In the last couple hours, the term "Kill Switch" has come up twice in two very different contexts.
The first was an article from Australia which was looking at the rollout of a an account kill switch that put the power in the hands of the user to put a hold on their accounts from new transactions going through. This is to put more control in the hands of the user without having to go through the time-consuming and therefore often costly process to get accounts under attack shutdown. This is a good idea, even though ultimately it is likely to be used to get out of some liability.
The second was in relation to the Finnish defence force's usage of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, where with the growing bromance between the US and Russia, there has again been raised the question whether it is possible to disable the planes remotely. This has come up earlier and raised in other counties also, but supposedly it is not a thing - according to the Finnish military. Still if countries are banning social media, using military technology from what might soon be considered an untrustworthy trade partner, is a risk.
We are in interesting times at the moment, because over the last decades we have been conditioned to be increasingly reliant on authority. We have largely embraced this, because it is more convenient and easier than taking responsibility for ourselves. Bit by bit, we gave up our control over aspects of our lives, until we had nothing left. We knew that power corrupts, but that convenience was just too attractive, so here we are, living in a corrupt world at the mercy of those we are beholden to.
Some people think that due to the current situation, I am anti-American, but that is not the case at all. I am someone who recognises the difference between the state, and the people under the control of the state. And, it is under control, because the people must adhere to the rule of law, and those laws are made by those in control - even if they are detriment for the people. As I see it, if we are to create a healthy society, we need to decentralise authority, not further pool it. But, the state by nature is designed to capture more control over resources of all kinds.
What this means is, nationalism doesn't work.
We have been tricked into believing it does because that is how we have been conditioned, and this is how authority remains in control. It is a convenient mechanism, because it always has leverage behind it - because people want to be in some exclusive club - even if that club takes advantage of them. No government around the world is working for the people it governs. If they did, we would have a very different world, with very different levels of wellbeing. I always find it off-putting how many people put so much faith in their governments to do the right thing - despite all the evidence pointing elsewhere.
For how long will we keep choosing incompetent convenience?
How many times do you visit the mechanic who keeps charging through the nose, but not getting your car running properly? How long will we keep paying for service that not only doesn't fix the problem, but exacerbates it? How long until we recognise that the convenience is an illusion, and it is the service that is making life harder for us?
When are the costs too high to pay for bad service?
There are better ways to govern, especially since we have information and technologies at our disposal that we never had before. The systems we are using are antiquated and no longer fit for purpose. And the more we use them, the more damage we do, and the harder it is to pull back from the edge of disaster. The brakes are failing, and the mechanic has no idea where to put the brake fluid.
Perhaps we need a kill switch for the government so that when they go too far, we can just shut down their engines, and stop them from doing more damage. We should be able to opt-out of a government, even one we might have chosen, if they are not delivering what we expect of them. We are the customer, and we should be able to walk away. But we can't.
Because they have authority over us.
We are just passengers.
With our hands tied.
In the trunk of the car.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I see a history where technological developments have delivered freedom to the individual. The printing press made books available to the common folk. Guns made one individual without a personal guard, dangerous. Tech is a great equaliser over the long term. Every day things don't get worse, is a day closer to a bright future.
This is incomprehensible to so many.
"Hamas is bad, and all Palestinians share their guilt!"
"The Israeli government is bad, so Jews are genetically evil!"
"Putin is bad, so I hope all Russians suffer from whatever NATO does!"
The Iranian government is corrupt, so to hell with all the Iranians. Glass the desert!"
I'm sick of that shit. We need a kill switch on governments.
The irony is that most people who make those judgements, don't actually have much experience with the people they are talking about. I reckon for the most part, the average person is pretty similar all over the world.
I think people like the idea of nationalism, but they have never seen it put into practice properly. Either that or they did and they labeled it as something else (like fascism or whatever). I think it's one of those things were we live in a very complex world and they are trying to apply a simple solution to a complex problem. It just doesn't fit and it never will no matter how long or hard they beat the drum.
I am not sure if nationalism can work effectively in a global world that is interdependent on others. Look at the "egg crisis" around the world due to bird flu - the US is asking Europe for eggs, but there are none to give. Finland could give some (not much due to scale) but the trade barriers are too high. Ironic. This is just eggs. There are many, many more shortages to come as the climate keeps changing.
Yeah - it doesn't fit. It is similar to a barter system being fine for simple trade, but doesn't scale. At some point, tokenization happened - and then was hijacked.
Yeah, that is a good point. My wife was just complaining last night that eggs are $5.50. We have a ton of local sources we could get them from though and we might need to start doing that.
Just keep hacking. That's most of what I've been doing over here, it's a very slow burn process which is why "everyone" always disregards it when trying to find faster more explosive methods to get whatever it is they want.
15,000 hours of 'education' during our formative years. That's a lot of momentum. Back it up with TV, radio, newspapers and peer pressure, most people never stood a chance.
That's why it takes a long time.
I want an oompaloompa now, daddy!
I would not be surprised if it turned out that there is in fact a kill switch in those planes...
It wouldn't surprise me either. Though, in the case of the Finnish ones, I used to train at a company that developed for the F18 (prior fleet) and they run their own software, something that the US government doesn't have access to (as much as they wanted it).
Try making that argument to a comfortably retired boomer. They are happy to see more police presence, it makes them feel safer. Ha! Less guns for me please...
The boomers get a bad rap in this case, as they remember a time when you could leave the house unlocked - and police were friendly.... Well, unless you were black.
All th epolice ever did to me was shut down my house parties in high school. Did not like. Would not recommend!
Not only nationalism, but also religion are two means for social management for the authority to remain in power or take it.
For sure. And I would add corporations to the list too now. They are states and religions of themselves.
I agree with what you said.
The pressure of governments on the people should decrease. They should still be dependent on them, not the people on them. The state is not their property.
Failed governments, presidents, statesmen, ministers should be wiped out of politics, never to return.
The quality of politician has dropped significantly, because they are now celebrities, not skilled professionals.
The whole idea of a kill switch for the government is next level but honestly makes sense. We cancel subscriptions when they suck, why not governments too. Too bad they hold all the power, and we’re just stuck for the ride