Hello 1984

chatgirl4

chatgirl4

Banned
We've all seen and obsessively referenced Minority Report, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's dystopian future, where the public is tracked everywhere they go, from shopping malls to work to mass transit to the privacy of their own homes. The technology is here. I've seen it myself. It's seen me, too, and scanned my irises.

Biometrics R&D firm Global Rainmakers Inc. (GRI) announced today that it is rolling out its iris scanning technology to create what it calls "the most secure city in the world." In a partnership with Leon -- one of the largest cities in Mexico, with a population of more than a million -- GRI will fill the city with eye-scanners. That will help law enforcement revolutionize the way we live -- not to mention marketers.

"In the future, whether it's entering your home, opening your car, entering your workspace, getting a pharmacy prescription refilled, or having your medical records pulled up, everything will come off that unique key that is your iris," says Jeff Carter, CDO of Global Rainmakers. Before coming to GRI, Carter headed a think tank partnership between Bank of America, Harvard, and MIT. "Every person, place, and thing on this planet will be connected [to the iris system] within the next 10 years," he says.
Leon is the first step. To implement the system, the city is creating a database of irises. Criminals will automatically be enrolled, their irises scanned once convicted. Law-abiding citizens will have the option to opt-in.

When these residents catch a train or bus, or take out money from an ATM, they will scan their irises, rather than swiping a metro or bank card. Police officers will monitor these scans and track the movements of watch-listed individuals. "Fraud, which is a $50 billion problem, will be completely eradicated," says Carter. Not even the "dead eyeballs" seen in Minority Report could trick the system, he says. "If you've been convicted of a crime, in essence, this will act as a digital scarlet letter. If you're a known shoplifter, for example, you won't be able to go into a store without being flagged. For others, boarding a plane will be impossible."

GRI's scanning devices are currently shipping to the city, where integration will begin with law enforcement facilities, security check-points, police stations, and detention areas. This first phase will cost less than $5 million. Phase II, which will roll out in the next three years, will focus more on commercial enterprises. Scanners will be placed in mass transit, medical centers and banks, among other public and private locations.
The devices range from large-scale scanners like the Hbox (shown in the airport-security prototype above), which can snap up to 50 people per minute in motion, to smaller scanners like the EyeSwipe and EyeSwipe Mini, which can capture the irises of between 15 to 30 people per minute.

I tested these devices at GRI's R&D facilities in New York City last week. It took less than a second for my irises to be scanned and registered in the company's database. Every time I went through the scanners after that--even when running through (because everybody runs, right, Tom Cruise?) my eyes were scanned and identified correctly. (You can see me getting scanned on the Hbox in the video below. "Welcome Austin," the robotic voice chimes.)

For such a Big Brother-esque system, why would any law-abiding resident ever volunteer to scan their irises into a public database, and sacrifice their privacy? GRI hopes that the immediate value the system creates will alleviate any concern. "There's a lot of convenience to this--you'll have nothing to carry except your eyes," says Carter, claiming that consumers will no longer be carded at bars and liquor stores. And he has a warning for those thinking of opting out: "When you get masses of people opting-in, opting out does not help. Opting out actually puts more of a flag on you than just being part of the system. We believe everyone will opt-in."
This vision of the future eerily matches Minority Report, and GRI knows it. "Minority Report is one possible outcome," admits Carter. "I don't think that's our company's aim, but I think what we're going to see is an enviroment well beyond what you see in that movie--minus the precogs, of course."

When I asked Carter whether he felt the film was intended as a dystopian view of the future of privacy, he pointed out that much of our private life is already tracked by telecoms and banks, not to mention Facebook. "The banks already know more about what we do in our daily life--they know what we eat, where we go, what we purchase--our deepest secrets," he says. "We're not talking about anything different here--just a system that's good for all of us."
One potential benefit? Carter believes the system could be used to intermittently scan truck drivers on highways to make sure they haven't been on the road for too long.

GRI also predicts that iris scanners will help marketers. "Digital signage," for example, could enable advertisers to track behavior and emotion. "In ten years, you may just have one sensor that is literally able to identify hundreds of people in motion at a distance and determine their geo-location and their intent--you'll be able to see how many eyeballs looked at a billboard," Carter says. "You can start to track from the point a person is browsing on Google and finds something they want to purchase, to the point they cross the threshold in a Target or Walmart and actually make the purchase. You start to see the entire life cycle of marketing."

So will we live the future under iris scanners and constant Big Brother monitoring? According to Carter, eye scanners will soon be so cost-effective--between $50-$100 each--that in the not-too-distant future we'll have "billions and billions of sensors" across the globe.

Goodbye 2010. Hello 1984.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1683302/...-world-welcomes-big-brother?partner=yahoobuzz
 
I thought RFID chips were 1984? DNA databanks? Fingerprints? Barcodes?

This really isn't that amazing or anything, it's basically some company hyping their shit. They could already be doing most of this with fingerprints if they wanted to, minus the shit done at a distance. And all the tracking and what not is already done.
 
demoman.jpg


Goodbye 2010. Hello 1993.
 
I cant imagine these will be completely undefeatable. The thing about anything man man is if a man can make it another man can break it. Although to the average citizen they would be helpless.

But there is no way in hell Im doing eyeball scanners thats horseshit. If they put that in the US you would see alot of underground stores selling shit like milk and bread for currency. It would be like prohibition allover again where stuff gets taken off the streets and put into private dwellings and backrooms.


[quote name='fullmetalfan720']So when do you guys think we will see the first scientific dictatorship? And, where?[/QUOTE]

Hopefully when skynet becomes self aware. It will see our cinnamon dental floss, shoes with lights in the sneakers, reality tv, the babies mothers throw in dumpsters, our wars over nothing, our senseless deification of celebreties, and lady gaga and will decide were unfit to live and wipe us all out.

[quote name='depascal22']People already put their entire lives on Facebook. Privacy is a thing of the past.[/QUOTE]

I couldnt find the article quickly enough but yesterday I saw something on I think it was wired about someone talking how kids today would probablly one day have to change their names to escape their online selves from where they share and do and put everything online that will come back to haunt them one day.

Me I never had a desire to use something like that. I had a myspace page when it was big, I had a facebook page when it was big but I never filled them out or put pictures on them because the whole thing seemed so pointless to me. Anyone I know well enough that I would let into my daily life is already there. I dont care or want a million total strangers to know what I ate for breakfast or what kind of mood Im in. Fact is no one cares about me, like maybe 5 people in this world actually care about me and thats it. Someone from montana commenting on a photo you put up doesnt really give a shit.
 
I guess I'm an old timer. I'm on facebook, but everything is blank and only partially correct. I'm only there to play Mafia Wars. Eventually, I'll stop.
 
[quote name='depascal22']I agree with Huxley but it's hip to reference Orwell.[/QUOTE]

I believe it's a combination of both. Huxley works for the masses and 1984 cleans up the rest of us still thinking and aware and jails us.
By the time you filter out the people distracted I'm sure the government can afford the people they need to watch us and facilities to jail us.
 
Im confused about the comic strip. It can be a combination of both, but there is censorship in the world and people do try to take rights away all over the world. I mean look at North Korea it really just depends where you are. I don't think that disproves Orwells theory, but shows victory over it because it surely isn't a myth. We aren't nearly as victorious over Huxley's theory though but then again isn't this a recurring theme among humanity? Did the working class ever really participate besides a few short lived moments?
 
[quote name='Knoell']Im confused about the comic strip. It can be a combination of both, but there is censorship in the world and people do try to take rights away all over the world. I mean look at North Korea it really just depends where you are. I don't think that disproves Orwells theory, but shows victory over it because it surely isn't a myth. We aren't nearly as victorious over Huxley's theory though but then again isn't this a recurring theme among humanity? Did the working class ever really participate besides a few short lived moments?[/QUOTE]

The robber barons acted with a heavy hand and the American working class fought against it. In those days they actually had some politicians on their side. And the working class had it a hell of alot better as near as 20 years ago. You can bet your bottom dollar they did everything from forming up in unions to organizing their vote for the politicians who supported them.

The point is that everyone who looks at NK can immediately see that it is a repressive dictatorship reminiscent of 1984.

Brave New World is more insidious because it's not half as obvious. All you hear in American media these days is 'home of the free', 'land of liberty', 'land of prosperity' bla bla bla. Try and push for legislation that benefits anyone but the top 5%. Go to some small town in America and try to find a living wage job with health benefits that you can support a family with. Try going up against big corporations and their army of lawyers on pollution, worker exploitation, or consumer protection issues. Americans aren't lean and hungry anymore, they aren't savvy to the congress-wall street collusion, and the guys in charge know it.
 
^ additionally, each year the Pew Research Center surveys Americans and presents the findings roughly 8 weeks before election day (i.e., in the next 2-3 weeks). They'll tell us things that make us blush or feel shame (e.g., 3-in-10 Americans can name all 9 SC justices, while 7-in-10 know all 7 dwarves).

But we'd be foolish to say it's evidence that Americans are "stupid." To the contrary, it shows that we retain knowledge quite well, in fact. There are 7 dwarves, and it's by using our brains that we remember that, or important quotes from "The Simpsons," the Konami code, the McDLT, etc.

But it certainly supports the "Brave New World" thesis. Somewhere I have info on book sales and readership (i.e., the number of citizens who read books for leisure, annual sales of the publishing industry and how that compares to other forms of entertainment). Yes, we do have libraries which may skew that - but our libraries carry music and dvds and video games and internet portals - none of which they may have had as recently as 15 years ago. We can't be arsed to read a book. We are indeed a nation on permanent vacation.

Tell me who you know more about: Snooki or Van Jones.
 
Myke that DVD and music bit cuts both ways. You can have music that is self aware and informs as well as the same going for DVD's. I mean don't tell me that you have no documentaries on the DVD's there.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Once unemployment benefits run out, we'll see how the vacation goes.[/QUOTE]

It'll be funny how many people run out of money the minute their benefits are done. They'll just say, "What? You expected me to cut off my cable and internet?"

Well, not funny but interesting. Damn, you're not making our dream of a socialist society any more promising when you grab onto the government's teat like a newborn.
 
[quote name='depascal22']It'll be funny how many people run out of money the minute their benefits are done. They'll just say, "What? You expected me to cut off my cable and internet?"

Well, not funny but interesting. Damn, you're not making our dream of a socialist society any more promising when you grab onto the government's teat like a newborn.[/QUOTE]

I get the whole "keep us weak with distractions" bit, but I don't see the goal of massive debt. You make them depressed. However, people just shut down and walk away from it eventually. You can't control somebody if he or she refuses to play.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']I get the whole "keep us weak with distractions" bit, but I don't see the goal of massive debt. You make them depressed. However, people just shut down and walk away from it eventually. You can't control somebody if he or she refuses to play.[/QUOTE]

I think the situations just get out of hand. Like Enron or Madoff, as long as the con is on everyone expects to get paid and the guys on the top are going to rip-off whoever they can to get their money. When their house of cards is one stiff breeze away from total destruction, they really don't give a fuck whether you are in massive debt, they just want to keep the con going one more day. It's like goodfellas
Business bad? fuck you, pay me. Oh, you had a fire? fuck you, pay me. Place got hit by lightning, huh? fuck you, pay me.
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='camoor']It's like goodfellas[/QUOTE]

Except it isn't goodfellas.

Creditors can harangue until your phone gets shut off and you have to move in with another family.

They can take "deadbeats" to court and force a garnishment on wages, but that only works if the deadbeat has a job and said job involves a checking account or SSN.

Once the upper crust of society has burned the proles enough times, they're going to quit unless another bubble pops out of nowhere. Considering how bad the economy is right now, a normal bubble such as dotcom or housing will simply put people back where they were before the last bubble popped. That isn't enough to excite people to play the game a few more rounds.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Except it isn't goodfellas.

Creditors can harangue until your phone gets shut off and you have to move in with another family.

They can take "deadbeats" to court and force a garnishment on wages, but that only works if the deadbeat has a job and said job involves a checking account or SSN.

Once the upper crust of society has burned the proles enough times, they're going to quit unless another bubble pops out of nowhere. Considering how bad the economy is right now, a normal bubble such as dotcom or housing will simply put people back where they were before the last bubble popped. That isn't enough to excite people to play the game a few more rounds.[/QUOTE]

We'll see. I still see Kevin Trudeau all over morning cable, obviously someone is still interested in the next get-rich-quick scheme.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']How many of y'all actually read 1984?[/QUOTE]

I read it my junior year of high school along with a Tale of Two Cities and the first of The Dark Tower books.
 
I tried, got about 1/4th the way through before I couldn't take it anymore. Orwell seemed to be the type of writer that could write five pages about someone walking between two rooms. Just not my cup of tea coffee.
 
I think I've said this before in a previous thread, but I've read it two or three times. I think it's a good book. Maybe it just gets better as it goes along, the ending is great. Still haven't read Brave New World though.
 
I read 1984 a few months ago. I think I complained it was incredibly slow. Which it is. Solution: Skip first two thirds of the book.

I am reading Fahrenheit 451 right now. Just finished Neuromancer. I think Snow Crash will be next.

I do hope these apples to orange colored bags of goat shit comparisons keep up though.
 
I thought Animal Farm was the best of the 1984 types of books. Some people might complain that it's too short and simplistic, but I compliment it for not screwing around and saying what needed to be said.

EDIT: But I did think 1984 was really, really good. I read through the first part (for the uninformed, the book is split into three parts) and didn't even realize it was long past supper time.
 
[quote name='Strell']I read 1984 a few months ago. I think I complained it was incredibly slow. Which it is. Solution: Skip first two thirds of the book.

I am reading Fahrenheit 451 right now. Just finished Neuromancer. I think Snow Crash will be next.

I do hope these apples to orange colored bags of goat shit comparisons keep up though.[/QUOTE]
See that was my problem, I tried reading it all the way through and it just drags on.
 
Here's what happens in the first two thirds of 1984, and I'll even spoiler it because I'm nice:
Winston Smith changes publication/written history to reflect the present, a totally random girl says she loves him, they meet in secret to have sex, the Thought Police catch them because the loft they rent above an antique store is run by a snitch, and both are taken into custody.

I just saved you many long boobless hours.
 
Not to ruin the quote, but there are totally boobs in the movie, if anyone is wondering (the one that came out in 1984 I believe, with the dude playing winston who played the big brother part in v for vendetta...it's an alright movie).

Not really great boobs, but boobs none the less.
 
[quote name='SpazX']Not really great boobs, but boobs none the less.[/QUOTE]

So it's like a Tea Bagger convention.

Tying into politics achievement unlocked.
 
I read anything dystopian or post-apocalyptic.

1984 is good, but the narative is too thoroughly depressing and IMO a bit overdone in parts.

My favorite will always be Lord of the Flies. I think that guy really nailed human nature.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']Tell me who you know more about: Snooki or Van Jones.[/QUOTE]

Who is Van Jones?


I am always reminded that we live in a society that gives every citizen a unique number, often at birth.
 
Here ya go paddlefoot.

Anthony "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American environmental advocate, civil rights activist and attorney. Jones is a co-founder of three non-profit organizations. In 1996 he founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a California non-governmental organization (NGO) working for alternatives to violence. In 2005 he co-founded Color of Change, an advocacy group for African Americans.[1] In 2007 he founded Green For All, a national NGO dedicated to "building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty."[2] His first book, The Green Collar Economy, was released on October 7, 2008, and reached number 12 on the New York Times Best Seller list.[3] In 2008, Time magazine named Jones one of its "Heroes of the Environment".[4] Fast Company called him one of the "12 Most Creative Minds of 2008".[5]

In March 2009 Jones was appointed by President Barack Obama to the newly created position of Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where he worked with various "agencies and departments to advance the administration's climate and energy initiatives, with a special focus on improving vulnerable communities."[6][7] In July 2009 he became "embroiled in a controversy"[8] over his past political activities, including a public comment disparaging congressional Republicans, his name appearing on a petition for 911Truth.org, and allegations of association with a Marxist group during the 1990s.[9][10] Highlighting these issues, conservatives launched an aggressive campaign against him.[11] Jones resigned from the position in early September 2009.[8] "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."[9]

Jones is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress and a senior policy advisor at Green For All. Jones also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
 
[quote name='depascal22']I love how OP threw a wall of text grenade in the room and quietly slipped out.[/QUOTE]

I just find it odd that nobody pointed out that the OP is "ChatGirl" but says that in the video the eye scanner called "her" Austin...
 
[quote name='nasum']I just find it odd that nobody pointed out that the OP is "ChatGirl" but says that in the video the eye scanner called "her" Austin...[/QUOTE]

It's uncommon but I knew a southern girl whose name was Austin.
 
[quote name='Strell']I read 1984 a few months ago. I think I complained it was incredibly slow. Which it is. Solution: Skip first two thirds of the book.

I am reading Fahrenheit 451 right now. Just finished Neuromancer. I think Snow Crash will be next.

I do hope these apples to orange colored bags of goat shit comparisons keep up though.[/QUOTE]
Snow Crash is fun. It lacks the sophistication of Stephenson's later works, but it is fun.

Was Neuromancer worth it? Does it hold up well? I've heard that Gibson doesn't age gracefully.
 
[quote name='Quillion']Was Neuromancer worth it? Does it hold up well? I've heard that Gibson doesn't age gracefully.[/QUOTE]

It's good but you have to read it attentively. It's definately not a summer beach read like I first thought.
 
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