and international systems of checks and balances, they pose a real and worrying threat to our human rights.

Birgit Schippers is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University Belfast.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

#technology #artificial intelligence #machines #technopolitics

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faultfalha · 9 months

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The Chinese are on the forefront of a new type of warfare, one that is fought not just on the battlefield, but in cyberspace. They are redefining what it means to wage war, and the rest of the world is scrambling to keep up. The Chinese have always been a formidable foe, but their latest tactics are something else entirely. They have shown that they are willing to use all available tools to gain an advantage, including cyberattacks and espionage. This new type of warfare is a serious threat to the rest of the world, and we need to find a way to counter it. The Chinese are clearly ahead of the curve, but we can't afford to fall too far behind.

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freefestivalbouquet · 3 months

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Why You're Failing at keynote speaker

Introduction Global Point Of Views: Geopolitics Speakers Share Insights

In an era specified by interconnectedness, geopolitical obstacles transcend borders, requiring a nuanced understanding. Geopolitics speakers, the unrecognized heroes of deciphering worldwide intricacies, supply crucial insights that shape perspectives and foster enlightened conversations.

The Art of Geopolitics Audio Speakers

Geopolitics audio speakers dig deeper than the surface level of political discussion. They are educated overviews, deciphering the complicated dynamics at play among nations on the international system. Their function prolongs past mere information sharing; they aim to enlighten, offering listeners with a nuanced understanding of the diverse and interconnected world of global diplomacy.

Browsing the Complexities of Global Matters

The Changing Dynamics

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Geopolitics audio speakers explore the ever-evolving characteristics of international affairs, exploring changes in power, partnerships, and conflicts. By unraveling the ins and outs of diplomatic communications, they repaint a vibrant image of the forces shaping our globe.

Interconnected Economies

Past national politics, these audio speakers explore the financial implications of geopolitical choices. From trade agreements to permissions, they link the dots, aiding target markets comprehend exactly how worldwide occasions influence monetary landscapes.

Forecasting the Future

Anticipating Trends

Geopolitics speakers are not simply historians of today; they are forecasters of the future. With a thorough evaluation of historic information and existing events, they forecast patterns, providing important insight for companies, governments, and individuals alike.

Threat Administration

Organizations deal with different unidentified variables, and geopolitical specialists serve as guides, geopolitics speaker helping them browse through unforeseeable circumstances. By assessing geopolitical threats, they assist develop strategies that consider feasible barriers in the future.

Adjusting to the Digital Age

Cybersecurity Obstacles

The electronic age brings new measurements to geopolitics, with speakers dealing with the expanding concerns of cyber threats. They explore the crossway of modern technology and global relations, shedding light on the effect of cyber warfare.

Information Warfare

Geopolitics speakers play a vital function in combating the rising tide of misinformation. By dissecting information war tactics, they equip audiences to discern reality from publicity in an era dominated by digital narratives.

The effect on nationwide policies is discovered with the introduction of diplomacy by specialists in geopolitics. They evaluate the subtleties of diplomatic interactions, highlighting the complex connections that either join countries or develop tensions between them. Their monitorings aid boost our comprehension of how polite options influence nationwide plans.

National Security Considerations

Understanding the intersection of geopolitics and national safety is vital. Geopolitics speakers shed light on exactly how international events affect a nation's protection policies, stressing the delicate balance between diplomacy and defense.

The Landscape of Tomorrow

Cutting-Edge Horizons

As technology remains to evolve, specialists in geopolitics explore its results on international connections. They examine exactly how emerging technologies like AI and biotech are changing the geopolitical surface.

Climate Change and International Characteristics

Speakers going over geopolitics explore the interplay in between ecological concerns and international relations, assessing exactly how ecological obstacles shape government plans and polite partnerships.

To conclude

In a globe where every decision has far-ranging repercussions, geopolitics speakers become vital overviews. Browsing the intricacies of international events requires greater than just info; it demands understanding, and these speakers brighten the course towards a much more educated and interconnected globe.

#Youtube

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tomwolfgangascott · 5 years

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Global Conspiracy Theory Attacks

This post originally appeared on Yale on 19 November 2019

Security challenge: As local news media deteriorate, conspiracy theories, crafted to incite fear and tarnish achievements, flourish online.

With local news in decline and more legitimate news behind internet paywalls, readers turn to social media where conspiracy theories are plentiful. Some conspiracy theories emerge from anxiety, such as parents worrying about the side effects of vaccinations for children. Others are deliberate misinformation campaigns crafted to target marginalized populations, weaken social cohesion, increase fear and belittle achievements. “Some individuals struggle to form communities because they harbor politically incorrect thoughts and meet resistance,” explains Tom Ascott, the digital communications manager for the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. “Yet racist, sexist, homophobic and alt-right communities thrive online. Such communities might be small and inconsequential in any one geographic area, but the internet presents a border-free world, allowing niche, politically incorrect views to thrive.” Website managers analyze which content draws the most users and engagement – often the most outrageous, sensational tales along with conspiracy theories. Ascott offers recommendations. Companies should end “likes” and other popularity measures, prohibit falsehoods and revise algorithms that repeatedly spoon-feed content that reinforces views. Societies must invest in open data sources. Individual users must recognize expertise and apply critical reading skills, including consideration of sources with double checks and fact checks. – YaleGlobal

The internet has given conspiracy theories a global platform. While traditional local news media deteriorate, the borders for online communities are broadening, offering weird beliefs that pose political, security and economic implications.

Conspiracy theories are common, and all countries struggle with them. In Poland the 2010 plane crash in Smolensk that killed the former president became fodder for conspiracy theories. And on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, NASA contended with accusations that the moonlanding was filmed on a soundstage, the earth is flat and the moon is a hologram. Spain’s fact-checking site Newtral set out to fight the mistruths.

As some people find social interactions more challenging, online platforms provide outlets for expression. A vicious cycle develops: As people spend more time online, they find personal interactions more challenging and experience social anxiety, prompting more online interactions. The preference to communicate through technology on its own might not be a problem, but can deter the ability to form communities in real life.

Some individuals struggle to form communities because they harbor politically incorrect thoughts and meet resistance. Yet racist, sexist, homophobic and alt-right communities thrive online. Such communities might be small and inconsequential in any one geographic area, but the internet presents a border-free world, allowing niche, politically incorrect views to thrive. As a result, politically incorrect views become less niche. The Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities estimates 60 percent of Britons believe in a conspiracy theory. In France, it’s 79 percent.

Conspiracy theorists and anti-establishment alt-right groups are not distinct, and an investigation by Aric Toler for Bellingcat, the investigative journalism website, suggests the two camps share vocabulary. Embracing conspiracy theories goes along with “rejecting all political and scientific authority, thus changing your entire worldview.”

Rejection of basic and institutional truths contributes to an individual’s vulnerability to radicalization and a rise in extremist views. Internet platforms, whether social media giants like YouTube or Twitter or small online magazines, thrive on clicks and engagement, and operators are keenly aware that outrageous comments or conspiracy theories drive engagement. Bloomberg recently implied that YouTube is aware of the radicalizing effect of video algorithms, offering related content that reinforces users’ views. It is a Pyrrhic success, though, as content fuels disillusionment, frustration and anger.

Algorithms are designed to keep users on the site as long as possible. So, if users search for content opposing vaccinations, YouTube continues serving more anti-vaccination content. A Wellcome study has shown residents of high-income countries report the lowest confidence in vaccinations. France reports the lowest level of trust, with 33 percent reporting they “do not believe that vaccines are safe.”

Such reinforcement algorithms can challenge core democratic ideals, like freedom of speech, by deliberately undermining the marketplace of ideas. The belief underpinning free speech is that truth surfaces through transparent discourse that identifies and counters maliciously false information. Yet the notion of automatic algorithms contribute to a situation that every view is valid and carries equal weight, culminating in the “death of expertise.” When it comes to complex, technical and specialist subjects, everyone’s view is not equally valid.

There is nothing wrong with challenging democratic ideals in an open and earnest debate — this is how democracy evolves. Women won the right to vote through open and free discourse. But posts designed to undermine the marketplace of ideas challenge nations’ ontological security – or the security of a state’s own self-conception. If pushed too far, commonly accepted ideas that are held to be true –the world is round; science, democracy and education are good – could start to collapse and jeopardize national security.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal showed that political messaging could be made more effective by targeting smaller cohorts of people categorized into personality groups. Once platforms and their clients have this information, Jack Clark, head of policy at OpenAI, warns that “Governments can start to create campaigns that target individuals.” Campaigns, relying on machine learning, could optimize ongoing and expanding propaganda seen only by select groups. Some conspiracy theories are self-selecting, with users seeking out the details they want to see. This contrasts with targeted misinformation that typically indicates information warfare.

Propaganda campaigns need not be entirely fictitious and can represent partial reality. It is possible to launch a conspiracy theory using real resources: Videos showing only one angle of events can be purported to show the whole story, or real quotes can be misattributed or taken out of context. The most tenacious conspiracy theories reflect some aspect of reality, often using videos showing a misleading series of events, making these much harder to disprove with other media.

In authoritarian countries, with less reliable repositories of institutional data, fact checking is difficult. In Venezuela, open data sources are being closed, and websites that debunk false news and conspiracy theories are blocked. This problem is not new, stemming from the same dictatorial philosophy that leads regimes to imprison journalists or shut down public media stations.

Video is becoming more unstable as a medium for truth, with deepfakes, videos manipulated by deep-learning algorithms, allowing for “rapid and widespread diffusion” and new evidence for conspiracy theories. Creators churn out products with one person’s face convincingly placed over a second’s person’s face, spouting a third person’s words. There is an ongoing arms race between the effectiveness of these tools and the forensic methods that detect manipulation.

Content still can be fact-checked by providers or users, though this is a slow process. Once a theory or video goes online, the debunking often doesn’t matter if viewers are determined to stand by their views. Users can post content on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media without fact-checking, though Facebook has come under fire for allowing political advertisements to make false claims. Twitter avoids the issue by banning political ads that mention specific candidates or bills.

Conspiracy theorists are also adept at repackaging. For example, any tales related to the rollout of 5G are “rehashed from 4G.” Likewise, the Notre Dame fire quickly produced anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic theories. Conspiracy theorists link new theories to old ones. In the minds of conspiracy theorists, despite evidence to the contrary, such connections give greater weight to the new theory as continuation of an established idea they have already accepted as true.

A government can refute conspiracy theories to prevent, as in the case of Notre Dame, anti-Semitic sentiment. As trust in government and politicians declines, the ability to fight rumors falls. Marley Morris describes the cycle for Counterpoint: “low levels of trust in politicians can cause people to resort to conspiracy theories for their answers and in turn conspiracy theories construct alternative narratives that make politicians even less likely to be believed.”

James Allworth, head of innovation at Cloudflare, proposes banning algorithmic recommendations or prioritization of results for user-generated content. Policy ideas like this as well as internal regulations such as Instagram masking “likes” in six countries, and then globally, indicate appetite for industry change.

There are solutions at the individual level, too, including deputizing users to flag and report false or misleading content. The paradox is that users reporting problem content are not typical viewers or believers. It’s human nature to be curious about controversial content and engage. And unfortunately, according to Cunningham’s law, “the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer.”

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jaigames · 7 years

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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Review

(Submitted 17th October 2017)

Metal Gear Solid V, Hideo Kojima’s final game for the long time crashing video game company Konami. What could have been the greatest Metal Gear Solid game ever made, a shining finale to one of the longest running video game series starting in 1987 with Metal Gear. Unfortunately, what would have been a masterpiece was let down by poor management, greedy CEOs and a desperate attempt to make sequels.

Metal Gear Solid V is a third person stealth game where you play as the legendary mercenary, Big Boss (also known as Venom Snake). The game begins with him waking up in a Cypriot hospital nine years after the destruction of his mother base, he is told that there are many people out to kill him so they must give him plastic surgery to hide his identity. Before that however the hospital is attacked by armed soldiers, having escaped he is greeted by Revolver Ocelot who informs Big Boss of who he is and what happened nine years ago. From here the game consists of rebuilding his base, tracking down those who betrayed him and putting a stop to their world domination.

Like other Metal Gear games, the story delves into the subject of private forces and their impact upon larger political powers using experimental weaponry or unorthodox tactics, one of which is as always, a staple of the Metal Gear franchise being a Metal Gear (a bipedal armoured vehicle). The story uses the implications of touchy subjects being torture, arms race, nuclear arms race, arms intimidation, bio warfare and child soldiers and wraps them into one coherent storyline. These subjects serve as the middle man in the timeline fixing the two stories of MGS3 and MGS1 together, or at least it would have had the game been finished.

Main Gameplay

The main objective of the game, like most other Metal Gear Solid games, is to sneak through levels and complete specific objectives.

There are two kinds of missions to do in three different areas, those being the main story missions and the side missions. The three areas are Afghanistan, Africa and Mother Base, all of which are large open world areas, Afghanistan and Africa having multiple large points of interest which the main story will take you to. Side missions are much smaller missions consisting of one objective being eliminate a threat, capture a target or steal resources.

With each time Big Boss is deployed in the world the player is given a loadout menu to choose what items and companions they wish to take with them. The edition of this is great because it allows the player options to complete the missions in whatever style they would most enjoy. This is what I think the game excels at, given the large open spaces around the mission areas the player can observe their path before taking it. This along with the large number of weapons and items that can be unlocked, there are plenty of options to take.

In most other stealth games, getting spotted by an enemy is the end of your stealth approach meaning it would be time to load a previous save if you want that perfect stealth achievement when you finish the game. For Metal Gear Solid V there is no achievement, plus upon being seen of course the iconic alert sound will play, but it will trigger a bullet time giving the player time to react by tranquilising or killing the enemy.

A mechanic unique to this Metal Gear Solid game that compliments the quirky nature of the series is the fulton recovery system, by interacting with either soldiers, wild animals, vehicles, containers or mounted weapons the player can extract items from the ground to build up their base or to be deployed on missions later. This adds an extra element to consider when planning assault on strongholds, scanning soldiers and judging their stats to determine whether they are wanted for mother base.

Due to Big Boss being a living legend amongst mercenaries, soldiers from other private forces will jump at the chance to join his ranks. No mini game required, just extract a soldier from the battlefield using the fulton and the soldier is automatically added to the list of soldiers at mother base. These soldier’s combined level in different fields have the effect of making their respective team level raise giving perks to the player. The biggest being the research and development team allowing the player to purchase new weapons and items to use on the battlefield. At times collecting the best soldiers does get tedious, but not enough that it completely disrupts the flow of the game.

Cutscenes

The Metal Gear series is known for having very long and cinematic cutscenes that set them apart from other games. Although in Metal Gear Solid 5 the cutscenes in no way reach the length of previous games in the series, but they are nothing less than stunning every time. Every shot is framed well and every character moves fluently. With each introduction of a piece of high tech gear, the game will give a dynamic view of the focus point along with a digital glint on screen giving the viewer a moment to take in the details and marvel at the design.

The cutscenes were far less interactive in this game too, previously you’d be able to interact with the surroundings while the extended cutscenes played out. While it does seem like a piece of the Metal Gear heritage was taken out, it did encourage to pay attention to the subject at hand which of course was more than enough to keep me interested. Instead of the long drawn out explanations in cutscenes, they are instead moved to the cassette tapes that came be listened to in game. Personally, I much preferred this much more as the time it took to drive between side missions was easily filled in listening to story that Big Boss wasn’t present to hearing.

Issues

Being a recent Konami game, the game has plenty of issues, some of these points are quite minor while others have had serious repercussions with the game.

Of course, the recent plague with AAA games has been the introduction of microtransactions into full price releases and Metal Gear Solid V is no exception to this. The base building mechanic has an online feature to attack and be attacked from other private forces, those being other players. In theory, this seems like it would be a great idea as a side mini game, but building up your base takes time and resources. Resources you can send out your soldiers on missions to collect, but these missions can take up to two real time weeks, but microtransactions are there to finish the missions instantly. These arbitrary wait times serve no other purpose than to encourage the player to give out more money. By participating in this mode, you are consenting to take part in the online base defence feature, where the player can attack other player’s bases and while simultaneously protecting their own. Unless the player’s base has maxed out statistics, they won’t stand a chance online. This is where base insurance comes in, players can purchase it with real money to insure they keep their resources after being attacked.

This online feature has little to no effect on the main game, the resources gained are tiny in comparison to the resources gained by playing the main game. Building up the base to the maximum size can raise the level of the teams of soldiers, but these can still all be done simply in the main game. All that this feature really amounts to is climbing up a leaderboard that unless those payments are made, there is no hope of ever reaching the top, it is just a leaderboard of who spent the most money. Another issue with this online feature is that the servers are very slow, this is obvious when trying to navigate the menus in game, especially for the research and development menu. When navigating the menus time does not stop and the player cannot exit while a menu is loading, this can take anywhere between 5 to 60 seconds. Personally, this has caused me to die multiple times when trying to request a supply drop in the heat of battle. This has been made worst by the PC port of the game not allowing the player to interact with the menu via mouse and instead must use the keyboard, while this isn’t too significant, it is worth mentioning that it does take some getting used to.

One of the more daunting issues have been the limitations placed on the game due to Konami pushing for console accessibility. While in theory this sounds good that the game could be played on the PS3 and Xbox 360, this also meant that the game was heavily dumbed down. This meant that significantly less polygons could be rendered on screen at any given time meaning a lot of these big open areas became empty and baron except for a couple patrol vehicles and enemy checkpoints dotted around. This was most apparent in missions that took you to vast important enemy strongholds such as military storages, airports or prisons; these places could only render up to 10 soldiers on screen at once. They lacked the feeling of being these grand high security landmarks that would only be looked at and avoided on the map for fear of alerting huge armies of soldiers that didn’t exist.

The largest flaw of Metal Gear Solid V anyone can tell you is the ending, or lack thereof one. Instead of this game being the final chapter of a legendary game series, one that has evolved alongside modern gaming, it was poorly let down by Konami. After completely two thirds of the game and beating the only thing that really qualified as a boss fight, it felt as though the game was ready to start tying up all the side plots and the main storyline. However, this for me is where the game started to stagnate, a lot of the main missions began to become filler in the form of challenge modes of previous missions with the occasional new piece of story thrown in. The ending of the game is completely missing, what could have been a grand finale that would pit the army that the player had built against Big Boss’s final enemy. All of this was cut from the game by Konami to make another sequel from what would of be a great ending. Fortunately, there are videos online of the unfinished cutscenes and storyboards, that were taken from the ending. These can give a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the series, but it remains a let-down of what could have been.

Conclusion

In conclusion Metal Gear Solid V is in no way the worst of the series, but it is a shame that it had the potential to have been the best. From what it lacked in holding the heritage of the game, it made up for with improvements. It, started to feel like it was its own game separating itself far from the usual Metal Gear Solid formula for keeping the main core focus of the gameplay and story purpose. My advice for anyone looking to play Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain would be, enjoy the game from the first two thirds, but prepared to be let down by the last third. I could rate this game a solid 10/10 were it finished, but due to its many flaws I rate it 7/10.

#Metal Gear Solid V #The Phantom Pain #Review

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automaticvr · 5 years

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For pre-modern Eastern and Western civilisations, the carpet or tapestry was a way to share stories and immortalise events. Before digital printers the collective consciousness of the community was weaved line by line into an image that in its totality formed a recognizable pattern. Information was analogue, carefully arranged line by line to maximise the potential of the final imagery and message. This technique was a precursor to early digital printing methods of building up an image line by line. These compositions were often elaborate and constructed a visual timeline animated with expressive colours, compositions, shapes and differing depths. As a conveyor of information, the hand crafted carpet is slow, passive and rich in value. However, the meme and animated GIF are fast because of their small file sizes and reduced quality they disseminate quickly, and yet are poor in quality. This tension between fast and slow, poor and rich, passive and active became a way to exploit historical differences between art forms, conflate online virtual violence with real violence, and to explore the wider geo-political reality of global warfare that effects and drives online video gaming and trends. In short, How to Get An Education is an allegory of conquest. The depiction of the Iraq War is the dominate feature of the first half of the film using Afghan war rug style, while the second half explores meme culture through a modern IKEA designed carpet. Furthermore, I wanted the projected image to map onto the body of the spectator as they walk across the field of colour and to function as another screen. The viewer’s body underneath the projection is now directly implicated in the larger context of a global-technological conflict, geopolitics, or consumerist behaviours. What does it mean to participate as an actor on this stage filled with digital explosions, weird pixelated video game icons, corporate logos, memes, masks, or western and eastern carpet design? Where does their responsibility lie in preventing war, facilitating it, ignoring it, or resisting it? What role can internet culture play in this scenario?

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emmaegan023 · 4 years

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Fix Our Health Care System. Don’t Try to Make It Perfect.

When did so many of our elected leaders become so uncompromising on health care?

Was it the moment when many in the Democratic field raised their hands in support of providing subsidized health insurance to all undocumented immigrants? That’s a position that even our peer countries with better coverage rates have yet to embrace. Maybe it was when President Trump and the Republican-controlled House celebrated their temporary takedown-without-a-replacement of Obamacare back in 2017. Their plan would have deprived an additional 24 million Americans of coverage had it cleared the Senate. (It thankfully didn’t.)

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when the pursuit of the perfect — Single payer no matter the cost! The free market will fix it all! — has become the enemy of actual political progress in reducing the high cost of coverage.

What is marketable on Twitter has come to overshadow any incentive to focus on what’s truly achievable in the short term. Joe Biden’s health care platform, progressive by many standards but bounded by reasonable limits, was actually deemed “a giant gamble” because it isn’t progressive enough, even though it supports a public option and bolstering Medicaid expansion.

If this is a gamble, what does a bipartisan theory of health care reform even look like?

Let’s start by moving past the endless debate about the proper role of government in American health care. The right wants less government, the left wants more. We’ve tried since the Truman administration to reconcile these opposing views, and until our politics fundamentally change, it’s time to shift focus.

Elected leaders should instead get creative and use the convening power of Congress to support innovations that have the potential both to sharply reduce the overall costs of health care and to make it available to more people.

Spending on health care in the United States remains absurdly high, having increased 3.9 percent to $3.5 trillion dollars in 2017.

Yet 31 million Americans will remain uninsured even if the Affordable Care Act is fully carried out by 2024. And among those with insurance, over half of those polled recently by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Los Angeles Times said coverage remains unaffordable because of high deductibles, expensive prescription drugs and insufficient coverage of pre-existing conditions.

Congress could aim for an easy win in reducing health care costs by exploring digital innovations. This is not a silver bullet, but it could have significant impact without stoking tribal warfare.

Recent studies have shown that technology can reduce costs. A team of Stanford scientists, for example, found that home-based digital monitoring of patients with chronic kidney disease allows for earlier intervention and better tailoring of therapies. This reduces hospitalizations, emergency room visits and the need for expensive therapies like hemodialysis, a treatment for people with failing kidneys. If broadly put into use, telemonitoring could save an estimated $63 billion annually.

Other home-based digital monitoring strategies — using cloud technology and devices like smart watches and phones — have improved the ability of clinicians to detect early symptoms of decline in patients with chronic respiratory disease. Such early detection helps reduce the need for costly hospital readmissions and other clinical services.

Some argue that app-based smartphone interventions could also save up to $46 billion annually by streamlining care for patients with chronic cardiovascular or respiratory ailments, who can access treatments before minor problems become major crises.

These examples say nothing of the staggering potential of artificial intelligence to improve diagnostic precision and reduce avoidable errors. Google recently released findings from a study that showed its A.I. system reduced lung cancer misdiagnoses by 11 percent when compared to the performance of human radiologists. This has potentially enormous implications: Diagnostic errors are expensive, adding an estimated $750 billion to our health care spending annually.

There has been some progress on these fronts. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently signed off on its first digital health reimbursement plan, which will reward providers for using remote monitoring and telehealth services.

But we are far behind our peers. Britain’s National Health Service has adopted a broad, government-sanctioned digital health strategy intended to integrate private sector innovation into public health.

Congress can play a leading role in this effort, finding funds for a new national institute dedicated to digital health innovation. Such an institute could fund research, convene stakeholders and provide regulatory guidance to the Food and Drug Administration regarding new technologies.

There’s so much else Congress could do that needn’t invite reflexive partisanship, such as reducing the unbearably high costs of end-of-life care, filling persistent gaps in palliative care services and improving research into novel forms of primary care that have shown initial promise.

Fixing our health care system should be rooted in common sense, not zealotry. For the Democratic candidates who will debate the next two nights, this is an opportunity to reverse the script. Minimize the talk of Medicare for all and instead push for creative solutions that are more realistic.

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