779200+ entries in 0.517s
mircea_popescu: maybe we don't mean
the same
thing by manhattan projects. what's your definition ?
francis_wolke: mircea_popescu: I fail
to see how
this leads
to a USG without Manhattan projects.
mircea_popescu: as
things progress
the complexity of ideology grows and so grows
the number of boxes in which we put balls. soon enough you have no box with over X balls.
mircea_popescu: when you have simple ideologies, you have much easier coherence.
thus activity with greatly leveraged effect.
mircea_popescu: the reason of course being ideological convergence, which happens because of
the law of large numbers :
mircea_popescu: in
the
third case,
the guy was able
to not cause anything outside of measurement error.
mircea_popescu: in
the second case,
the guy was able
to cause massive resource redistribution
mircea_popescu: in
the first case,
the guy was able
to cause civil war.
mircea_popescu: francis_wolke let's consider a simpler alternative. obama fdr and lincoln all broke
the law, grossly. in all cases
the courts duly signed off on
this.
mircea_popescu: asciilifeform now you're screwed, it looks like you'll have
to write
that article
francis_wolke: asciilifeform: Actually, I'd be interested in a reading list irrespective of
that.
francis_wolke: asciilifeform:
That we're living in a world without Manhattan projects.
francis_wolke: There is nothing interesting
there anyway. Just an 'about' with one sentence.
pankkake: francis-.github.io resolves, but firefox does not like
the name
francis_wolke: mircea_popescu: Must have been cached. (Though you already knew
that) my bad.
francis_wolke: asciilifeform: If you have a reading list
to support
this claim, I'd be happy
to read it.
francis_wolke: Control, with respect
to society, is an emergent phenomenon.
That being said,
the Manhattan Project happened.
mircea_popescu: i do
that
to women occasionally.
they generally love it.
mircea_popescu: *that* is a figment of your imagination, like
the
tits on
the goddesses.
mircea_popescu: there is no nor can
there ever be such a "kill switch".
francis_wolke: asciilifeform: Control, with respect
to bitcoin, would be whoever has
their hand on
the 'kill switch'. Assuming
that
the guy with a nuke is stable.
mircea_popescu: "sarac dar cinstit" = poor but honest, ion iliescu,
the ex dictator-s golden boy.
mircea_popescu: asciilifeform fun anecdote : romania's ruler for
the 90s decade owner... a house.
mircea_popescu: and
this is so for very good reasons long explored in
the history of
thought.
Namworld: The requirements
to be included in
the 1% are low...
mircea_popescu: listen, while i agree with
the reverse (ie, indeed reality iwll have some bearing, no matter how
tenuous, on your imagination),
the reverse is completely baseless.
francis_wolke: Or say
that I didn't actually know any of
these people.
francis_wolke: Though I have no experience with
these matters, I can 'imagine'
that
they make certain sorts of donations etc.
Duffer1: my experience is obviously subject (as was my initial statement) but i don't see anyone
trying
to reverse
these
trends
mircea_popescu: francis_wolke you know
this hardly is showing, do you ?
francis_wolke: MP: I have met some people in so-called 1%. I know what
they're like, and what
their parents are like. Many of
them don't
think - but some do. Some actually care
that civilization will be around for
their decedents
to enjoy.
mircea_popescu: asciilifeform on your circumstance, yes. on
the reality of
the matter, none.
Duffer1: well what does it matter visible or nonvisible if
the net result is crap all around for everyone?
francis_wolke: mircea_popescu: Because my imagination has some bearing on reality - however
tenuous.
mircea_popescu: Duffer1 you know you'll have
to first define some criteria.
Duffer1: I'd say given
the state of affairs worldwide
the non-visible muppets aren't good at much either
francis_wolke: asciilifeform: A while back you mentioned
that
the rulers of
today are only good at misleading
the public. I agree
that
the *visible* rulers are good at
this - but can't imagine someone like Ben Bernanke caring so little about his future
that
the stupid are allowed
to rule.
mircea_popescu: turning "them" lose is like
turning
the cockroaches in your kitchen "loose", admitting you live in ny.
mircea_popescu: asciilifeform
there's never any question of
turning
them loose because
they just won't leave.
mircea_popescu: or moreover it's simply
THE maintenance of
the historic norm, independent of human agency, which is being mentally digested in ways consecvent with
the current social
text.
mircea_popescu: not everybody needs a college degree, even if
they're white, and even if
their parents have "expectations".
mircea_popescu: asciilifeform i suspect
the problem is more like
this : if i give you a debt package,
there will be a cost
to evaluate its value. if
that cost likely exceeds its value, you may opt
to just
throw
the whole
thing away.
francis_wolke: And how do you get rid of $18
trillion in debt? And school loans. And housing loans. etc.
mircea_popescu: yes. our discussion started with me asking if you realise
the
thing you quote has more
to do with
the mokeys involved
than with anything of import
today.
mircea_popescu: but
this is in no way
time based, and in no way a festival.
francis_wolke: mircea_popescu: Exactly.
The point is
that
the middle and lower class keep working.
mircea_popescu: this happens all
the
time.
there are 1000s of bankruptcy courts all over
the world hearing millions of cases as we speak.
mircea_popescu: francis_wolke it would be
the breaking of SOME
tablets
mircea_popescu: this requires an economy built by people who see more
than a year into
the future.
francis_wolke: mircea_popescu: If
the USD went
to 0 btc - it would be a 'breaking of
the
tablets', regardless.
mircea_popescu: they still wish and expect
tvs running water and generally
to be able
to play around on
the intenret.
mircea_popescu: the fact
that
the bulk of
the live humans are about as stupid
today as in 3000 bc has little bearing
mircea_popescu: yes well. back in
those days a one year interval was far outside
the mental abilities of even "specialist" "bankers"
to plan.
mircea_popescu: francis_wolke you realise
the entire breaking
tablets
thing is strictly a function of man's early monkey-like state and has no practical importance
today. do you ?
mircea_popescu: 2.47% of
total Mpex.co
traffic in last 3 months is social <
that part was lulzy.
francis_wolke: asciilifeform: I have not drawn my conclusions r.e.
the janissaries based on propaganda. At least, I'm not aware of doing so.