My love of Penny Arcade is, I believe, very well documented…

But today’s installment over at the ol’ PA is, possibly, one of the best three panels of comic to ever grace the sweet medium known as the interwebz.

I was going to just post the comic right here, but that would cheating, wouldn’t it? Doing so might certainly spike our traffic a bit, but then people would see that we are just a sad, second rate Penny Arcade wanna be and disgustedly click away from here.

So I’m just going to put a link right here and you can go and experience the total awesomeness yourself.

# Grey, Jon Armstrong (Night Shade)
# Undertow, Elizabeth Bear (Bantam Spectra)
# From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain, Minister Faust (Del Rey)
# Nova Swing, M. John Harrison (Bantam Spectra)
# Gradisil, Adam Roberts (Pyr)
# Ally, Karen Traviss (Eos)
# Saturn Returns, Sean Williams (Ace)

I have not read a single one of those books due to the fact that graduate school requires that I actually like study and junk…

Even though this is not a “serious” literary award, it should be noted that both of my mentors (well, I call them my mentors, I suppose they might not like to be known as such…), James P Blaylock and Tim Powers are past Philip K. Dick winners.

Firstly, big thank you to Matty for passing this on, and to APrilhead herself for then passing it on to me, so that I may bask in the gleeful joy of this news.

For those that have not already heard, the internet hacking group known simply as Anonymous, has hacked into the FOX brodacasting signal to declare open and unrelenting war on the money-grubbing, brainwashing intent, and media-bullying cult of Scientology.

Here is the main clip which has been circulating - Anonymous = We do not forgive. We do not forget.

Now, I am not particularly a fan in anyway of the mass media and it does not matter to me in anyway if the source is con or lib, to me it is pretty obvious that all broadcast - mass-market news media is simply is about (like all business) bottom dollars. And for this form of ‘entertainment’ it is simply most profitable to push sensationalized versions and spins of what would otherwise be interesting but innocuous fluff, such as the FOX report some time ago on Anonymous itself, which is not the clearest or most accurate depiction of the group or its antics and does not clearly prove that the group they are reporting on is in fact even the same group in question. With this is mind it is important to note that it is FOX who was specifically hacked and their signal was broken into and used to push the most recent message from the group itself. That message, is an open declaration of war against Scientology. If you want to know why this group, legion, of hackers and other revolutionaries is now formalizing their efforts on the infamous cult, watch their video, they will explain in their own words.

For me, this is a startling and exciting phenomenon as it heralds a shift that I think all of us who ever took some small consolidation in fantastic or speculative fictional stories about a coming change to world. The change is coming and it looks like Gibson, Palaniuk, Dick and others were spot on. I don’t think that this is really any sort of overwhelming conspiracy as I tend to not believe in conspiracy theories simply for the fact that that sort of organizational hutzpah is nearly impossible. Instead I see this recent action as an embodiment of the cultural zeitgeist of our society. We all know that things are not as they should be, and that things are simply messed up especially when it comes to large scale media control and brainwashing. It’s easy to dismiss stories about the builderbergs and illuminati, skull and bones, and even scientology as merely overhyped paranoia. Yet, while I personally do not put unbiased stock in everything that comes forth from the mouths of Alex Jones and others like him simply on the face of their own presentations, I think it is impossible to ignore the fact that more and more stories keep popping up in this same vein.

So what does this similarity mean? To me, it is symptomatic not of an overwhelming and shadow-organized conspiracy for world enslavement - no, instead I think it is much simpler, but no less draconian, I believe that these actions by organized and powerful groups are taken as a shortsighted means to a profitable end. But the fact that these efforts, uses of disgusting amounts of spin, misdirection and misinformation and control are not orchestrated on some grand -evil-overlord-sort-of-scale does not dispute the fact that the results are not acceptable.

To this end, I believe that we have slowly been moving towards a revolution of sorts. I think, after watching many developments and trends come in and out of play with new media and information dissemination techniques now available that did not even exist before, that people are beginning to think. They are beginning to truly question, and they are not happy with the answers that they’re receiving as a result. There is no James Bond styled master-villain behind the curtain pulling the puppet strings, no singular shadow-group or figure head that can be villainized, thwarted, and attacked in the ways that movies have taught us for decades. Instead, it is the extremely unpleasant reality facing us that we must confront and stand against the worst results of all of our most utopian efforts and avarice, our shortsighted plans and efforts and our willingness to forfeit our freedoms for security that is staring stupidly back at us through the mirror. I see groups like Anonymous, and am happy to know that thinking is starting a new. I’m happy to see people no longer happy with their flaming little shit. I’m energized, excited and overwhelmed to see the beginnings of what should be a thorough (and likely difficult) change to come in how we handle information, news, media and ideas. The time has come to quit taking the obvious and easier roads offered, the pavement that we’ve laid ourselves in our own laziness that gives control to others instead of relying on the hardship of our own accountability. It could easily have lead to our own literal destruction, but it should be obvious now that there is still time to fight back. There is chance and opportunity to learn from our mistakes and to try and make things right.

Utopian dreams are wonderful, and sadly the efforts generally used to achieve them result ultimately in the reality of dystopia rather than utopia. They work well on paper but not in reality. Perhaps, it is best to strive for utopia and to be content in continuing an ongoing and never ending struggle to keep totalitarian efforts in check. It’s somewhat Jeffersonian, it means that the efforts are never ending and that the struggle is never really with a true and tangible end. but such may be the very worthwhile cost of true freedom. The cost of freedom is not security and the cost of security is not freedom. The cost of freedom is accountability and ceaseless effort, and willingness to fight. By any and all means. I think the fight is finally starting to happen and it’s about bloody time.

The following is the follow up video from Anonymous regarding their first organized effort against the Scientology cult:

Call to Arms - FEB 10th 2008 - We Are Legion. We Do Not Forgive. We Do Not Forget. We Will Be Heard. Expect US.

Happy Revolution NR.

–Aleister

Acumen Nation

I have a habit of changing my Desktop Wallpaper fairly regularly, in fact it’s kind of a thing here in the Megalo Fortress to update them about once a week. As such, I figured I would share my current Desktop Wallpaper image… maybe this is something that I will update every week here on Normality if the response is favorable for the idea from you dear Normalinauts ^__^.

(Click the image for the full size)

–Aleister

The Adicts - The Odd Couple

I was trying to think of something witty or informative to capture your attention, loyal Normalinauts, but alas…I cannot. I attribute my lack of loquacious inspiration to lack of sleep, and too much work.

Here’s a very “humorous” tale of caution for any would be writer’s (or other creatively leaning types) out there…

Feel like nominating someone/piece of work for a Locus Award…well then, be my guest…don’t know what the Locus Awards are, shame shame, know your name!

This, well, just read it. I couldn’t do it justice…

That’s all for now.