Military Working on Cyborg Spy Moths

Sorry I haven't been updating for a while, been really busy and preoccupied. That said, I couldn't let this one slip past:

The newest weapon against terrorists? Moths. Spy moths. Genetically altered spy moths. With cameras. That can be controlled remotely. Remote controlled, genetically altered, camera implanted spy moths. Brought to you by the good people at Fox News.

Click here for the future.

Harry Potter in Guantanamo Bay

Harry Potter is a favourite read of the illegally held prisoners in the worlds most infamous secret prison, reports Yahoo News.

I mean. What? Come on. Are you serious? One of the most contentious legal issues of modern day and we're being desensitised to it by hearing about the prisoners reading habits. There may be a library, but I doubt they get much time to read what with all the beatings, indimidation, sleep deprevation and torture methods used on a daily basis.

Key 9/11 suspect 'admits guilt'

Full story here.

Far be it from me to cast doubt over a secret trial behind closed doors in the worlds most notorious illegal prison, but it seems amazing to me that, far from the eyes of the worlds media (and, one might say, witnesses) the US appears to have found the man responsible for every terrorist attack. Ever.

"I was responsible for the 9/11 operation, from A to Z," said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a partial transcript from a closed-door hearing.

He also plotted to attack Big Ben, Heathrow, Canary Wharf, Israel, the Panama Canal, Library Tower Los Angeles, Sears Tower Chicago and the Empire State Building, as well as planned to assassinate the Pope and Bill Clinton. He also confessed to being Osama Bin Ladens right hand man, as well as being responsible for 9/11, the Bali bombings, a Kenyan bombing, the World Trade Center in 1993 and even being the mastermind behind the failed shoe bomber Richard Reid.

This may be true. I don't know. He might be very guilty indeed. I have no way of knowing. Then again, neither does anybody else. Including the media. All we know is what the US government have told us... and forgive me for struggling with the concept that in secret detention and in an illegal trial, without a judge or jury, this man has willingly confessed to every loose end and unfinished investigation. "Here's the bad guy, folks, and it turns out he did it all. And he confessed, but we can't possibly let you hear that confession because it might release sensitive information - like how we probably tortured and cohersed him into confessing in the first place."

Job done. Bad guy found. America prevails. And we didn't even have to understand the issues. Aren't confessions great?

Second Life Goes Political

This is one of those stories that no matter how many times you read it, you still can't quite grasp A) how utterly bizarre it really is and B) quite how much this represents the decline of Western civilisation.

From the Guardian Unlimited website: Minister upsets Italians

"Italians seeking respite in cyberspace from the surreal world of Italian politics are fighting plans by a minister to build a campaign headquarters in the virtual reality community Second Life."

Basically, an Italian minister bought an island on Second Life to get up a virtual headquarters, and he is being blocked by people who don't want him there. The really interesting thing about this article is the last paragraph;

"The virtual campaign office created by US presidential candidate John Edwards was reportedly vandalised on February 26, while shots were fired in January as anti-racist avatars besieged the virtual offices of Jean Marie le Pen, the French rightwing politician."

Ok, read that again. Anti-racist avatars besieging virtual offices. The Metaverse has now come of age, a make believe world has become real, the future has arrived. I don't know whether to be terrified or to celebrate the social, political and technological advances that this could bring. I think it's the former.