Just another Reality-based bubble in the foam of the multiverse.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

mixed metaphors

Kind of like a Dr. Seuss version of "Call of Cthulhu".



The New York Pravda tries to show some sci-fi kewlness about the Company's sooper seekrit funding for DARPA's mathematical sociology computing effort, IARPA, to model the Big Trends in human society, the better to control it. Like the Foundation did in Asimov's novels.

Say what?

It's sad and ironic. Obviously the reporter never even bothered to read a synopsis of the good Dr. Asimov's Foundation novels. Obviously because it wasn't the Empire that controlled the Foundation. Or Hari Seldon. It wasn't even the shadow Second Foundation.

It was an AI that controlled them, unknown to anyone, a robot.

But I digress. Any attempt by our Company Intelligence Agency to develop a mathematical sociology will doubtless be heavily Classified- everything is for them, these Jokers are even trying to Classify climate change- but egregiously expensive. And, bound to fail, because to measure something like mathmatical laws governing global human social interactions you have to be able to openly admit what these interactions are and do scientific things like share your data.

But you can bet this will be one great cash cow for some lucky entrepreneurs alrighty. Black budgeted to the hilt in the Age of Austerity.

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