Surfing for terrorism


The US government has started a project to develop ways to spot terrorists using virtual worlds. Codenamed Reynard (foxy, eh?) it aims to identify ‘normal’ behaviour in online worlds and from there target ‘anomalous’ activity. Hmm. Is it normal for anybody to spend all of their time online building fake identities in fake environments? And the same old question underlines this latest bonkers initiative: what exactly is normal?

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Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

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The Liar, the Which, and the War Room


‘Of all tyrannies,” wrote CS Lewis, ‘a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.’

A government advisor wants to see the introduction of deliberately complicated forms to be filled in by smokers who’d pay £10 per year to obtain valid Permits to Smoke.

To find out how this daring and caring ‘big daddy knows best’ plan could be implemented, read the hilarious (if a little overplayed) commentary by Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker. It’s also scary because anybody with a brain can, indeed, see where we are going as a society…

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Monday, February 18th, 2008

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