Wired is just a cut-out front for the release of technology-related propaganda by governments and other corporations, but this is a hilarious bit (via Cryptogon) about counter-terrorism studies and activities occurring in virtual worlds. Dream police, in other words.

Very relevant to the whole subprime mortgage crisis bullshit:
My name is Tom Cranker and I’m a jolly banker,
I’m a Jolly banker, jolly banker am I.
I safeguard the farmers and widows and orphans,
Singin’ I’m a jolly banker, jolly banker am I.
When dust storms are sailing, and crops they are failing,
I’m a Jolly banker, Jolly banker am […]

A story found via Ran Prieur which dovetails nicely into many of the themes I’ve been following: The Not-So-Great Depression, Placeless Living, New Nomadism, Carnival Culture, how crime and power work, etc.
Strange days are upon the residents of many a suburban cul-de-sac. Once-tidy yards have become overgrown, as the houses they front have gone vacant. […]

gonna get in my car and drive to that big house in the sky

I find this quote very interesting, though I don’t know yet where to categorize it mentally. It’s a piece of or example of something. It’s connected to the whole Britney Spears downward spiral into madness (see also: public flame-outs of female role models in culture). I guess her camp is accusing this guy Sam Lufti […]

Also on the subject of paparazzi, I’m reading the WKPD entry on it and it turns out that the word origin goes to Italian for a particularly annoying kind of buzzing mosquito. Makes me think of futuristic surveillance technology when they can automate these kinds of things: little flying cameras that swarm after you and […]

You know, with all the Britney coverage and various other troubles which celebrities have had and continue to have with paparazzi, I’m surprised none of them have yet “gone postal” and just taken a machine gun to work, school-shooting style.