#i also put some monies from my thesis work

[mxwhore]

i ran out of money. i wish you a merry whatever. free palestine

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

Preppers are planners and the basis for our planning is information. We collect it through the methods we have learned through the normal processes of education, life experience, observation, analysis, and my favorite, trial and error. And as soon as man discovered how to record information, in crude cave drawings, etched into stone, or clay there, I believe mis-information was invented as well. There is an old joke about two cavemen talking, the first says “Ugh!” and the second says “Ugh! and then the first responds “Ugh, Ugh!” and the second replies “Don’t change the subject!” I know somewhere during the stone age Gork was rejected by Petunia and he etched some insults in a cave wall about her. Funny thing is someone college professor probably used those etchings to do his or her PHD thesis.

Fast forward a few eons and now information, and its counterpart misinformation, travel at speeds approaching the speed of light. For example in the financial world if you are reading about some investment opportunity in the Wall Street Journal you have already missed the boat because it reports what already happened. Others closer to the origins of the data have already seized the opportunity, set the base price and you will be paying their dividends should you bite.

The information super highway has so changed the world that while we attempt to catch up and think we are keeping up we are like the racing greyhounds forever hoping to catch that mechanical rabbit.

And, as preppers, seeking information upon which to base real economic decisions on (do I build out that greenhouse to increase my sustainable food production? More ammo or more MRE’s?) is challenging as we now live in a world where we are bombarded with information and misinformation – “thousands WILL DIE as a result of (fill-in-the-blank)!!!!!” has lead to a new equation of skewed TRUTH:

Where E = Establishment source, a = Agenda, F = Fake, and T = Truth, and the only solution is null; one must be prepared for increasing accidents across the information superhighway as a result of skewed information. I have used this example before: a horse race between an American horse and a Russian horse. The American horse wins. Headline in America: “American Horse Wins!” Headline in Russia: “Russian Horse Finishes Second, American Horse Finishes Next to Last!” – both true statement.

So, in  a recent post on finding information when the grid is down I thought it appropriate to followup with a post  on the challenges of finding information before the grid goes down, something that has become a labyrinth. And since the Internet is becoming more the source for information I want to focus on that medium. For instance I question the following map presented by Oxford University claiming to show internet usage worldwide:

Really, the world’s second most populated country and the home of call centers and outsourcing IT services, India, is less “connected” than some Central African Republics??!! Really? (And I would feel slighted if I were Canadian though it does depict where most Canadians live.)

Okay, so where does the internet stack up against print media and television in the delivery of news.

The internet surpassed print media several years ago and it is now challenging television, and that passes my smell test. Everywhere we go we see people heads-down focused on their electronic devices. Even if only 15% of that time is watching the news it makes sense AND so many people get their news feeds through social media outlets, Facebook in particular.

This has become so prevalent that there are college degrees now in optimizing web content (SEO.) I have taken a couple of on-line courses through the University of California in the past year to learn how to increase market penetration, to place keywords and phrases strategically to get better results from searches, to mimic the searching patterns that most people use. I use it everyday, all day in adding pictures as well as key phrases that are relevant to the posts you see on TPJ.

Really, What Are They Selling?

“Every time I Google a current news story it give me the related articles from CNN, The New York Times, Vox, NBC, Express.co.uk, Salon, and the BBC”…..TPJ – all impeachable sources. All sources that even Wikipedia lists as “leftist, or left-leaning, or skewed to liberal politics.”  Why? Because Google is also left-leaning. Few secrets in this world are as guarded as the specifics of Googles search algorithms. 

The news media is a business, and like every business it sells a product or service in exchange for monies (advertising). The product is content and their business used to be information as content. But dry factual information does not sell itself or well in our faster and faster paced society. Information needs to be “embellished”, that is spun, dressed up, and packaged for the target audience. This has lead to specialization which, in some things is very good (medicine, for example) but alas in the media it brings with it agenda, spin and secondary goals.

There is an upside to this – we don’t have to sit and watch all the fluff news stories to get financial information we might be interested in, we can go to those sources directly and thus attempt to keep up with the ever increasing flow of information. We can also go directly to sources for weather information as opposed to again, sitting through the story on the truck load of live chickens that were loosed on the interstate as the result of an accident. Specialization I believe is the result of so much information being available. If one were to attempt to get a degree from a university in Physics these days, 4 years is not enough cover all the specialties. The same with medicine, the law (legislators just have no discipline) and many other technical degree programs.

But really, What Exactly Are They Selling?

The news media is selling Google Analytics, period. Bold statement, let me make my case.

Google Analytics are used to sell advertising. The higher their rating the more they can charge for ads. Google provides the web best audience analytics on the planet and is the go-to source for all media outlets when it comes to the details on their audience. And the more the “news” is skewed to their demographic, the higher their score, the more they can demand for advertising, the more they can narrow in on a demographic (female voters between the ages of…., professionals….., etc.) This circle is indeed vicious as it is self-perpetuating, it feeds upon itself and spirals inward faster and faster – in that sense it is an amazing thing to watch. By this I mean that the analytics received are the result of the SEO and the manipulation of the data presented to generate better scores in the analytics. There are rules in place to stop the obvious ways to skew the results (excessive use of key phrases, use of unrelated keywords to increase traffic, etc.) but where there is a way, there is always a way around.

TV vs The Internet

I know I don’t have to convince anyone that when Frank Loyd Right said “Television is just chewing gum for the eyes” (or did he?) some 60 years ago he was speaking to what has become a universal truth. Bruce Springsteen released a song titled “57 Channels and Nothing On” in 1992 and now cable TV services have 300+ channel of nothing on. I counted my Direct TV channels once and it was 336 at the time, with 157 being 24/7 infomercials. Dish and all the cable companies have the same business model. They sell content masked (poorly) as infomercial channels that are pure advertising.

The internet has clearly disproved the age-old theory that if you put enough monkeys at enough typewriters (keyboards) for long enough they will eventually produce – the works of Shakespeare, the Bible, or some other established literary accomplishment. Mythbusters would declare this “Busted!”

While the world of information it has opened is impressive and pervasive the information superhighway is now blurred it its reporting of news, in a fog generated by Google, FaceBook and the other social media platforms. I have seen videos on YouTube related to chemicals and weapons that are downright dangerous in the misinformation they provide, more a case of lack of knowledge as opposed to some sinister agenda in my opinion. I do not cut the news media the same slack, which is my whole point.

On social media every political statement by a celebrity, one currently working, or one from a sit-com cancelled in the 1970’s “gets the pulpit” as long as they have said something negative and political. Fox News and Breitbart promote these just as much as all the sources I mentioned above. Why? Because they draw endless comments and the more comments they get the better the Google Analytics they receive, the more that can make the case for larger audience penetration and ask for increased fees for advertising. But that is only the first layer for social media. The next layer is the fake-comments. In almost every post on any subject, be it politics, or a cat video, or a swift water rescue, there will be a comment about politics. They will state an outrages position. These are usually done by the news producer who posted the article in the first place in order to generate comments which generate higher Google Analytics which…you see the agenda. They are usually in the first three comments posted and if you look at the poster of the comments most are fake, made up, just a few pictures, no real data on the individual. Tools of the new advertising trade. THIS is how the internet news business is now run on the information superhighway. It was not taught in the courses I took but anyone looking for “a way” to increase traffic will think of it when they see the Google Analytics Case Studies.

As preppers making financial and lifestyle decisions on an almost daily basis by processing the information at hand and our understanding of it I think most of us knew already that the “news business” is first and foremost a for-profit business, and that the news presented is merely content to produce their product, increased Google Analytics . All the old cliche’s apply: follow the money, Caveat-emptor, believe 50% of what you hear and 90% of what you see.

We prepare as a result of the information we get and the information we get is highly suspect from the news media. Proceed accordingly.

Follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

              The post Accidents are Increasing on the Information Superhighway appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey]

Thanks for the tag @themoonslayer!!

the last

drink: water with lemon in it

phone call: talking to my mom about how I didn’t want a second date with a guy

text message: “OMG that video is amazing!!!”

song you listened to: Not Gonna Die by Skillet

time you cried: tears threatened my eyes? reading a fic by @camsthisky.  I wept like a baby? watching Scarlet Heart Ryeo Episode 16 with my mom...you know, the episode where those two people die and that one guy has to kill the other guy...

dated someone twice: nope...three first dates and everytime I was like nah

kissed someone and regretted it: haha yeah no never been kissed 

been cheated on: can’t get cheated on if you never have someone to be cheated on by

lost someone special: yes

been depressed: yes

gotten drunk and thrown up: no thank heaven.  I’ve gotten tipsy a few times, and one time I was maybe slightly more?  it was at a wine tasting at a Ren Faire and it was outside and SUPER hot and I hadn’t eaten in a while and when I walked I felt REALLY weird like the world was not exactly stable and I ended up hanging on my bestie’s arm and giggling at everything she said

three favourite colours

purple

green

probably silver or black

in the last year have you

made new friends: yes :) 

fallen out of love: nah

laughed until you cried: maybe?  laughed myself silly oh yes  

found out someone was talking about you: found out a coworker was getting annoyed with me but the feeling was mutual so *shrugs*

met someone who changed you: Ahn Min Hyuk :D (hey, it doesn’t say fictional characters don’t count) this man is beautiful and sweet and handsome and sarcastic and precious and hilarious 

found out who your friends are: just rediscovered the fact that my friends are truly amazing 

kissed someone on your facebook list: Nope

general

how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life? All of them?

do you have any pets? My family has a black lab named Smokey (middle name O’Reilly, because we are half Irish and we give our dogs middle names, because when you are really mad at them you need to whip out their full names, and three names is better than two) we raised this dog from birth and he is my brother/son/sweetheart and I love him to death and he loves me and it is a beautiful relationship and we cuddle all the time

do you want to change your name? Absolutely not!  I love my first name because I was named after St. Monica who is awesome, and also I love having a name that is not as usual and doesn’t have twenty different spellings 

what did you do for your last birthday? My friend took me to see Doctor Strange!

what time did you wake up? 9:15 AM

what were you doing at midnight last night? doing my end of shift work at the restaurant I work at every Friday night

name something you can’t wait for: The Last Jedi I need it NOW and I need Ben Solo reconciling with his mom NOW and I need the evolution of Reylo NOW

when was the last time you saw your mum: last Sunday, when we watched Gilmore Girls together :)

what are you listening to right now? the wind blowing the leaves in the tree outside and the ticking of my ceiling fan

have you ever talked to a person named tom? my parents’ elderly neighbor

something that is getting on your nerves: when people say: Kylo Ren is abusive to Rey (newsflash: no, they are enemies, not lovers), when people ignore Tim Drake, when people hate Jason Todd, when people ship the Batbros together like holy heck going through AO3 and seeing all the Dick/Dami fics makes me want to vomit.  also please do NOT ship Bruce with his kids ugh

most visited website: “tumblr, unfortunately.” SAME.  also AO3

hair colour: dark brown with reddish tints

long or short hair: an inch or two below my shoulders.  It is nice for summer but I want it to grow back because I miss making my hair as elvish as possible

do you have a crush on someone? like 35 fictional guys...

what do you like about yourself? I love.  I love stories, I love characters who tear my heart out, I love nature and all the little beautiful things like leaves and stars and the smell of corn, I love people, I love my friends and family and would literally die for them

piercings: Five.  Two in each ear lobe and one up in the cartilege (is that the helix piercing I can’t recall).  I had my naval pierced twice but it migrated out each time :(

blood type: O (+?)

nickname: Gal, ninja, years ago some coworkers called me Moni, my nephews and niece called me Merica for a while after one of them couldn’t pronounce my name :D

relationship status: Single

zodiac: Scorpio

pronouns: She

favourite tv show(s): aha aha.  So many.  I just started Akayona right now and love it to death

tattoos: Not yet

right or left handed: Right

surgery: never thank heavens

sport: I did bowling in middle school and high school and did Kyokushin karate in college

vacation: favorite?  I used to go to Surfside Beach with my family, and on e time I went to DragonCon with my bestie.  good times

pair of trainers: huh?  like sneakers?  I have a pair of Nike and a pair of New Balance for working out or hiking.  otherwise I avoid em like the plague.  barefoot or flipflops is where it’s at

more general

eating: this is too vague!  um ice cream? spaghetti?

drinking: vanilla chai tea, apple cider, Mike’s Hard Lemonade?

i’m about to: go to the gym

waiting for: the Last Jedi. DC to put out their streaming service.  Young Justice season 3.  the casting of Nightwing, so that I know whether to keep being excited or to rage rage and punch a wall

want: patience and a little more concentration so I can finish my thesis

get married: perhaps some day.  Marriage is so beautiful and the idea of loving someone like that is something I would cherish, and I would love having kids, and I also think I want to adopt?  But I also want to let things happen according to God’s will and time.  If He doesn’t want me to marry it shall be well

career: trying to be a novelist here

which is better?

hugs or kisses: Hugs are the bomb, but kisses are good too

lips or eyes: Eyes

shorter or taller: I like being short but I like guys who are tall. height difference for the win

older or younger: Older or same age I guess

nice arms or nice stomach: ? idk.  I am maybe slightly superficial so both? :/ but yeah, hair is probably even more important

hookup or relationship: Relationship for sure

troublemaker or hesitant: is this about me or who I am attracted to?...I am confused

have you ever

kissed a stranger: Nah son

drank hard liquor: Yes, I prefer hard liquor over beer most days...when I even drink...which is like maybe once a month, and like one, maybe two drinks

lose glasses/contact lenses: I lose my glasses every day when I take them off and go shower and then I am running around my room like where the heck?!

turned someone down: Yeah...a couple guys have asked me out who I was just NOT interested in

sex on the first date:  No.  I think sex is a beautiful, special thing and I want to wait till I get married 

Originally posted by animatedtext

had your heart broken: ...yeah

been arrested: haha no.  and somehow I even got out of a ticket when I was going 20 over the speed limit in a residential area (i was cruising and not thinking and forgot the speed limit had recently changed)

cried when someone died: yes

fallen for a friend: oh yeah.  twice.  

do you believe in

yourself: Most days

miracles: absolutely

love at first sight: attraction at first sight, though I do think that some people have the gift of genuinely loving someone very quickly

santa claus: I did till I was like 7 or 8 and then my parents explained they left the gifts under the tree and that we had to keep the idea of Santa Claus in our hearts and that since I was in on the secret I had to be Santa Claus and a secret keeper for my little bros.  It was so fun and exciting and joyous

kiss on the first date: I studiously avoid getting kissed on the first date.  though it was maybe because I quickly decided I was not attracted to the guy

angels: yes.  I  believe in them with all my heart and am so grateful to God for them.  In particular I love my own guardian angel, who has comforted and encouraged me many times, and I swear is the only reason I have not crashed my car or been in a car crash several times over

other

eye colour: Hazel

favourite movie: Lord of the Rings (all of them), Star Wars (all of them), Harry Potter (all of them) and so many it is impossible to name them all.  one of my recent favorites was King Arthur The Legend of the Sword

Well this was really long so I won’t tag anybody but if you wanna fill this out please do so and tag me so I can see it!