Revolution, flashmobs, and brain chips. A grim vision of the future

Source: The Guardian

Information chips implanted in the brain. Electromagnetic pulse weapons. The middle classes becoming revolutionary, taking on the role of Marx's proletariat. The population of countries in the Middle East increasing by 132%, while Europe's drops as fertility falls. "Flashmobs" - groups rapidly mobilised by criminal gangs or terrorists groups.

This is the world in 30 years' time envisaged by a Ministry of Defence team responsible for painting a picture of the "future strategic context" likely to face Britain's armed forces. It includes an "analysis of the key risks and shocks". Rear Admiral Chris Parry, head of the MoD's Development, Concepts & Doctrine Centre which drew up the report, describes the assessments as "probability-based, rather than predictive".

The 90-page report comments on widely discussed issues such as the growing economic importance of India and China, the militarisation of space, and even what it calls "declining news quality" with the rise of "internet-enabled, citizen-journalists" and pressure to release stories "at the expense of facts". It includes other, some frightening, some reassuring, potential developments that are not so often discussed.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2053020,00.html

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This analysis definitely rings true to me. Unfortunately. Pay especial attention to the part about "declining news quality"...

Or an Apple chip? Will the RIAA sue me if I hum a tune in my head?

I seem to recall that they were an internet-spawned phenomenon a few years back.

And supposedly happened in the UK a few times.

The real phenom is just ahead.

I reckon.

The role of the military (and other such coercive forces), by this thinking, would of course be to protect the interests of the 'super-rich' against those of the majority.

Back to the nineteenth century, and earlier, then, politically-speaking (and spin, screw or simply outlaw and suppress-by-force any even so-called 'democracy').

weapons banned
cameras everywhere
cars equipped with locators
etc., etc.

:eyes:

goes mass purging of the proletariat - rather than ruling with mob gangs...

I think it was in the last Vanity Fair. Pretty interesting.

It mentions all the manifestations, and doesn't mention others, of peak oil. It is a known fact that peak oil will happen if it hasn't already. I wonder why they would leave that out as part of a future vision.