Maxims, rules of thumb and other observations on human cognition and sociocultural affectations

This will be added to on an irregular basis...
  • What is said to humans directly is received with skepticism and considered with dubiousness while that which is heard in passing, especially that which most conforms to their mentality or prejudices, is readily believed.
  • Humans have a certain cognitive latency between exposure to new information or experiences and the ability to think dispassionately and intellectually about it.
  • Humans have a certain cognitive spectrum starting with the moment of exposure to new information or experiences and ending with some point at which the thing is effectively "in the past" for them.
  • This cognitive spectrum is linked to the emotional process often referred to as shock, anger, denial and acceptance.
  • The more and faster information or experiences are presented to people and the closer the quarters and the lesser the distance between people, the more their early reactions in the passionate emotional stage are reflected back to them in the manner of responses to those reactions from others in light of those responses.
  • The more outrages which are suffered without sufficient time to allow emotional bleed-off, the farther the bar for subsequent reaction and outrage are pushed, and the more further events must progress before reaction and outrage.
  • It is possible for serious detriments to eventually sit below this threshold for long enough for their damaging effects to build and multiply until their entire society undergoes some reactive convulsion.
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Friday, February 08, 2008

Feds continue to take easy path in War on Terror: define our own citizens as the enemy!

Maria Udy, a marketing executive with a global travel management firm in Bethesda, said her company laptop was seized by a federal agent as she was flying from Dulles International Airport to London in December 2006. Udy, a British citizen, said the agent told her he had "a security concern" with her. "I was basically given the option of handing over my laptop or not getting on that flight," she said.

Clarity Sought on Electronics Searches - washingtonpost.com

This is why I memorize URLs and retransmit them to other people by urinating in the snow. Makes it harder to share interesting links and limits it to the winter but it's better than having my cell phone savaged by the same sort of people who can't keep our border with Mexico less porous than a screen window, and regularly screw up my driver's license photo.

In the meantime, I suggest that all laptops be set up to do remote desktop thin client sort of use and NOT have ANY info stored locally AND to have time and IP range restricted VPN connections mandatory to do it, preferably requiring a call to a corporate vice president to clear access from the IP address being used at the time of connection when on the road. DRAG THESE FASCIST MOTHERFUCKERS INTO THE CESSPOOL OF CORPORATE AMERICA AND THEIR LEGAL MACHINE. Sooner or later, a federal judge is going to call bullshit and issue an order for someone high up to explain this and justify it or see it struck down on the spot.

Remember, we have freedom and freedom means freedom from interference, not freedom from freedom.