Spocko's Brain

The pilot of Mr. Robot is the most interesting TV show I’ve seen all year. (Watch it free at USA’s site here)

It has the potential to become as enlightening (and predictive) about how our current computer-connected corporate power elite function as Person of Interest did when dealing with the ramification of widespread surveillance and the morality (or lack of) in our detection and execution of possible terrorists.

My recap has spoilers, some you could tell from watching the extended trailer. Here’s the marketing blurb.

In MR. ROBOT, Elliot, a cyber-security engineer by day and vigilante hacker by night, is recruited by a mysterious underground group to destroy the firm he’s paid to protect. Elliot must decide how far he’ll go to expose the forces he believes are running (and ruining) the world.

The opening scene takes place in a urban coffee shop. Elliot, the lead character, is describing to the shop’s owner why he ending up finding the 100 terabytes of child pornography the owner had that was serving 400,000 users. We don’t see a single computer screen or keyboard during this, just Elliot and the owner.

It all started because he liked the fast wi-fi . . . → Read More: Mr. Robot Will Scratch The Corporate Justice Problem in Your Brain

All I know about lobbying I learned from the movie “The American President.” (During which I determined that Mrs. Spocko was more attractive than Annette Bening.)

The movie shows everything people think they know about lobbying: getting the vote count right, educating congress people, making deals, trade offs and pay offs with different groups in exchange for current or future votes, the unusual bed fellows (literally) and finally dealing with the expectations of, and exposure in, the media.

I saw that movie three times, so clearly I’m an expert on what the lobbyists will do next following this current vote on TPP.

Luckily I have some friends who actually were lobbyists and I talk and listen to them to see what really goes on. I wanted to know what they did after a failure and what they think the pro-TPP people will do next.

But first, what do WE do after success? One of my least favorite phrases after a victory or semi-victory is, “Now the hard work begins.” Screw you Negative Nelly! Bite me Pragmatic Patrick! Piss off Realist Rick!

I say, “Give the fighters a pat on the back! Give ’em a raise. Take a bow people . . . → Read More: Post-TPP action: Transparency Now!

Today Politico ran a story “One voter shows up at Santorum event in Iowa”

It’s a sad story, if you look at it with the premise that a candidate is trying to get enough votes to be president. But that’s so 2000 and late thinking.

If your goal is to talk about the GOP horse race, and who will eventually win, it can show how badly the campaign is run or how unpopular the candidate is.

But this GOP Presidential race is different. Last Friday Sam Seder and Charlie Pierce explained why. They talked about how every GOP candidate now has a “Pet Politician,” and because of that they will stay in the race for a lot longer than before. (Link to Majority Report Audio)

Being the first in your yacht club to have a presidential candidate shows human votes are not as important as in the past. It’s about pushing the Billionaire Message. Some billionaires even have more than one PP! (“Collect all 12! Show ’em to your friends!)

Today it’s really about the candidate satisfying their lead billionaire.

So the question is, does this current story satisfy Foster Friess? He’s the billionaire paying for Sanatorum

(Aside, . . . → Read More: Only One Voter at Santorum Event. Not a Failure for the Billionaire Message