Their databases are a jumbled mess of COLLECTION with a really crappy AI sorting out the data.
Their latest project was working on comprehending cultural metaphors to better interpret movements of forces. Great idea, *love* the concept… but botched it entirely. [whoever the successor to ARPA is.. I forget their new name.. they were working on it].
TOTALLY messed it up.
Oh wait – nvm.. that’s the military’s databases that are messed up.
The NSA’s amounts to a gigantic neverending text file where they search for keywords. Perhaps a tad more sophisticated but Intelligence, rarely is.
Our cultural assumptions keep getting in the way. They miss the *whole point* and are blinded by Americanism.
I’m not the least bit worried about NSA, Homeland Security, or any of that. I’m about as public record as you can get. I gave up on my privacy in 2002 when Google released HUNDREDS of my ancient Usenet posts to the WHOLE FREAKIN’ WORLD… and I was like, “shit, I think I talked about a sex fantasy on there when I was 19” and got it removed. It was a crappy fantasy too.
Nope. here I am. You know who is far worse than any govt agency?
Gossip + Media + Gossip. Far more damaging. Impossible to contain. Just start a rumor. Meangirls. 3 middle school girls in unison are FAR more powerful than any male govt agency with computers and a singular set of cultural misunderstandings., even about their own people.
Incompetence is the reality of most things. When you see a well put together story about THE FUTURE or HOW THINGS REALLY ARE, or SECRETS YOU SHOULD KNOW… and there’s lots of Hyperbole and Drama… it’s likely a lie. A sales product.
If they ask for money or your allegiance, watch out.
If they’re incompetent and bumbling but well-meaning, I’m more likely to believe it. That’s more normal. Of course, self-effacing is *also* a technique of sales and/or scame but it’s not as commonly used.