All Posts Tagged With: "future politics"

I just arrived in Champaign today after a rather bizarre and shall we say “adventurous” roadtrip from my home in California. On this trip, my girlfriend and I mostly went by maps because what were once our sightseeing plans had hit a few hiccups, so we had to take a different (and shorter) route. While studying the maps of the country between California and Illinois, I was struck by how artificial our political subdivision boundary lines are. I was struck by the number of metropolitan areas that spanned not only dozens, and occasionally hundreds, of municipalities and square miles, but also multiple states. This got me to thinking that there’s something wrong, almost offensive to common sense, in this scenario.

States, municipalities, counties. They are largely artificial. The most obvious is counties. They are, for the most part, entirely artificial lines drawn in the sand by state governments to make governing larger states easier – they are mere subdivisions of the state. States aren’t always as obvious. A few, like Hawaii or some of the original colonies make sense in that they were around as pre-existing entities with something like a cohesive foundation and common identity and then became states. A larger number of states, however, are just more lines drawn in the sand by the Federal Government throughout history to make sense of huge annexations of territory into the United States. To get a sense of this, think mostly of the territory west of the Mississippi, you know, all them funny square states with nice straight line borders.

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According to this article, Americans need to rethink our concepts of privacy.

Assumption: By the year 2016, the word secret is meaningless. A recording of every second of everyone’s life is available through a search engine similar to Google if you know the proper keywords to reference it. The recordings cannot be blocked or faked and anyone can access them.

What are the likely political results of this change?

Name three totally new professions that will be created to deal with this new way of life.

How will this impact economics?

Tom

News, as downloaded directly into memory by iJack:

New York, NY–(Urbanagora.com editorial staff) In a small ceremony, attended for the most part by city officials and the children of those killed in the attack, New York Mayor Joan Chang laid a wreath at the Twin Towers Memorial. Looking back from a generation after the events of that day, it becomes clear that this attack on the former United States began the chain of events that led to that country splitting up into a group of smaller nations. The combination of imperialistic hubris pointed in the wrong direction and unnecessary and intrusive attempts to remove the rights of citizenry led to the end of this formerly great nation, only 36 years after its chief rival dissolved in a thundering crash which would cause Fukuyama to declare “the end of history.” In its own way, however, the attack set the stage for the first portion of the 21st Century, since it demonstrated that a group of less than 20 individuals, with fifty dollars worth of simple tools and the understanding of the dynamics of human systems could achieve a result far out of proportion to their apparent power. Costing billions of dollars as well as inciting two wars, their deaths truly opened a new era on the world stage. Since that September morning, the world has lost Tel Aviv, Melbourne and the entire nation of Tibet. Whether the human race itself will survive has yet to be determined.

Moonbase Alpha, Luna–(XCorporation press release) XCorp astronauts have landed on and captured Comet C/2026 Denofrio-Takahashi. This source of water and other necessary consumable materials will be placed in Lunar orbit late next year and used to supply XCorp’s Moonbase Alpha, as well as the American and Chinese Lunar settlements. CEO Peter Diamantis (who was on hand to greet American astronauts three years ago when they finally returned to the Moon) said that XCorp plans to sell the shell of the comet to NASA to be used as shielding for their Mars exploration mission.

San Francisco, CA–(CatFancy.com) Familiars, Incorporated has finally released details of the rollout of their first chip-enhanced kitten, the Mitzi. This fusion of animal and cybernetics should retain the instincts of its feline ancestors, breed true and be as intelligent as a five-year-old child, with a vocabulary of up to 500 English words. The premiere, originally intended for 2025, was delayed when it was found that the implanted chip was causing tumors in early models. Their public-relations Aye stated that this problem has been overcome and that while the fertile females will be expensive for now, sterile females and males will be available for as low as $5000. The line should hit the GenCom stores by next Spring–right in time for Easter baskets.

Salt Lake City, UT–(YorkNews.com) Relatives of millionaire recluse Sandy Gomez have been granted a temporary restraining order preventing him from downloading his personality permanently into his World of Starcraft avatar, Bruce Hotbeam. Since the Utah Supreme Court has yet to decide whether or not the shell of a download is alive or dead, the Gomez estate would be left in a state of flux as far as the heirs are concerned. Mr. Gomez has vowed to carry on his fight, saying “nothing can keep me from the opportunity of eternal life.”

Urbana, IL–(DailyIllini.com) The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has announced that the graduating class of 2028 will be the last with a physical campus. They cited the impossibility of maintaining even the small number of labs and offices with the $2000/year tuition that, even at that low level, students are unwilling to pay for information being taught in PhysSpace. Instruction will, of course, still be available on-line, with guided tutors aiding in hyperlinking to design individual curricula for each student. U.S. Representative William J. Mills was quoted in Washington as saying, “This is a sad day for those of us who fondly remember the professors and wonderful campus life that this great institution provided. It will be missed.”

Washington, DC–(CNN.com) North and South California, Oregon and Washington have brought the number of seceding states to seven. President Paul warmly welcomed “our new, independent brothers and sisters” and pledged to work with them to create trade and defense treaties which will best serve the interests of all the people of this continent. While the exact details of the newly-established governments have not yet been revealed, it is expected that they will reflect the mores of the characteristic societies of each area.

Tokyo, Japan–(Griffendorf.net) Kimiko Oka, spiritual leader of the world-wide Church of the Great Programmer announced that the project to attract the attention of the Being that created “this larger virtual reality that we call PhysSpace” is nearing completion. The project, which used 750 terabytes of processing power to create a specific type of fractal has taken five years and employed 25,000 people. When asked what she will do when the church succeeded, she replied that, “the cheat codes for this simulation may be complex, but having them should insure that the members of our church level up more quickly than those who are unbelievers.”

Toronto, CA–(CBCnews.com) Gay rights activists protested today at the stockholders’ annual meeting of GenDairyProducts.com. Members were shocked last month to find that GDP’s Protex brand milk-with-supplements meant for pregnant mothers included homosexuality as one of the birth defects repaired by its nanocells. CEO Raymond Galtier pointed out that “no one is forcing any mother who does not wish to drink our product to do so.” Experts say that this could result in a drastic decrease in the number of homosexual men within the next two decades.

–Tom (chronage 75, bioage 45)

News, (including picture and sound) as projected onto the inside curve of iLink glasses, delivered by TomBot, powered by Google.

Jerusalem, Israel–(WorldNetHourly.com) Victims of Hezbollah’s Yom Kippur nuclear blast in Tel Aviv continue to pour into Jerusalem area hospitals. The Israeli Defense Force medical corps has filled the streets in the center of the city with makeshift tents with surgical supplies, but it is still falling short by a wide margin. The current death toll is estimated at 76,000, with more bodies expected to be found as homes collapsed by the ground burst’s shock wave are excavated. President Clinton, speaking before the International Red Cross, promised to send as many US hospital ships to the Mediterranian as are needed.

Aleppo, Syria–(DailyKos.com) Fallout from the Damascus and Tehran retaliatory strikes continues to endanger lines of refugees fleeing the ruins of those cities. The death toll estimates range wildly, but the best estimates seem to fall in the 480,000 range for Syria and 780,000 for the Iranian strikes. Egypt and Jordan expressed willingness to take any Palestinians that survive to their borders ahead of the lines of IDF “move or die” squadrons ethnically cleansing the West Bank and Gaza. Saudi Arabia pledged to send humanitarian aid to both Egypt and Jordan, while warning Israel that any attack on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina would result in the annihilation of their state.

Baghdad, Iraq–(Reuters) Saudi troops crossed the Tigris River in force, replacing Iranian Revolutionary Guards which have been occupying the river’s east bank for over two years. The Iranian RG troops, it is reported, have been recalled to Iran to quell unrest in the wake of the Israeli nuclear strikes. The Turkish Army in Kurdistan strongly warned the Saudis that any move to the north would be interpreted as a hostile act.

Washington, DC–(MSNBC.com) President Clinton, with an eye on elections only six weeks away, signed an executive order creating price controls on all essential items as well as wages, citing them as essential in the wake of the world’s first atomic war. “This nation,” she said before a group of business executives from the service sector, ” cannot prosper if gasoline goes above six dollars per gallon for very long.” She assured the assembled CEOs that the measure was only temporary and would be lifted as soon as the present crisis is over. A British Petroleum spokesman warned the President that this kind of government action would spell disaster for his company, since BP and the other energy companies are taking great risks in bringing fuel supplies to America at the present time.

Toronto, Canada–(AP) University of Toronto biologists, in tandem with chemical engineers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announced the creation of the first artifical life from inert chemicals. Their five-year project culminated in an article for this month’s Science Online demonstrating a set of cells, complete with mitochondria, wall and nucleus assembled by nanobots out of dissolved urea laced with trace elements. Dr. Katherine Winsler, speaking to reporters today, reassured the public that there would be no danger from this newly created life. “It is,” she said, “designed to be fragile and could not live for more than a few seconds outside of the lab. This is, none the less, a major step forward in the understanding of life on this planet and others.” Pope Leo XIV, speaking from the Vatican, decried this new technology, warning that man, “like Prometheus, has stolen fire from the heavens. Any good apparently coming of this will be fleeting and turn to ashes in the end.”

Urbana, Illinois–(Daily Illini) Daisy Cho, Sophomore in Elementary Education, was pronounced dead on arrival at Carle Hospital this afternoon after being struck by a bus at the corner of Sixth and John Streets in Champaign. The driver stated that the student did not appear to notice that the bus was moving through the intersection, and that he could not override the programming in time. Playback of her iLink glasses by police showed that she was texting her brother in San Francisco as well as researching a paper due next Friday for her Compative Religions class. Tiara Calkins, state representative from the 103rd District, pledged to introduce legislation in Springfield forbidding the use of interactive eyewear on city streets and by drivers in Illinois due to the hazards that they present to public safety.

Beijing, China–(Xinhua.com) The Minister of Labor confirmed that the Chinese government would pay the fare of the entire families of workers imported from Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela to bolster the presently inadequate Chinese labor force. Reformers have called for the end of China’s One Child Per Family policy, citing families where one thirty-year old worker is supporting six parents and grandparents. This policy is also blamed for the 60/40 male gender dominance in twenty-somethings across the country. Gender-based abortion, while technically illegal, is still widely practiced in the countryside although it has fallen completely out of favor in the larger cities. The newly-arrived workers will be housed in special suburbs built specifically for their use near the industries which hired them.

–Tom (age 60)

News, as read on a computer screen from The Drudge Report:

Washington, DC–(AP) Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney may have sewn up their parties’ nominations for President. Their large margins of victory over their closest opponents would have guaranteed the nomination under normal circumstances, but the DNC has vowed to pursue a floor fight against seating half of the delegates elected prior to the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. The chairman of the Republican National Committee still refuses to comment on the issue, saying that they are taking a “wait and see” attitude.

Beijing, China–(Xinhua) The Chinese government continues to take actions to counter the drastic drop in Chinese growth due to their economy’s catastrophic loss from the American mortgage disaster. While the annual growth rate is only 2% at the present time, officials stated that the 2008 Summer Olympics, scheduled to begin in less than five months, should provide a needed boost to the nation’s balance of trade.

Bentonville, Arkansas–(AP) Elinore Dosik vowed today to continue the nation-wide boycott of Wal-Mart until they completely remove Chinese goods from their shelves. Her organization, Mothers Against Dangerous Goods (MADG) now enters the second month of the protest, which has emptied the stores of the world’s largest private employer throughout the United States and Great Britain of shoppers. WMT stock is expected to be sharply off in trading in world markets with expected first quarter sales a full 25% below last year at this time. An unnamed corporate source stated that “Malaysia and the Phillipines are looking better and better all the time.” Chinese officials have accused the US government of repeatedly exaggerating reports of defective goods.

Washington, DC–(Reuters) The unemployment rate continues to be stable at 4.5% despite the loss over the last eighteen months of close to 30% from the median value of a home in the hardest-hit states. Bush administration officials point to this low jobless rate as proof that the American economy is still strong despite Democratic claims to the contrary.

El Paso, TX–(MyWayNews.com) Immigration officials have not been able to successfully explain the 20% reduction in arrests on the border over the last three months. Sheriff Clay Atkins of nearby San Elizario, in a noon news conference, stated that “they’re gone–either they’ve dug a tunnel somewhere or are flying over–we’re just not seeing the kind of human traffic to which we’ve become accustomed.”

Baghdad, Iraq–(AP) The first US army brigade to leave Iraq closed up shop at their headquarters and headed for the US today. General David Petraeus hailed this redeployment as a sign that the Iraqi government is at last capable of handling the responsibility for security within Anbar province. Senator Harry Reid of Nebraska welcomed the returning unit at their home base and thanked them for their service. In a statement issued later, he claimed that “these soldiers’ obvious exhaustion is a sign that our brave fighting men have been exploited under the Bush Administration.” Simultaneous with the re-deployment, an upsurge of terrorist violence has struck Anbar in the last week, with casualties due to car bombings up by 100 over this time last month. Iran has been blamed for this surge, even though car bombings have traditionally been a weapon of the Sunni resistance. Local citizens claim that US air strikes aimed at eliminating the terrorist headquarters responsible for these attacks caused damage to a local mosque when missles went astray.

Geneva, Switzerland–(AP) Representatives of the Union Bank of Switzerland continued to refuse to comment on the rumor that a criminal gang from Romania had managed to crack the encryption on their accounts and steal over a billion dollars from their Geneva branch. “The assets of depositors have never been safer,” the bank president assured reporters in a news conference held at the corporate office of UBS–AG. Cybersecurity officials stated that the criminal organization, known as the Bucharest Chess Club, first linked 25 million computers worldwide into a parallel network using the Naughty Tentacle worm, then ran decryption algorithms until they were successful.

Tallin, Estonia–(Reuters) The Estonian Minister of Defense said today that his nation’s decision to not deploy US/NATO anti-missle defenses within Estonian borders is not due to pressure from Russia, but instead because his nation feels secure in the safety and security in modern Europe. The US Ambassador, expressing disappointment, said that while he understood the right of the Baltic nation to change its mind, it was a blow to the defense of Northern Europe from terrorist ambitions.

Tom (age 55)