Posts by popsiq

U Vlad bro? Docker accidentally cuts off Ukraine

Any other day of the week and this would have been the story of another massive Russian attack on poor defenseless little Eukrainia. Except this one was only a 'glitch'.

SEC: Ukrainian hackers' investment fraud ring raked in millions in 'unprecedented' hack

Just Asking for It

Why are they routing sensitive financial information through internet servers in Ukraine? The Brits are saying, to day that highly sensitive information on nuclear weapons was 'accidentally' routed between the US sources and the British recipient through servers in Ukraine and eastern Europe.

Vintage wine laid down in 1600 BC was 'psychotropic'

Those Canaanites. Which tribe of Israel would they be? And where did they go?

Ex-UK spy boss says WikiLeaks sparked Egyptian revolution

Electronic Catalysts?

Hard to believe that Facebook and Twitter are efficient generators of mass public action, the formats don't lend themselves to that. Ditto Wikileaks as the cause of most anything at all, save some government embarassment. I think there are few people on earth naive enough to believe their leaders are not essentially intetrested in themselves first, that they tell us what they want us to know, and that, often they try to 'shape' our reactions ahead of time.

The Egyptians didn't 'revolt' because of Facebook, or Wikileaks, they revolted because of an overreaction to protests about food prices and a tardy, insufficient reaction to address a very basic issue - something to eat. The application of police and security forces, usually beating up on Copts or 'immigrants' and nothing new in Egypt, was opposed this time, and caved-in. The success of the protest had little to do with e-media and less to do with Wikileaks. It was a case of success repeating itself. If anyone was affected by 'leaks', it was Mubarak.

We're seeing a different reaction to protest in Libya, where Ghaddafi is too hard-nosed to give in to calls for his retirement, and still very willing to try the 'robust' approach to pacifying protest. No Wikileaks or social media being tapped for this mess.

It will be interesting to see if Facebook can overcome security for the Day of Rage in Saudia Arabia this Friday. I would bet we'll see the limit of communication as a catalyst for social action.

Frankly, I think food prices, which will affect America - and the rest of the world, too, can be affected by the 'ennertainment' value of social media which could become the modern form of the Roman circus - keeping the mob gaily teeting and doing nothing else. But the Romans were bright enough to remember the mob needed bread, too. I think the latter day 'emperors' of wealth may have forgotten that.