more digital illusions

MORE DIGITAL ILLUSIONS

I don't think I've talked about cryptocurrencies for some time. But I'm seeing people I normally trust with economic advice advocate them. Which I guess makes sense, as almost nobody links economics to energy, mores the pity. Let me just ask you a question up front, to give you a sense of where I stand. Do you keep money in your wallet or in a bank? It is as simple as that. Do you want tangible assets or a promise of payment? I don't pretend to know the first thing about crypto's. I do know that you are trusting a computer to make good on your savings.

*

Am I the only one that watched “2001, A Space Odyssey”? When HAL won't open the pod bay doors, you are double dog dingus humped. Anyone, anyone at all, “Terminator”? Skynet thinks you are a danger. Why would it give you money to buy explosives to breech its processor core? Am I being silly? Really? You aren't supposed to take those threats literally. Stanley Kubrick was, how does one put this? Bat crap weird. Who the heck knows what was going on in his head. And Terminator was sci-fi HORROR.

*

Horror, that genre full of improbables such as TV's swallowing kids and Freddie Krugers from Hell. I think the rise of evil computers in the movies and such genres as cyberpunk didn't mirror fears of AI out of control ( I'll return to that steaming lump of dung in a bit ), but man's misuse of technology, as all his tools have been used. And let us not forget, the first, best, and ONLY Terminator movie ( #2 was mere action, however good that was on its own ) was more about the horror of nuclear annihilation than it was about AI Gone Wrong.

*

Damn, it HAS been thirty years since the threat of global thermonuclear war has subsided, hasn't it? As long as I've been alive, over half that span has been WITHOUT the threat of dying from the retards pushing the red button. And yet, that threat was a very real thing to anyone over about 45 years of age now. I think it was THE threat, surpassing all others exponentially. Gore Warming, by comparison, is a stupid and retarded threat ( which might explain why the younger set worry about that much more than the older folks-these kiddies have no sense of REAL terror. Same with the low information voters that think Habeeb is a real threat ).

*

And don't think for a second that we never experienced nuclear war because the weapons “were too terrible to imagine using”. What a bunch of ignorant babble that is. We gladly used then on the slant eyes, both because we hated Ornamentals and because we were letting Stalin know that he was a pussy and we could kill far more folks than he ever imagined, and that it was Cold War On, Like Donkey Kong.

*

We had upper military management chomping at the bit to use nukes in Korea, after we experienced a bit of embarrassment when a bunch of rice eaters almost kicked our asses, we glorious WWII victors. Now that simply wouldn't send the right message to the rest of the world we were colonizing, would it? The exact same strategy we used in WWII, human wave assaults ( only more successful than Russia because we were much better equipped ), was used by Chinese peasants, and our glorious Techno-Military almost lost. Nuke them for their brazen insubordination!

*

We had oodles and gobs of tactical nuclear weapons, artillery rounds equipped to nuke the Soviets should they be so bold as to want our slice of Europe. It was doctrine, NOT defending American soil, to use nukes. The Army, snorting too much radiation, wanted to use nukes mining a base on the moon ( nukes were seen as a potentially nifty engineering tool by the Corps Of Engineers. Luckily for us, they focused on waterways up and down our major rivers. Or, unlucky, as the under maintained former glorious works are failing ).

*

And I would wager a jelly filled donut that there was talk of nuking someone recently, even groups under nation state size. I'd imagine the only reason we didn't is that, like most military equipment we cannibalize most to keep a few running, we didn't have many to spare. Our inventory is probably shrinking due to dismantling the very industry that used to manufacture the things. My point is, we never had a problem wanting to use them, again. We just didn't want to deal with the trouble retaliation would cause. Are the Hampton's downwind from a target? That would explain the bankers reluctance. Remember, they took over running the government from the military industrial complex.

*

Should we still be frightened of nuclear war? I view it as I did back then. It is such a huge potential threat, that there really isn't much you can realistically do. A fallout shelter is great for that initial radiation. Then, what do you do as all the crap in the atmosphere works around the world back to you? Who is going to stay in a shelter THAT long? Then there is the nuclear winter. Which is just theory, granted, but it makes sense. If one volcano can cause a drop in solar input, what about thousands of widespread fires, and tens of thousands of piles of dirt being thrown up into the atmosphere?

*

Granted, the global stockpile shrank from seventy thousand total in the 1980's to under four thousand today ( and the peak was my genius moment to join the military ). The danger is drastically reduced, even if a total war. But you can see why the 80's was a time of such brilliant movies reflecting the fear of nuclear war, such as Terminator and Road Warrior ( Oz wasn't touched, seems to be the implication, other than the oil not being shipped in ).

*

You see a lot of commentary on the cyberpunk movement dying at the same time as the Soviet Union. I never delved deeply into the genre, although the few I read I enjoyed such as Neuromancer and Snowcrash. Was a theme the crash of nations due to the Cold War, and the rise of corporations to replace them? No idea. At the time I was more focused on Libertarian science fiction. I still don't think anyone has ever done better ( not even the same author ) than “The Probability Broach” for imagining a free society.

*

Wow, I don't think I've ever veered off so far from the basic subject matter. The way I look at it, a bonus for you all, extra material. Tomorrow we continue, hopefully touching on cryptocurrencies at least occasionally.
[ addendum: after I wrote the above, I viewed a decent cyberpunk documentary HERE .  It didn't really answer my question, but it was enjoyable ] 

( .Y. )

( today's related Amazon link click HERE )

*
note: a kind minion passed on these deals to you ingrates.  Good, heavy, wool blankets at the lowest prices in years.  From Sportsman's Guide HERE HERE and HERE 
*

Please support Bison by buying through the Amazon links here ( or from http://bisonprepper.com/2.html or www.bisonbulk.blogspot.com ). Or PayPal www.paypal.me/jimd303 

*** Unless you are in extreme poverty, spend a buck a month here, by the above donation methods ( I get 4% of the Amazon sale, so you need to buy $25 worth for me to get my $1 ) or mail me some cash/check/money order or buy a book ( web site for free books, Amazon to pay just as a donation vehicle ).

*** My e-mail is: jimd303@reagan.com My address is: James M Dakin, 181 W Bullion Rd #12, Elko NV 89801-4184 ***E-Mail me if you want your name added to the weekly e-newsletter subscriber list.

*** Pay your author-no one works for free. I’m nice enough to publish for barely above Mere Book Money, so do your part.*** junk land under a grand *  Lord Bison* my bio & biblio* my web site is www.bisonprepper.com *** Wal-Mart wheat***Amazon Author Page
* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there