While Linux malware reached never-before-seen numbers in 2022, the
total number of new malware developments among other major computing
platforms fell. The post Linux Malware Rates Rise to Record Levels Amid
Hacker Inconsistency appeared first on LinuxInsider.

https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/linux-malware-rates-rise-to-record-levels-amid-hacker-inconsistency-176834.html?rss=1
--
[s]
Internetado.
--- If we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made with meat ?

On Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:59:16 -0300, Internetado wrote:
>
> While Linux malware reached never-before-seen numbers in 2022, the
> total number of new malware developments among other major computing
> platforms fell. The post Linux Malware Rates Rise to Record Levels
> Amid Hacker Inconsistency appeared first on LinuxInsider.
>
> https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/linux-malware-rates-rise-to-record-levels-amid-hacker-inconsistency-176834.html?rss=1

The article says running infected executable. Assuming those were not
installed via a package manager. People should really consider not to
install software from external sources.

The article also says:

| “To protect themselves and their families against both existing and
| emerging threats, home users should educate themselves about
| potential dangers and utilize cyber protection solutions such as
| next-gen antivirus software, a VPN, a DNS filter, and parental
| control apps across their digital devices,” said ReasonLabs CEO and
| co-founder Kobi Kalif.

ReasonLabs by chance sells "Antivirus Security Solutions" according to
their web page. Go figure.
--
Andreas

On 2023-01-26 08:27, Andreas Kohlbach wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:59:16 -0300, Internetado wrote:
>>
>> While Linux malware reached never-before-seen numbers in 2022, the
>> total number of new malware developments among other major computing
>> platforms fell. The post Linux Malware Rates Rise to Record Levels
>> Amid Hacker Inconsistency appeared first on LinuxInsider.
>>
>> https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/linux-malware-rates-rise-to-record-levels-amid-hacker-inconsistency-176834.html?rss=1
>
> The article says running infected executable. Assuming those were not
> installed via a package manager. People should really consider not to
> install software from external sources.
>
> The article also says:
>
> | “To protect themselves and their families against both existing and
> | emerging threats, home users should educate themselves about
> | potential dangers and utilize cyber protection solutions such as
> | next-gen antivirus software, a VPN, a DNS filter, and parental
> | control apps across their digital devices,” said ReasonLabs CEO and
> | co-founder Kobi Kalif.
>
> ReasonLabs by chance sells "Antivirus Security Solutions" according to
> their web page. Go figure.

Yeah. Maybe I'll read later the piece, but I have not yet seen a
feasible explanation of why VPN can be a security mesure. Unsure about a
DNS filter. They are related to privacy, not to security, IMO.

A relative was convinced by the firm that sells (or hires) her the
antivirus, and sold it as for security. Then she asked me to install it.
I told her to cancel the subscription instead.

It may be security if in your country of residence the authorities are
dangerous. That's a different issue.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

Am 26.01.23 um 08:27 schrieb Andreas Kohlbach:
> On Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:59:16 -0300, Internetado wrote:
>>
>> While Linux malware reached never-before-seen numbers in 2022, the
>> total number of new malware developments among other major computing
>> platforms fell. The post Linux Malware Rates Rise to Record Levels
>> Amid Hacker Inconsistency appeared first on LinuxInsider.
>>
>> https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/linux-malware-rates-rise-to-record-levels-amid-hacker-inconsistency-176834.html?rss=1
>
> The article says running infected executable. Assuming those were not
> installed via a package manager. People should really consider not to
> install software from external sources.

+1 and work without elevated rights i.e. regular user and not as Admin/Root.

--
Gutta cavat lapidem (Ovid)

Am 26.01.23 um 08:27 schrieb Andreas Kohlbach:
> The article also says:
>
> | “To protect themselves and their families against both existing and
> | emerging threats, home users should educate themselves about
> | potential dangers and utilize cyber protection solutions such as
> | next-gen antivirus software, a VPN, a DNS filter, and parental
> | control apps across their digital devices,” said ReasonLabs CEO and
> | co-founder Kobi Kalif.
>
> ReasonLabs by chance sells "Antivirus Security Solutions" according to
> their web page. Go figure.

This is total nonsense even fake news. There are better solutions.

--
Gutta cavat lapidem (Ovid)

On Thu, 26 Jan 2023 09:42:50 +0100, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>
> On 2023-01-26 08:27, Andreas Kohlbach wrote:
>> On Wed, 25 Jan 2023 23:59:16 -0300, Internetado wrote:
>>>
>>> While Linux malware reached never-before-seen numbers in 2022, the
>>> total number of new malware developments among other major computing
>>> platforms fell. The post Linux Malware Rates Rise to Record Levels
>>> Amid Hacker Inconsistency appeared first on LinuxInsider.
>>>
>>> https://www.linuxinsider.com/story/linux-malware-rates-rise-to-record-levels-amid-hacker-inconsistency-176834.html?rss=1
>> The article says running infected executable. Assuming those were
>> not
>> installed via a package manager. People should really consider not to
>> install software from external sources.
>> The article also says:
>> | “To protect themselves and their families against both existing
>> and
>> | emerging threats, home users should educate themselves about
>> | potential dangers and utilize cyber protection solutions such as
>> | next-gen antivirus software, a VPN, a DNS filter, and parental
>> | control apps across their digital devices,” said ReasonLabs CEO and
>> | co-founder Kobi Kalif.
>> ReasonLabs by chance sells "Antivirus Security Solutions" according
>> to
>> their web page. Go figure.
>
> Yeah. Maybe I'll read later the piece, but I have not yet seen a
> feasible explanation of why VPN can be a security mesure. Unsure about
> a DNS filter. They are related to privacy, not to security, IMO.

Yep.

It's also not said what malware for example is a problem for Linux.
--
Andreas

On 2023-01-26, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
> It may be security if in your country of residence the authorities are
> dangerous. That's a different issue.

"The authorities" are always potentially dangerous. At the end of the
day all governments are criminal syndicates.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 Reasons I won't be vaccinated -- https://tinyurl.com/ebty2dx3
Covid vaccines: experimental biology -- https://tinyurl.com/57mncfm5
The fraud of "Climate Change" -- https://RealClimateScience.com
There is no "climate crisis" -- https://climatedepot.com
Don't talk to cops! -- https://DontTalkToCops.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 30/01/2023 00:17, Roger Blake wrote:
> On 2023-01-26, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>> It may be security if in your country of residence the authorities are
>> dangerous. That's a different issue.
>
> "The authorities" are always potentially dangerous. At the end of the
> day all governments are criminal syndicates.
>
I think that is the general case. There are exceptions, but they are rare.

It goes back to the feudal system, to protect yourself against *their*
rapist farm burning and food stealing warriors you needed your own
protection racket, and the price you paid was to support them in luxury
for doing bugger all, except getting killed occasionally.

And if you didn't like them as much as your neighbours mafia, when they
went to war you could make sure you lost it.

How many nations have found a route to prosperity and democracy by
*losing to the USA*?

--
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as
foolish, and by the rulers as useful.

(Seneca the Younger, 65 AD)

On 2023-01-30, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> On 30/01/2023 00:17, Roger Blake wrote:
>
>> On 2023-01-26, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> It may be security if in your country of residence the authorities are
>>> dangerous. That's a different issue.
>>
>> "The authorities" are always potentially dangerous. At the end of the
>> day all governments are criminal syndicates.
>
> I think that is the general case. There are exceptions, but they are rare.
>
> It goes back to the feudal system, to protect yourself against *their*
> rapist farm burning and food stealing warriors you needed your own
> protection racket, and the price you paid was to support them in luxury
> for doing bugger all, except getting killed occasionally.
>
> And if you didn't like them as much as your neighbours mafia, when they
> went to war you could make sure you lost it.
>
> How many nations have found a route to prosperity and democracy by
> *losing to the USA*?

A fair number - altough it didn't quite work out for the
Duchy of Grand Fenwick. :-)

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Microsoft is a dictatorship.
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | Apple is a cult.
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | Linux is anarchy.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | Pick your poison.

On 1/30/23 09:44, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2023-01-30, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 30/01/2023 00:17, Roger Blake wrote:
>>
>>> On 2023-01-26, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> It may be security if in your country of residence the authorities are
>>>> dangerous. That's a different issue.
>>>
>>> "The authorities" are always potentially dangerous. At the end of the
>>> day all governments are criminal syndicates.
>>
>> I think that is the general case. There are exceptions, but they are rare.
>>
>> It goes back to the feudal system, to protect yourself against *their*
>> rapist farm burning and food stealing warriors you needed your own
>> protection racket, and the price you paid was to support them in luxury
>> for doing bugger all, except getting killed occasionally.
>>
>> And if you didn't like them as much as your neighbours mafia, when they
>> went to war you could make sure you lost it.
>>
>> How many nations have found a route to prosperity and democracy by
>> *losing to the USA*?
>
> A fair number - altough it didn't quite work out for the
> Duchy of Grand Fenwick. :-)
>
>

That is an argument frequently advanced by Criminal syndicalists
against the Government. In the War on Some Drug Users we saw very bad
behavior againt private citizens who had no interest in drugs. But
if you find your government is behaving badly vote for the people
who will fix it. Support organization that will support your causes.
Government by the people is only real if the people take part.

bliss

--
bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

On 30/01/2023 21:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> On 1/30/23 09:44, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> On 2023-01-30, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On 30/01/2023 00:17, Roger Blake wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2023-01-26, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> It may be security if in your country of residence the authorities are
>>>>> dangerous. That's a different issue.
>>>>
>>>> "The authorities" are always potentially dangerous. At the end of the
>>>> day all governments are criminal syndicates.
>>>
>>> I think that is the general case. There are exceptions, but they are
>>> rare.
>>>
>>> It goes back to the feudal system, to protect yourself against *their*
>>> rapist farm burning and food stealing warriors you needed your own
>>> protection racket, and the price you paid was to support them in luxury
>>> for doing bugger all, except getting killed occasionally.
>>>
>>> And if you didn't like them as much as your neighbours mafia, when they
>>> went to war you could make sure you lost it.
>>>
>>> How many nations have found a route to prosperity and democracy by
>>> *losing to the USA*?
>>
>> A fair number - altough it didn't quite work out for the
>> Duchy of Grand Fenwick.  :-)
>>
> >
>
>     That is an argument frequently advanced by Criminal syndicalists
> against the Government.  In the War on Some Drug Users we saw very bad
> behavior againt private citizens who had no interest in drugs.  But
> if you find your government is behaving badly vote for the people
> who will fix it.  Support organization that will support your causes.
> Government by the people is only real if the people take part.
>
There is not and never has been 'government by the people' and that is
neither the aim nor the achievement of a democracy.

Democracies are there purely for one purpose and one purpose alone, to
remove a corrupt authoritarian regime without bloodshed, and replace it
with another.

Sadly you dont get to choose from a very wide (s)election, and if both
parties have been largely corrupted subverted bribed and blackmailed it
makes very little difference.

Remember, Marketing is cheaper than good product design, and bribing a
politician to make your product de jure, is even more cost effective.

--
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to
rule.
– H. L. Mencken, American journalist, 1880-1956

On 2023-01-31, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> On 30/01/2023 21:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
>
>>     That is an argument frequently advanced by Criminal syndicalists
>> against the Government.  In the War on Some Drug Users we saw very bad
>> behavior againt private citizens who had no interest in drugs.  But
>> if you find your government is behaving badly vote for the people
>> who will fix it.  Support organization that will support your causes.
>> Government by the people is only real if the people take part.
>
> There is not and never has been 'government by the people' and that is
> neither the aim nor the achievement of a democracy.
>
> Democracies are there purely for one purpose and one purpose alone, to
> remove a corrupt authoritarian regime without bloodshed, and replace it
> with another.
>
> Sadly you dont get to choose from a very wide (s)election, and if both
> parties have been largely corrupted subverted bribed and blackmailed it
> makes very little difference.
>
> Remember, Marketing is cheaper than good product design, and bribing a
> politician to make your product de jure, is even more cost effective.

Agreed. It's a pleasant but naive hope that you can vote for the best;
usually you're just trying to vote against the worst. You have to choose
not the one who will help you the most, but the one that will hurt you
the least. In extreme cases, you just have to hold your nose and vote
for someone who you really don't like, but who is most likely to stop
the one who could _really_ hurt you.

I wish it weren't that way, but I also wish I could jump on a unicorn
and go riding off over a rainbow. Meanwhile, back here in the real
world, I try to live the best life I can despite the bastards.
I think of it as an act of defiance.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
-- The Who

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Microsoft is a dictatorship.
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | Apple is a cult.
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | Linux is anarchy.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | Pick your poison.

On 1/31/23 11:32, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2023-01-31, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 30/01/2023 21:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
>>
>>>     That is an argument frequently advanced by Criminal syndicalists
>>> against the Government.  In the War on Some Drug Users we saw very bad
>>> behavior against private citizens who had no interest in drugs.  But
>>> if you find your government is behaving badly vote for the people
>>> who will fix it.  Support organizations that will support your causes.
>>> Government by the people is only real if the people take part.
>>
>> There is not and never has been 'government by the people' and that is
>> neither the aim nor the achievement of a democracy.

In your not so humble opinion, NP. We are governed if we make good
choices of the people we elect to represent us.

>>
>> Democracies are there purely for one purpose and one purpose alone, to
>> remove a corrupt authoritarian regime without bloodshed, and replace it
>> with another.
>>
>> Sadly you dont get to choose from a very wide (s)election, and if both
>> parties have been largely corrupted subverted bribed and blackmailed it
>> makes very little difference.
>>
>> Remember, Marketing is cheaper than good product design, and bribing a
>> politician to make your product de jure, is even more cost effective.

Again that is your opinion but the difference is clear when you see
what is done under one Presidency to the Next.
>
> Agreed. It's a pleasant but naive hope that you can vote for the best;
> usually you're just trying to vote against the worst. You have to choose
> not the one who will help you the most, but the one that will hurt you
> the least. In extreme cases, you just have to hold your nose and vote
> for someone who you really don't like, but who is most likely to stop
> the one who could _really_ hurt you.

Too many people in 2016 did not like one candidate and did not vote
which allowed the least capable person to take the presidency. Always
vote for the best of the bad choices.

>
> I wish it weren't that way, but I also wish I could jump on a unicorn
> and go riding off over a rainbow. Meanwhile, back here in the real
> world, I try to live the best life I can despite the bastards.
> I think of it as an act of defiance.
>
> Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
> -- The Who

The Who lived in the UK and their choices were more limited.
People think that magic is the answer to their prayers but they would
hate living in a sorcerous realm.
bliss

--
bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

On 31/01/2023 19:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> On 1/31/23 11:32, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> On 2023-01-31, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On 30/01/2023 21:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
>>>
>>>>       That is an argument frequently advanced by Criminal syndicalists
>>>> against the Government.  In the War on Some Drug Users we saw very bad
>>>> behavior against private citizens who had no interest in drugs.  But
>>>> if you find your government is behaving badly vote for the people
>>>> who will fix it.  Support organizations that will support your causes.
>>>> Government by the people is only real if the people take part.
>>>
>>> There is not and never has been 'government by the people' and that is
>>> neither the aim nor the achievement of a democracy.
>
>     In your not so humble opinion, NP. We are governed if we make good
> choices of the people we elect to represent us.
>
You do not make the choices. An oligarchy does. You just get to choose
between red and blue.

>>>
>>> Democracies are there purely for one purpose and one purpose alone, to
>>> remove a corrupt authoritarian regime without bloodshed, and replace it
>>> with another.
>>>
>>> Sadly you dont get to choose from a very wide (s)election, and if both
>>> parties have been largely corrupted subverted bribed and blackmailed it
>>> makes very little difference.
>>>
>>> Remember, Marketing is cheaper than good product design, and bribing a
>>> politician to make your product de jure, is even more cost effective.
>
>     Again that is your opinion but the difference is clear when you see
> what is done under one Presidency to the Next.

Usually nothing of any real consequence. Every democratic nation is
bewildered by faux issues whilst the real decisions are never even made
public.
In the UK we spent IIRC 6 WEEKS discussing banning fix hunting, but
went to war with Iraq based on fraudulent information in a debate of
under 60 minutes.

How much time has been wasted on the abortion question in the USA?
How nmuch time if any has been spent discussing whether or not renewable
energy actually *is* a solution to a carbon emissions problem, at a
reasonable cost?

>>
>> Agreed.  It's a pleasant but naive hope that you can vote for the best;
>> usually you're just trying to vote against the worst.  You have to choose
>> not the one who will help you the most, but the one that will hurt you
>> the least.  In extreme cases, you just have to hold your nose and vote
>> for someone who you really don't like, but who is most likely to stop
>> the one who could _really_ hurt you.
>
>     Too many people in 2016 did not like one candidate and did not vote
> which allowed the least capable person to take the presidency.  Always
> vote for the best of the bad choices.
>
That's another way to manipulate the process.

>>
>> I wish it weren't that way, but I also wish I could jump on a unicorn
>> and go riding off over a rainbow.  Meanwhile, back here in the real
>> world, I try to live the best life I can despite the bastards.
>> I think of it as an act of defiance.
>>
>>      Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
>>        -- The Who
>
>     The Who lived in the UK and their choices were more limited.
> People think that magic is the answer to their prayers but they would
> hate living in a sorcerous realm.
>
Hmm.

You should read the 'iron law of oligarchy'

"According to Michels, all organizations eventually come to be run by a
"leadership class", who often function as paid administrators,
executives, spokespersons or political strategists for the organization.
Far from being "servants of the masses", Michels argues this "leadership
class", rather than the organization's membership, will inevitably grow
to dominate the organization's power structures. By controlling who has
access to information, those in power can centralize their power
successfully, often with little accountability, due to the apathy,
indifference and non-participation most rank-and-file members have in
relation to their organization's decision-making processes. Michels
argues that democratic attempts to hold leadership positions accountable
are prone to fail, since with power comes the ability to reward loyalty,
the ability to control information about the organization, and the
ability to control what procedures the organization follows when making
decisions. All of these mechanisms can be used to strongly influence the
outcome of any decisions made 'democratically' by members.

Michels stated that the official goal of representative democracy of
eliminating elite rule was impossible, that representative democracy is
a façade legitimizing the rule of a particular elite, and that elite
rule, which he refers to as oligarchy, is inevitable. Later Michels
migrated to Italy and joined Benito Mussolini's Fascist Party, as he
believed this was the next legitimate step of modern societies. The
thesis became popular once more in post-war America with the publication
of Union Democracy: The Internal Politics of the International
Typographical Union (1956) and during the red scare brought about by
McCarthyism. "

By all means maintain your idealistic hopes about American democracy,
but remember we invented it, and it was revolutionary France, who
exported their ideas to the USĄ after having killed their ruling
classes, was not a democracy at all, with Napoleon taking over as the
first of the modern European Fascists.

In the UK democracy was seen as the antidote to violent revolution. We
killed our king a hundred years earlier and had years of bloody civil
wars. The decision by the merchant class to have the king back, but
limit his powers to those granted by a parliament composed of
themselves, effectively reflected the status quo, in that they were the
wealth creators and owners of first land, and subsequently industry.

And that really is the way it is. Today Elon Musk, has more power than
twenty million citizens.

He owes his fortune to playing the game of electric cars and government
subsidies adroitly.

Government policy is dictated by what you call 'pork barrel' politics.
In South Africa they call it 'state capture;' and in the UK we just call
it corruption.

Essentially when a large fraction of the GDP is absorbed by taxation,
who gets to benefit from that massive money pool is a political decision
made by human beings who are very tempted to divvy it up amongst
themselves, without any reference to the public good. The job of
political leaders than becomes to produce and maintain a narrative that
justifies all this in terms of what it can convince a pretty dumb
proletariat is actually in their interest.

Some people believe them.

After years and years, I do not. Not one single word of any of it. Not
when I have met them, shaken hands with them, and heard their private
opinions, when they thought I was 'part of the game'.

Like you, I want what is best for the citizens of my country.
Unlike you, I know that the chief *obstacle* to this is the nature of
democratic politics, centralised bureaucracy, and so called democratic
politicians.

--
"A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight
and understanding".

Marshall McLuhan

On 1/31/23 2:52 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> On 1/31/23 11:32, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> On 2023-01-31, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On 30/01/2023 21:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
>>>
>>>>       That is an argument frequently advanced by Criminal syndicalists
>>>> against the Government.  In the War on Some Drug Users we saw very bad
>>>> behavior against private citizens who had no interest in drugs.  But
>>>> if you find your government is behaving badly vote for the people
>>>> who will fix it.  Support organizations that will support your causes.
>>>> Government by the people is only real if the people take part.
>>>
>>> There is not and never has been 'government by the people' and that is
>>> neither the aim nor the achievement of a democracy.
>
>     In your not so humble opinion, NP. We are governed if we make good
> choices of the people we elect to represent us.

No, Mr. Natural is right in this case. "Pure democracy" is horribly
defective (even Plato understood that) and the 'fix', representative
'democracy', does turn govt into its own, self-interested, universe
that can/will plot against the citizens.

Read yer Machiavelli. Most get exposed to 'Prince' but 'Discourses'
is better because it *explains* the whats/whys in 'Prince'. Govt
is a racket, the biggest baddest trickiest 'gang'. AND, alas, I
don't see any workable intermediate system that really empowers
The People yet avoids the evils of monarchies/theocracies/warlords
or loons/egomaniacs and such.

I think The Problem is HUMANS ... we're weird - 8 billion notions
of The Way Things Ought To Be that change daily, addicted to
impossible wants and get a rush from cognitive dissonance.
NO 'system' is gonna work very well. One or another Big Kludge
is the best we'll do.

And, just maybe, The Best ....

Consider our first 300,000 years ... all but the last 15-20ky
was spent running around all day trying to chase/dig enough
food to get us through the day and spending all night breeding
because there wasn't any HBO. The biggest/baddest was the leader
Just Because. Instinct/feelings/intuition were as, maybe more,
important than intellect/organization/philosophies. Wasn't much
time or intellectual base for anything else. This is what we
came from. It is any WONDER we're so weird ??? Modern govt/systems
are basically like trying to herd cats .....

On 2023-02-02, 26C.Z968 <26C.Z968@noaada.net> wrote:

> Read yer Machiavelli. Most get exposed to 'Prince' but 'Discourses'
> is better because it *explains* the whats/whys in 'Prince'. Govt
> is a racket, the biggest baddest trickiest 'gang'. AND, alas, I
> don't see any workable intermediate system that really empowers
> The People yet avoids the evils of monarchies/theocracies/warlords
> or loons/egomaniacs and such.

I've read "The Prince" but it sounds like I should take a look at
"Discourses". "The Prince" is, after all, just a handbook on how
to acquire and retain power - and it's as valid today as it was
when it was written 500 years ago.

> I think The Problem is HUMANS ... we're weird - 8 billion notions
> of The Way Things Ought To Be that change daily, addicted to
> impossible wants and get a rush from cognitive dissonance.
> NO 'system' is gonna work very well. One or another Big Kludge
> is the best we'll do.

Median intelligence is falling below the level needed to sustain
a working democracy. So is social conscience. Our society is
becoming too stupid to live. Time to look up accounts of life
in the previous Dark Ages - they might be handy when coping with
the one that's coming.

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Microsoft is a dictatorship.
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | Apple is a cult.
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | Linux is anarchy.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | Pick your poison.

On 02/02/2023 18:06, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> Median intelligence is falling below the level needed to sustain
> a working democracy. So is social conscience. Our society is
> becoming too stupid to live. Time to look up accounts of life
> in the previous Dark Ages - they might be handy when coping with
> the one that's coming.

People get so little exposure to RealLife that they can't handle it when
it hits them.
The communists have finished their long march through the institutions
and now control everything the government provides, and education is now
indoctrination.
It wont end well.

--
"A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight
and understanding".

Marshall McLuhan

On 2023-02-02, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

> On 02/02/2023 18:06, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>
>> Median intelligence is falling below the level needed to sustain
>> a working democracy. So is social conscience. Our society is
>> becoming too stupid to live. Time to look up accounts of life
>> in the previous Dark Ages - they might be handy when coping with
>> the one that's coming.
>
> People get so little exposure to RealLife that they can't handle it when
> it hits them.

Yes, the poor little snowflakes have been very well protected from reality.
This is very useful for the rulers.

> The communists have finished their long march through the institutions
> and now control everything the government provides, and education is now
> indoctrination.

Not just the communists. The race is on. Will it be a workers' paradise
or a corporate fascist state? Stay tuned.

> It wont end well.

Well, not for the proles, anyway.

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Microsoft is a dictatorship.
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | Apple is a cult.
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | Linux is anarchy.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | Pick your poison.

On 2/2/23 1:06 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2023-02-02, 26C.Z968 <26C.Z968@noaada.net> wrote:
>
>> Read yer Machiavelli. Most get exposed to 'Prince' but 'Discourses'
>> is better because it *explains* the whats/whys in 'Prince'. Govt
>> is a racket, the biggest baddest trickiest 'gang'. AND, alas, I
>> don't see any workable intermediate system that really empowers
>> The People yet avoids the evils of monarchies/theocracies/warlords
>> or loons/egomaniacs and such.
>
> I've read "The Prince" but it sounds like I should take a look at
> "Discourses". "The Prince" is, after all, just a handbook on how
> to acquire and retain power - and it's as valid today as it was
> when it was written 500 years ago.

I think it's still the Official Political Handbook. The more
closely you look, the more Machiavelli you find.

Machiavelli was a scholar. One thing he studied was successful
political systems from the past - esp Rome. He wanted to grasp
WHY those systems were successful - and a lot of it was smoke
and mirrors, bullshit and skullduggery. Worked then, works now.

Oh, 'Discourses' does kinda explain todays "golden parachutes"
for big corporate types. A Roman invention with a reason.

>> I think The Problem is HUMANS ... we're weird - 8 billion notions
>> of The Way Things Ought To Be that change daily, addicted to
>> impossible wants and get a rush from cognitive dissonance.
>> NO 'system' is gonna work very well. One or another Big Kludge
>> is the best we'll do.
>
> Median intelligence is falling below the level needed to sustain
> a working democracy. So is social conscience. Our society is
> becoming too stupid to live. Time to look up accounts of life
> in the previous Dark Ages - they might be handy when coping with
> the one that's coming.

As I implied, the Big Kludges may NOT be the worst things.
As there is no THE Way, the various kludges actually provide
room for creative adaptation and each kludge seems to spawn
new and useful ways of thinking/doing.

In short, kludge after kludge actually fits the Human Reality
better than any attempt at THE Way.

"Median intelligence" hasn't changed much. How to APPLY that
intelligence comes and goes. Right now, in the "west", they
are falling behind in that respect. "Ideological Truth" has
replaced Actual Truth far too often, far too widely. It WILL
destroy us - but that seems to be The Plan in certain circles.

Thing is, our potential replacements suck shit-encrusted rocks.
No "improvement" at all.

On 2/2/23 5:48 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2023-02-02, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 02/02/2023 18:06, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>
>>> Median intelligence is falling below the level needed to sustain
>>> a working democracy. So is social conscience. Our society is
>>> becoming too stupid to live. Time to look up accounts of life
>>> in the previous Dark Ages - they might be handy when coping with
>>> the one that's coming.
>>
>> People get so little exposure to RealLife that they can't handle it when
>> it hits them.
>
> Yes, the poor little snowflakes have been very well protected from reality.
> This is very useful for the rulers.

But the faux-security is based on inviable math. In short
it can't LAST.

But the pols don't care - so long as it lasts until THEY
can pop their golden parachute everything's fine.

On 02/02/2023 22:48, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2023-02-02, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 02/02/2023 18:06, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>
>>> Median intelligence is falling below the level needed to sustain
>>> a working democracy. So is social conscience. Our society is
>>> becoming too stupid to live. Time to look up accounts of life
>>> in the previous Dark Ages - they might be handy when coping with
>>> the one that's coming.
>>
>> People get so little exposure to RealLife that they can't handle it when
>> it hits them.
>
> Yes, the poor little snowflakes have been very well protected from reality.
> This is very useful for the rulers.
>
>> The communists have finished their long march through the institutions
>> and now control everything the government provides, and education is now
>> indoctrination.
>
> Not just the communists. The race is on. Will it be a workers' paradise
> or a corporate fascist state? Stay tuned.

Corporate fascist state.
That's who is using the communists these days.

Think Russia. The EU, with tanks.

>
>> It wont end well.
>
> Well, not for the proles, anyway.
>

It never does.

--
There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale
returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.

Mark Twain

On 2023-01-31 14:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
>     Too many people in 2016 did not like one candidate and did not vote
> which allowed the least capable person to take the presidency.  Always
> vote for the best of the bad choices.

I did that. Because I couldn't stand the idea of voting for either
major-party candidate I chose a third-party candidate, so my vote was
every bit as effective in that race as if I had not voted at all.

I knew that from the outset, but I had to show up because of the other
races, the ones with candidates I could at least live with my choices.

That, and I was an election worker at the time.

TJ

On 05/02/2023 16:11, TJ wrote:
> On 2023-01-31 14:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
>>      Too many people in 2016 did not like one candidate and did not
>> vote which allowed the least capable person to take the presidency.
>> Always vote for the best of the bad choices.
>
> I did that. Because I couldn't stand the idea of voting for either
> major-party candidate I chose a third-party candidate, so my vote was
> every bit as effective in that race as if I had not voted at all.
>
> I knew that from the outset, but I had to show up because of the other
> races, the ones with candidates I could at least live with my choices.
>
> That, and I was an election worker at the time.
>
> TJ
Given the choice between Matt Hancock, a laber loser and a lib dem, I
spoiled my paper

--
Climate is what you expect but weather is what you get.
Mark Twain

Pada Minggu, 05 Februari 2023 pukul 23.13.40 UTC+7, The Natural Philosopher menulis:
> On 05/02/2023 16:11, TJ wrote:
> > On 2023-01-31 14:52, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> >> Too many people in 2016 did not like one candidate and did not
> >> vote which allowed the least capable person to take the presidency.
> >> Always vote for the best of the bad choices.
> >
> > I did that. Because I couldn't stand the idea of voting for either
> > major-party candidate I chose a third-party candidate, so my vote was
> > every bit as effective in that race as if I had not voted at all.
> >
> > I knew that from the outset, but I had to show up because of the other
> > races, the ones with candidates I could at least live with my choices.
> >
> > That, and I was an election worker at the time.
> >
> > TJ
> Given the choice between Matt Hancock, a laber loser and a lib dem, I
> spoiled my paper
> Chec this out https://www.jopamungkas.com
> --
> Climate is what you expect but weather is what you get.
> Mark Twain