Quote from: theymos on April 25, 2018, 01:34:02 AM

*snip* What worries me most is a 1984-style scenario where the game is constructed such that even the people "in charge" can't escape.

The worst part about that is how freely the majority of the world has taken steps towards this scenario by choice. I fell into an interesting generation where I can still see the technological "progress" for what it is and is not. I can also admit that *life has gotten in the way a bit and I have only recently began focusing more on what information I want to share with the world and what I do not. I assume anything I put out there is in fact available to anyone at anytime.

The simplest example to me currently has been the way I am now targeted by every Crypto ad, or GPU rig component ad, every time I open a site. The same was being done with targeted political messaging/propaganda; so I feel society needs to be educated on the value of finding that tiny space in your life that is out of sight and sound of the screen. Without that space it is hard to tune out the terrible atrocities committed by Eurasia and Eastasia.

Quote from: theymos

If someone is in charge, then there's some hope, since I think that almost everyone is at least a little decent, and even most tyrants would not want to completely crush all freedom and virtue.

One would hope so but there have been times when these Tyrants or Kings have also suffered from delusions or mental illness. Untreated and unchecked all bets are off. Thanks to my wife I learned a decent amount about Henry the 8th; you could wonder how this man showed love or compassion and still acted with such indifference.
More recently I look at North Korea; and am supposed to see this new side of Kim Jong Un because he released the video of a terrible bus accident and was said to have uncontrollable grief. I would like to believe that, truly, but I would also like to think if that was possible he is looking back at his past and the grief is also remorse. Perhaps it will be an opportunity for freedom and virtue to make a comeback.

Quote from: theymos

But with technology, I could see humanity trapping itself utterly in some perpetual machine with no freedom or progress of any kind.

* We already have a trap that is going to assist in leading us there; and it has infiltrated crypto almost like the little brother that tags along. It's credit, the simplest way to keep people in line and focused away from progress or the world outside their bubble; is to have them indebted. Then when you add the layers of technology and data mining to that a person has lost all their secrets before they thought to ask "why".

Going over all of this I feel we are disturbingly close to your point. If someone stands out and is in some way different they can be known within hours across the globe. Thanks to smartphones we have given whatever agency or corporation wants it; access to an all seeing eye. With that system in place when someone/thing has their moment, it will not be noticed by the masses but their will be a gradual change and we can only hope enough people are aware of it. This is when I like to think self preservation or even the preservation of a cause finds it's here; the ones that despite the possibility of failure try what needs to be done.

Quote from: CoinCube on April 23, 2018, 10:51:36 PM

I would prefer to be utterly wrong in my analysis of this probable future.

I would like to as well. I enjoyed the Agentofcoin read the first time I saw it thanks for the refresher. I plan to spend a few nights reading through your SIG.