“There is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame?”— V for Vendetta
John W. Whitehead – We have arrived at the dystopian future depicted in the 2005 film V for Vendetta, which is no future at all.
Set in the year 2020, V for Vendetta (written and produced by the Wachowskis) provides an eerie glimpse into a parallel universe in which a government-engineered virus wreaks havoc on the world. Capitalizing on the people’s fear, a totalitarian government comes to power that knows all, sees all, controls everything and promises safety and security above all. Continue reading
Joseph P Farrell – A few days ago I blogged about the “fine print” of a well-known DNA-testing service that does DNA tests to determine people’s “ancestry.” Lo and behold, what emerged from that “service’s” fine print was, by submitting to a test, one actually consents to that company’s ownership of one’s DNA, without said “service” having to pay a royalty for using one’s DNA. The individual requesting such a test may die, but the company’s ownership of his or her DNA continues… forever, or, at least as long as the company continues. And like all companies, that DNA becomes an asset, which it in turn may sell, lease, or assign to other companies, and so on.
En route to the Land of the Free ~ Two years ago, Mr. Chan saw an opportunity. Thanks to tight government control of the Internet, launching a website in China is an intensely bureaucratic affair.