so what are we to make of this?

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Gameplayers of Titan

Postby starroute » Fri Feb 17, 2006 2:55 am

pug's post, cross-breeding in my mind with the general Phil Dick discussion, caused me to be reminded forcibly of Dick's "Game-Player's of Titan." Since I last read the book when I was about 18, I'm probably going to make a fool of myself by trying to discuss it -- but there was one aspect of it that struck me very strongly then and seems all the more relevant now.<br><br>As best I can recall, the main characters are trying to save Earth from a bunch of game-loving aliens who challenge them to a vaguely chess-like game for the fate of the planet. The problem is that the aliens always cheat by foreseeing what moves their opponents are about to make. (Either through precognition or subtle psychological extrapolation, I forget which.) But the heroes manage to throw a spanner in their works by randomizing their game-play. (Either they switch off from one to another, or the main character is totally nutso, or something.) Mission accomplished, planet saved, end of story.<br><br>Yeah, that's pretty vague, and right about now I'm starting to feel really dumb and wondering why I ever got myself into this post. I'd pull the plug on it in a moment, if it weren't for the fact that I've spent the last 40 years convinced that this story offers the Ultimate Secret of how to defeat Them. The controllers, that is. The manipulators. The people with all the power and all the answers -- except that they have no power at all over that which lies outside the narrow territory where their answers actually apply and make sense.<br><br>If you really want to know, that's probably the reason I spend so much time hanging around this blog/message board. Because if you can't outsmart them, and can't outwit them, you may just be able to outfox them with a higher-order knight's move from Here to Someplace Else through dimensions they can't even begin to imagine.<br><br>If they're playing politics, you have to play myth. If they're playing jackbooted oppressor, you have to play ringalevio. It's half about not following their rules -- and half about not even telling yourself what you're going to do next. Ane as I've known for 40 years, that is the only thing that can possibly save us. <p></p><i></i>
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A few more thoughts on web or net

Postby pugzleyca3 » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:45 am

I hope I am not highjacking a thread here because I am not familiar with the original subject matter, so tell me to shut up and start my own thread if this is the case. I just keep having these thoughts about this and I wanted to put them down here, somewhere, and see what you think. Of course, everything I am saying is pure speculation and I have nada to back it up regarding who owns what and who they are.<br><br>The fact that most people pay for their internet useage with a credit card is another factor to consider with this web of information. Even if the card isn't used, there is some form of payment and registration which requires you to give up everything anyone would need to know about how to physically locate you. Even if you use a post office box, you can still be found easily. And another poster mentioned pictures being posted freely. Can we possibly help them out any more? <br><br>I don't mean that there are armies of people out there monitoring each of us on a daily basis. But I believe through key word matching throught the web, the ptb could get a good handle on where subjects are being discussed which are a possible threat to them or anything else that might interest them. And draw them to places like RI.<br><br>If the ptb are actually the owners of the internet providers, which I can't see that as being too far fetched either, since media is concentrated into so few hands, this is their heaven. I think of the internet as possibly being the thought police. Not only that, all your thoughts are in writing. You can't even waffle and try to deny anything you may have said, if it ever comes down to this. When I first got the net, back in 1998, I personally remember thinking I liked the internet because it makes it darn near impossible for people to lie and then try to deny what they said on a message board. This could very well turn out to be a double edged sword for people like us. But I don't care, as Floyd indicates above, bring on the alphabet soup, because I need the internet for information, too. <br><br>Cell phones are another one. They are tracking devices and could become another form of policing not only your thoughts, but your physical location at any time of the day. I will not own a cell phone and never will for this reason. The FBI is definitely illegally monitoring people, we know that from another post I believe I saw here or on prison planet. <br><br>If there is anything that can be exploited, there is no doubt that it will be. No doubt at all.<br><br>Here's the part that really sucks, if my theory is correct, then we are paying them to monitor us. Ain't that a hoot.<br><br>Doesn't this kind of insidious arrangement fall in line with the general opinion most have of the ptb?<br><br>Ok, I am going to take this a step further. I know there are people who can hack into websites and steal credit card numbers. But it seems to me that there is an awful lot of this that goes on for it just to be computer hackers doing this. <br><br>One thing most people do not know about vendors who accept ccards online is that if there is a hacking problem, the ccard companies are not the ones who eat the monetary damage caused by the hackers. They tell you how they protect you and sell you all these packages for x amount of dollars a month or brag how they take care of any liabilities in the event of identity theft and the use of your card. <br><br>But in reality, if I accept a stolen ccard on my website, I am the one who eats the money and the goods I shipped out. They take the money directly (electronically) out of my bank account the minute a customer complains about the use of a fraudulent card. I may not hear that it is gone until I get a letter from them 2 weeks later telling me there is a dispute on the charge.<br><br>Now, my point about that is that I think the ccards companies are also owned by the ptb and I doubt it would be beyond them to hack their own systems and steal from vendors like me. Not only do they take the money for the merchandise I shipped out to the fraudulent person and refund it to the person who was defrauded, they charge me a huge fee for processing it. I think it's like 25.00 or 50.00 for a chargeback on a ccard. (This only happened to me once a few years ago.) I am sure the fees the ccard companies collect annually must run into the millions of dollars with all the websites there are. I don't believe there isn't a pot they don't have their sticky fingers into when it comes to generating cash. Money is their true god. Their love of money is the root of their evil. There is no doubt about that.<br><br>Anyway, that last part about the ccard theft might not be part of this, but it popped into my head.<br>This would only come into play if I am right and they own everything. <br><br><br><br><br><br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=pugzleyca3>pugzleyca3</A> at: 2/17/06 3:19 am<br></i>
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Ah Gots Mah Tinfoil Beanie On Rite Naow!!!!

Postby Floyd Smoots » Fri Feb 17, 2006 4:07 pm

Pugzleyca3, I'm an expert on electric sign design, the Holy Bible, and Not Much Else, but I completely agree with your particular "conspiracy theory"!<br><br>Alien<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 0] --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/alien.gif ALT="0]"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> ated (eaten?) Floyd<br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=floydsmoots>Floyd Smoots</A> at: 2/17/06 1:08 pm<br></i>
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Re: Ah Gots Mah Tinfoil Beanie On Rite Naow!!!!

Postby pugzleyca3 » Fri Feb 17, 2006 7:14 pm

It's so strange to have someone agree with me for a change. I expected to be strung up and quartered with that last one. <br><br>Alienated= eaten. That's a good one Floyd, made me laugh and goodnes knows I needed a laugh today. Thanks! <p></p><i></i>
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Frag De Phat Bankerz!!!!!!!!

Postby Floyd Smoots » Fri Feb 17, 2006 10:46 pm

pugz, Check THIS new world CRAP out!!! I do not do direct deposit of my paycheck for two good reasons. Don't jump ahead of me here, they're plain ol' everyday reasons.<br><br>1. The nearest branch of my credit union is about eight or nine miles thru city traffic from me. I'd rather cash my paycheck, and visit that branch every two or three weeks. Gas prices and laziness, don't you know.<br><br>2. I don't completely trust the family owners of my little metropolitan sign company (about 22 people) to always be able to cover the payroll. Therefore, I take my weekly paycheck to a branch of the Company's bank and cash it. If the check ever turns out to be "no good", I will find out at the bank upon which it is drawn, instead of getting some kind of grief from my credit union. I know there are supposed to be checks and balances, but our homelessland governmeant-well is also supposed to have those, and doesn't.<br><br>Now comes the good part, and I WILL be naming names. BB&T (Branch Bank & Trust [US?]) is a very large, middle eastern seaboard bank, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA (for our non-USA readers). When I pulled into the drive-thru teller today, I saw a tiny little "sign of the times" taped to the access unit. It said that beginning March 1, 2006 a.D., BB&T would be charging a $5.00 fee for cashing a check drawn on a BB&T account if the the check is Larger than $50.00!!!<br><br>When I used the speaker unit to quiz the teller about this NEW policy, I was invited to come inside and open a checking account. I LEFT this God-Forsaken "Excuse for a Bank" in 2001 because they had upped their checking account fees to $13.00 per month because IF yo' po' working class, dumb ass couldn't manage to keep a MINIMUM balance of $750.00 in Their Bank without putting your own greasy paws on it, it was gonna cost ya!!!<br><br>I'll figure out some way to "game them back" because I'm not THAT ignorant, nor am I stupid (For The Most Part, except when I can't remember on which thread I blogged last and suspect someone sinister of "froogling" with Jeff's website.)!!<br><br>But, this new "Meme-ish Para-indignity" is really going to cause hurt to all the young folks who work at my company, and live paycheck-to-paycheck. Many of them don't even HAVE checking accounts Anywhere. BB&T can't even try to lie their way out of this crap by claiming that cashing checks is "Costing Them Money", because I read business news sites and I KNOW FOR A FRAGGING FACT that this bunch of Fat-Assed NWO Banker Thieves is making $$$,$$$,$$$ Hand Over Fist.<br><br>BB&T has NEVER Lost Money in Any Year of their over One Hundred years of Existence!!! I'm feeling verklempt, now. Tawk amongst yahselves. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START >: --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/mad.gif ALT=">:"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>I want a new interactive game patterned on "Whack-A-Mole", called "Whack-A-BANKER"! That's whut Ah'm talkin' 'bout!!<br><br>Boiled-Over Floyd<br> <p></p><i></i>
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Personal Reply to "steve vegas"

Postby Floyd Smoots » Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:10 pm

steve, I used to have an EXTENSIVE (and I'm not kidding here) library of science fiction and fantasy novels and short story collections. Between my son and myself, we had accumulated about three to four Hundred books, if not more,; about half of them (mine), going back to the early 1960's where the cover price was 35 cents US money. The good news is that they are not gone forever. The bad news is that when my son moved out and got married, I gave him the whole collection. At least I gave him my books, and he quite naturally, took his own as well.<br><br>That said, I couldn't even begin to recall the titles of the Philip K. Dick books that were in the collection. I think there were eight or ten, but I also read many of his works on loan from my sci-fi loving friends. You probably know how friends & family "bookswapping" works. If I had any in my possession today, I would gladly mail them to you for free. Alas, I not only don't have them, I don't even know where my son has them. Probably in some commercial storage facility somewhere locally.<br><br>I'm sorry, steve, but I'm sure that there are enough Phillip K. Dick fans here at Rigorous Intuition who can help you by recommending their favorite PKD novels and story collections to you. I think my Saucer Pilot's License has probably expired. Que Lastima........<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 0] --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/alien.gif ALT="0]"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>
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To Floyd

Postby steve vegas » Sun Feb 19, 2006 10:00 pm

Thanks again Floyd. I walked down to the world's tallest building at lunch last week to the very expensive English bookstore. They have about 10 titles in stock, they're all the same exorbitant price, so, I'm just going to buy the longest one and start there. I've seen Blade Runner so many times I think I'll probably skip that one... <p></p><i></i>
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Re: Net or Web?

Postby steve vegas » Sun Feb 19, 2006 10:01 pm

OH BOY is myspace ever creepy. It's owned by Rupert Murdoch of Newscorp(se). You can bet on nefariousness with that outfit... <p></p><i></i>
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NO, Steve, Thank YOU!!!

Postby Floyd Smoots » Sun Feb 19, 2006 10:47 pm

First, isn't Steve Vegas the comic strip character that our favorite penguin, Opus currently resides with?<br><br>Second, I'm really, really sorry that I no longer have any of PKD's books to send to you.<br><br>Third, I didn't know until your latest post that Rupert Murdoch was the owner of "myspace.com". I completely agree with your "creeped out" feeling regarding that information.<br><br>Lastly, steve vegas, WATCH OUT FOR THAT FLYING SAUC......."BANG"...."D'oh, dang, that hurt"....W'ut da heck wuz that-threre thang?? Wait a minute, I'm Feeling MUCH BETTER Now. steve vegas, you are now under the control of the Vogons. Do Not Attempt to Resist. Do Not Ever Attempt to read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", by the late Douglas Adams, of England. Do Not TRY To Find or Attempt to Read the Four Other Sequels to his "Trilogy" (go figure)!!<br><br>You Have Been Formally WARNED By the Galactic Guardians!! If You Disobey These Warnings, Your Very BRAIN May Be AT RISK!!! <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 0] --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/alien.gif ALT="0]"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>pLEAD iGORANCE iF yOU mUST, bUT dON'T sAY yOU wEREN'T wARNED!!!! keyboard is smoking....must shut down......communication terminated...............<br><br>AAAAAAaaaaGGGGGGGgggggggHHHHHhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: NO, Steve, Thank YOU!!!

Postby CyberChrist » Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:48 am

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>First, isn't Steve Vegas the comic strip character that our favorite penguin, Opus currently resides with?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Steve Dallas, not Vegas. Close.. <p></p><i></i>
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How Could I "DO" That???

Postby Floyd Smoots » Mon Feb 20, 2006 1:12 pm

CC, You are absolutely correct. How could I have done that to one of my very favorite "Bloom County" residents??? Must've been that smoking keyboard, which I just barely managed to extinguish with a half-can of beer!! That was lucky <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :lol --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/laugh.gif ALT=":lol"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=floydsmoots>Floyd Smoots</A> at: 2/20/06 10:13 am<br></i>
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Re: How Could I "DO" That???

Postby CyberChrist » Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:46 pm

I have "Bloom County Babylon" next to my bed that I have been re-reading again, so the name was on the top of my head. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>
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You'd Better Watch Out, You'd Better Not Cry....

Postby Floyd Smoots » Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:58 pm

Watchout, CC, that Bloom County crap is seditious. I think it's probably mentioned somewhere in the Patsy Acts I, & II. <br><br>Hey, who threw that rock??? <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :eek --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eek.gif ALT=":eek"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>
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Hey Check This Out:

Postby thurnandtaxis » Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:56 pm

The new trailer for Richard Linklater's adaptation of PKD's<br>"A Scanner Darkly" has hit the net and it looks AMAZING!<br><br>Sci-Fi nerds prepare yourselves!<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wip/us/med/scanner_darkly/scanner_darkly_a_tlr2_qt_700.mov">pdl.warnerbros.com/wip/us...qt_700.mov</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>
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