Episode 5 · Saturday, 24 November 2007

No Agenda 005

A massive British data breach triggers a crisis of confidence while shifting media priorities and geopolitical maneuvers in Pakistan signal a new era of managed narratives.

By The No Agenda Show | 33m listen | 11 chapters
No Agenda 005 cover
The No Agenda Show · No. 5

About this episode

The UK government faces a massive security crisis after TNT courier services lost two CD-ROMs containing the personal records of 25 million citizens. This unprecedented data breach involving Child Benefit recipients has ignited a fierce national debate over the proposed National Identity Card and general state competence. While officials claim the disks are encrypted, the disappearance of such sensitive information has left the British public vulnerable to identity fraud on a massive scale.

Media coverage of the Madeleine McCann disappearance in Portugal draws sharp criticism for its disparity compared to cases like Natalee Holloway. MSNBC executives reportedly pivoted the network toward celebrity-driven news following record ratings from the Princess Diana tragedy, effectively ending technology programs like The Site hosted by Soledad O'Brien. In Pakistan, US foreign policy continues to favor military dictatorships over elected leaders, fueling speculation that regional instability is being leveraged to justify future strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet emerges as a superior open-source alternative to the iPhone for mobile Linux enthusiasts.

John Walker of Autodesk explores the boundaries of reality through his Fourmilab website, which hosts experiments in retro-psychokinesis and quantum consciousness. Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak break down the professional art of the teleprompter and the calculated public maneuvers of Marie Osmond. The session concludes with a look at England’s Euro 2008 qualification failure and the lyrical gaffe involving the Croatian national anthem at Wembley Stadium.


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CHAPTER 01 / 11 Discussion

UK Government Data Breach, Missing Child Benefit CD-ROMs

Two CD-ROMs containing 25 million personal records were lost in the mail after being sent by the UK government via TNT courier services. The breach has fueled intense public debate regarding the proposed National Identity Card and general government competence in handling private citizen data. While the disks were reportedly encrypted, concerns remain high regarding potential identity fraud and the lack of oversight in government data handling procedures.

uk government· child benefit· data breach· cd-rom· national identity card

00:01 Once again it's time for the show that has no jingles, no commercials, no music, no talent and most certainly no agenda. Produced on a Skype-o-phonic transcontinental connection, it's the ultimate oral friends with benefits. From the Manor just south of London, I'm Adam Curry. And I'm John C. Dvorak in Northern California. Hey John, how you doing? It's a Saturday evening for me, Saturday morning, afternoon for you. Yeah, it's hitting around noon now the actually it's noon, but you notice our connections a little weird now I'm wondering if has anything to do with the Thanksgiving everybody took took off this weekend You think the connection at least in the US would be a little better? Well, I'm not much and you know the connections over here in the UK. I we have such varying

00:44 Quality and it's a it's really it's a countrywide problem So I would say it's probably on my end if anything and of course I've got two women in the house who love watching YouTube videos. Well, that's not good No, it's not good. Hey man Dominating the news here in the UK. Do you know what it is? No, what tell me it's the missing 25 million records on D and CD-ROMs Yeah, we actually blogged that thing on the Dvorak.org slash blog blog. 25, yeah, I know. Apparently what happened there, I'll give you the story from what we've heard, even though it's hardly big news here, we just kind of, you know, it's not, it was not about what's going on here, we don't care that much. But it sounds as though somebody in the government sent two CD-ROMs in the mail, but I guess they just dropped them off into one of the boxes on the corner, and they never got delivered.

01:41 There's no receipts or anything so they don't know where they are and they're worried sick. Although the disks apparently were encrypted, I don't see what the big, what the fear is. Well there's a couple things going on with this. First of all, There's been talk of a national identity card in the UK for quite a while now. So this is more about what happens with your data, what is the government doing with your data, is there any privacy, which of course is really interesting for a country that has, I don't know, 20, 30,000 cameras hanging everywhere. You can't take a crap without a CCTV camera capturing it. So privacy concerns put aside.

02:20 This was part of a coming clean in in Parliament on the side of the of the Labour Party Where you know there's been all kinds of little scandals that have taken place And I guess you know this disk it I don't think they actually put it in the mail They it was supposed to be delivered by TNT which is kind of the you know FedEx type service in in Europe and the story I read was it was put in the mail and Don't I have a feeling that it just got lost inside the inside inside some government Mailroom, and it didn't actually leave the building but even so I mean to think that you know This is the only disc that has ever been burned that this came from the only person who has access to those records I mean, there's not one single computer expert has been

03:09 you know, on TV or in a newspaper or anyone who actually knows how the government records are handled. It's just all it is is it's big jokes about the missing CDs. Of course, every everyone who has a an opportunity to do a joke about it on television or in the newspapers just continuously full. But it has nothing to do with the actual data. I think it has everything to do with the National ID card and the fact, and this of course is what's coming out now, all these reports, that identity fraud is a big deal and that it's very easy to steal someone's identity and go shopping on the internet.

03:46 so you did so there were concerns about they're gonna have a national identity card and they're gonna collect even more data and and but they're so careless with this data that these people should be tarred and feathered. Exactly. So the bottom line is you know we can't trust the government with with our data. I think that's what's really going on here. Everyone's talking about it. That's front page along with of course uh... Madeline McCann. That just doesn't stop. You know the seven-year-old kid who was abducted from in Portugal Yeah, well, I think it doesn't stop the story has been in front page for its like six months already Well, we fought against that story by by reintroducing our story about the girl who was who disappeared in Aruba Oh, you're right. Halloway. That's right. That's a Dutch the Dutch guy in that story with our own material We have a sexy chick who's been whose lost damn it is better than your young child. Oh

CHAPTER 02 / 11 Discussion

Madeleine McCann Disappearance, Media Coverage Disparities

The ongoing disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal continues to dominate front-page news, drawing comparisons to the Natalee Holloway case in Aruba. Critics argue that media organizations prioritize stories involving wealthy families while ignoring thousands of other missing children, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds or minority groups. Recent reports suggest the intense media attention and fundraising efforts may have inadvertently increased the danger to the child.

madeleine mccann· portugal· media bias· missing children· natalee holloway

04:43 Exactly. So, you know, not to mention the fact that children are missing daily. And there's thousands and hundreds of thousands of children, you know, starving to death in Africa. It's like, is this the only child that matters? Yeah, right. No, it's a funny thing the way they do it. They do it. Yes I remember there was some actually during this Aruba thing when it first began there was I remember some black woman coming, you know a young mom who lost her girl that had been abducted by they think they knew who it was and all the rest of it, but nobody even cared to do the story and

05:19 you know she was a poor woman in Tennessee or something like that it wasn't as interesting as some you know rich girl in Aruba I mean but didn't get covered at all and she said you know I got no attention you know so there's it's weird the way they just focus on a few things that they get you know they get promoted it's almost like so a PR agent is somewhere in the back room of the news organization you know this is a much better story for you know so get our circulation up and oh that's exactly the way it's happening there's no doubt about it in fact today there was a story That came out about the McCann's and there were several experts of course you know new slant on the story saying Probably because the McCann's had money and they you know a fund was started and people donated money And they got a lot of attention for that very reason The child is probably dead because anyone who abducted the child would have just wanted to get rid of it and be done with the whole Situation so that's the new slant on the story

06:08 Yeah, well, it's probably I mean there's some logic to that but you know I don't think it's necessary that people are gonna go from being Not murderers to being murderers just because of some news thing, but I said, but I'm sure it gets everybody all enraged Yeah, it's it just enrages me. I feel really bad for the family, and you know it really sucks, but yeah this this cannot remain front-page news this is dumb and Yeah, well, what I mean, I don't know, you know, this is a we this happened. I think the real trend I Reminded of the days when I was working for MSNBC on a show that they'd established when Microsoft first bought the company Or I mean first formed the company with NBC's. That's what MS stands for a lot of people with long since forgotten I mean, no, I remember I was there and so they started this thing up and then they wanted to do because Microsoft was involved They want to do some tech stuff. So they did this this this show called the site and

CHAPTER 03 / 11 Discussion

MSNBC History, The Site, Princess Diana Coverage

MSNBC shifted its programming strategy significantly following the death of Princess Diana, moving away from technology-focused content like "The Site" hosted by Soledad O'Brien. The network experienced record ratings during the 24/7 coverage of the tragedy, leading executives to prioritize celebrity-driven news over more substantive properties. This transition marked a permanent change in the network's editorial direction and its relationship with founding partner Microsoft.

msnbc· soledad o'brien· the site· princess diana· celebrity news

07:08 and the site starred Soledad O'Brien and she was on the fast track to become a NBC News anchor so they gave her this gig so she could like do a little practice. Although she eventually, she got sidelined by some other ethnic looking woman and ended up having, I think she went to CNN or something like that. But Soledad was really a nice, one of the nicest people I've ever met. Hopefully she'll get back on the fast track. I don't know why they took her off of it. But it happens all the time. Not to change the subject, but we have a woman here in KPIX who used to be Network at CBS named Dana King. And I saw her when she was doing some of her network stuff and she had like big time news personality written all over her. She apparently did something amiss and then they gave her, they signed her to the local owned and operated affiliate, it's the KPIX station as a news anchor here, it's kind of punishment and she's been stuck here ever since and I don't think she can ever break away.

08:11 uh... but she was like you know this is richard did a wish of a business thing is is is that disconcerting but back to the ms nbc story So anyway, they had to show that they developed because Microsoft's pushing them called the site and it had sold as the anchor and I did some work on there and Leela port had a segment and we did some debates and It's the same, you know a usual suspect. You guys are such media whores. You'll do anything Why well, you know, they were paying us. Okay. Anyway, so unlike unlike prostitutes they were paying you Well, you made a good point anyway, so Yeah, I know it's like what's the difference?

08:49 So anyway, Diana got killed, as you recall, Princess Diana, and they started covering it. 24 7 with pretty meaningless coverage on MSNBC and their ratings went through the roof sure of course they did yep, and so they killed this Killed the site and they killed every other thing that they that wasn't like celebrity You know butt kissing whatever you want to call it kind of programming and of course the site You know the place has never recovered and they because you know you can't keep covering Diana forever. They tried and And they went right back into the dumper that it was in to begin with, and in the meanwhile they threw away any possible interesting properties that they had started. Anyway, this kind of decision making at this kind of level has always been disconcerting to me. Have you ever read The Society of the Spectacle? And by the way, just to do a punchline to that last story.

CHAPTER 04 / 11 Discussion

Listener Feedback, Radio Team Comparisons

A listener from Orangeville, California, submitted a voicemail comparing the podcast hosts to professional talk radio teams in the San Francisco Bay Area. The feedback highlights the natural chemistry between the speakers, suggesting they function as effectively as established morning show duos. The hosts briefly discuss the rigors of early morning radio schedules and the importance of timing in their collaborative dynamic.

orangeville· california· talk radio· listener feedback· podcasting

09:49 We would have covered Diane if they'd let us fuck yeah, anyway. No I have a doomed I don't anyway Yeah, we would have gotten a ratings way up so no I didn't read that I do have this oh shit It's not working here. We go Okay, there you go. That's good the point We got a we got a phone call you want to hear some feedback because I don't know who this the people are this guy's talking about I want to listen hello. Yeah. Yeah here we go Adam, hey, Moose in Orangeville, California here. Just finished listening to No Agenda 4 and fired up TSC 690. I want to tell you, man, you and John Dvorak

10:34 It's like you guys have been talking with each other for the last 20, 30 years as a talk radio team. We have a local team like that that actually simulcasts in the Bay Area on a local radio station and you guys hit it off so perfectly. Easily as well as they do. I don't know if you've listened to them. They're they're on here in the Bay Area and in the Bay Area from 6 till 10 a.m. But Just want to tell you man. I thought he actually would tell us who they were whole thing might be the end of the message. No, I thought it was anyway.

11:15 And you need to get a good theme for that. I don't care if you say there's no theme. You need a good theme. Oh crap, I'm sorry John. I thought he actually mentioned who he was talking about. I had no idea. Well, you know, there's a million teams that work from 6 to 10 a.m. because, you know, someone wouldn't stay awake. Yeah. We wouldn't do 6 to 10 a.m. You know what makes us work together? Timing. Sorry. Indeed. Hey, I got the Nokia N810. Ah, you would. Oh my goodness. This thing is... Disclaimer, by the way. I'm hoping to have Podshow be able to sell these at some beautiful discount. Just like our GoDaddy stuff. But, you know, I wouldn't sell it if I didn't really like it. This thing is fucking amazing. It's very close to what it has to be.

CHAPTER 05 / 11 Discussion

Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, Open Source Linux Features

The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet is highlighted for its superior web browsing capabilities and open-source Linux architecture. Unlike Windows Mobile devices, the N810 features a slide-out keyboard and a Mozilla-compatible browser that supports Gmail shortcuts, Google Docs, and Flash video. While it lacks cellular phone functionality, its larger screen real estate and Python support make it a preferred tool for mobile internet applications compared to the iPhone.

nokia n810· linux· open source· web browser· mobile technology

12:07 Why? Well, I'll tell you why. Because the web browser really does everything. And when I mean everything, it's Gmail, including the shortcuts. It's got a slide out keyboard. So you can hit the J key and it'll go to... I'm a big Gmail user. And Docs works as well perfectly. You know, it's fast. It just... You know how... It's hard to explain, but you know how Windows Mobile particularly just feels kind of like a loose Bucket of nuts and bolts you know the way the windows pop open and how buttons react and you know You just have yeah like it was written in fourth. Yeah, it's a bit like the difference between

12:49 A Mac and Windows. There is something in the way the user interface functions that just makes it feel better. I can't quite explain what it is, but there's something there. Yeah, well I know with the Mac it always feels snappier. Snappier, smoother, a little more sophisticated. So I was a big user of the N800, and this 810 is literally that kind of difference. And it also looks nice. It has kind of an executive sheen to it now. It's just amazing. What do they sell for? It's expensive. I think it's like 450 bucks. Not cheap at all. I use burners.

13:25 These track phones virgin mobile those kinds of things the things you can throw away the things you have to worry about Losing if you leave it on the plane who care by the way, this isn't a phone. It's only it's an internet tablet There's no phone built into it. It's just Wi-Fi. You can oh, it's just a yeah, it's it's there's no phone at all Okay, I've seen pictures that right I just I think we may have blogged this I saw pictures of this thing recently right right right right right? It's like a really small tablet. Mm-hmm and it's built on Linux so it's open source and you can build whatever you want and Python runs on it so interesting people are creating interesting applications that of course open source and you know are yeah it's gonna go nowhere you get what you pay for well but they've done a lot though they're seeding a lot of the of this application development and the basics

14:10 they'd expect. It has Skype, it has, as I said, it has the perfect Mozilla compatible browser. So, Gmail Reader, another thing that I use a lot. You can use the full-blown version. That's pretty hot shit. I mean, that's really all that I wanted is just to have a real web browser that I can really use anywhere, just slip it in my pocket. I'm amazed by this. I'm gonna have to get one. Including flash. It does flash, so now when you pop open, uh, like the podshow.com mashboard, uh, you know, the videos will play right in the browser, right on the screen. So the iPhone doesn't even do that. I'm gonna have to get one too. Is it- is the screen bigger than the iPhone screen? Hold on, I have both of them here. Let me check. Hold on one second. Let me just move over to this mic. Uh, um... I'm now overlaying one on top of the other. Oh yeah. Oh, the screen is...

15:06 Probably an inch wider on the 810, but it's small, but the iPhone itself isn't that much smaller than the the N810 I mean it would if it was it would fit right into it basically But the screen real estate on the 810 is definitely bigger. It's nice. I'm really well impressed Yeah, I'll have to get all this get the older one You coming into town next week? Yeah, actually I'm flying out tomorrow. So I'll be in the... Bring the phone. Of course I'm gonna bring it. Of course I'm gonna bring it. It has GPS in it too. Which is neat. Yeah, that's why the black helicopters can track you. Hey, what's up with the... Yeah, right. What's up with Pakistan?

CHAPTER 06 / 11 Discussion

Pakistan Political Instability, US Foreign Policy Strategy

The United States maintains a complex relationship with Pakistan, historically providing more financial aid during periods of military dictatorship than under elected leadership. Current political unrest in the region is viewed by some as a potential setup for future military action against Iran's nuclear facilities. There are concerns that the administration may be using regional instability as a diversion to justify broader strategic goals in the Middle East.

pakistan· iran· foreign policy· dictatorship· military strategy

15:50 What a mess that place is. Well, is it really? How come the US isn't doing anything? Is our administration basically keeping this guy in place and agreeing with everything because it's better to know the dictator than not know the dictator? well you know if you read enough of the documentation over the years of our relationship with pakistan always given a lot more money when they had a dictator and than when they had uh... someone's elected yes and i don't think that we like the situation because it looks pretty you know it looks at the lawyers but i'm sure that there's a lot of back channel grousing going on in a trying to get you know but we're sure if it looks like he's going to what he's gonna do and what choice do we have uh...

16:32 You know except the bomb I mean we're not gonna do that no But it feels like it feels like a setup where you know there's got to be all kinds of crap going on in Pakistan and then of course fingers are gonna be pointed at Iran because there'll be all kinds of people crossing in and out of the border and they'll be all kinds of claims and all kinds of proof and testimony and satellite pictures you watch and then we're gonna go and bomb the Iran's nuclear facility and Yeah, I know that seems to be in the cards, but it seems like the setup man. It just it's I don't know It seems clear to me and see it's so wrong. It's so fucking wrong Well, usually if it's clear to you Adam is not what it is the American the subterfuge ins tend to be to trick you me too, by the way and everybody else into thinking one thing and then having something else happen and

17:21 Because it seems to me that if everybody can deconstruct it so easily, it's obvious that what's actually taking place. Well, yes and no, because as a pilot, as an airman, the first thing you learn is You know, look for the big things on the map. So, you know, one of the... in all early training for all people who want to learn how to fly, your instructor will put down a map and say, okay, we're going to go from this point to that point. Tell me what obstructions are in our path. And of course, what you do is you, you know, look at all the electricity masts and, you know, any radio towers and look at the height and see if you're going to be okay. And then, you know, invariably the

17:56 The instructor then says well how about this big fucking mountain you're about to fly right into you didn't see that and of course the most obvious things you certain you don't always see so I'm I'm kind of trained to look at big things and and I think that quite the opposite of what you're saying is that You know that it these guys and are the administration become so bold It's just easier to do it right out in the open and make up a different story and create a diversion for that It's a good thing. That's good thinking it's possible and I mean, I'm not saying that's impossible. I'm just not seeing us bombing Iran, to be honest about it. I mean, so it looks like it's in the cards, but that says to me it's not going to happen.

CHAPTER 07 / 11 Discussion

Euro 2008 Qualification Failure, Croatian Anthem Error

England's failure to qualify for the Euro 2008 football competition has caused widespread national disappointment and led to the immediate firing of the team manager. During a match at Wembley Stadium, opera singer Tony Henry committed a significant lyrical error while performing the Croatian national anthem. A mistranslation in the lyrics resulted in an embarrassing gaffe involving a reference to a penis instead of mountains in front of 80,000 spectators.

euro 2008· england football· wembley stadium· croatia· tony henry

18:36 Don't think they're not doing the build-up the same way they did with these other things There's not enough phony baloney information coming out I know what you're saying is show some satellite data and all the rest of it But I think the Iranians are aware of this kind of Trickery and I think they're gonna do everything they can to keep keep from getting bombed I don't think they particularly want to be bombed. I mean it seems to me You think? Damn. Everyone's really disappointed here in Britain, John. Because we've been kicked out of the Euro 2008 football competition. Why? Well, because the team sucked. Well, of course, the manager is why. He got fired the day after. But to not qualify and get kicked out this early, it's a real national tragedy. Everyone's depressed about it.

19:27 With all those pro leagues and all those pro players you have in that country, you couldn't put a crummy team together that could just qualify? Exactly. And this of course is the debate. It's like, what is Beckham worth? He came back, he played I think second half and that's exactly it. It's like American basketball players not getting into the Olympics. Yep, but they're way overpaid. So, funny thing about the game. Tony Henry is I guess he's an opera singer an English opera singer and he was tasked with singing the national anthems it was a game was here and I think Wembley and

20:10 So he sang the Croatian... is it the Croatian or Croat? Croatian? Croatian anthem. Cro... Cro... Croat. Well, anyway. That'd be the Croatian anthem. Would have to be. So he made a mistake in the lyrics. In front of 80,000 people. So here it is from a BBC report. He should have sung, Mi la cuda si planina, which roughly means, you know my dear how we love your mountains. But instead he sang, Mi la curi si planina, which can be interpreted as, my dear, my penis is a mountain. Wow, that's great. No wonder we lost.

CHAPTER 08 / 11 Discussion

Broadcasting Anecdotes, Teleprompter Challenges, QVC Sales

Professional broadcasters utilize complex systems including teleprompters and IFB earpieces to manage live segments and timing. Experiences at TechTV and MTV illustrate the difficulty of reading scripts while producers provide real-time instructions or when audio feeds from other studios bleed into the headset. Notable examples of professional poise include Tom Brokaw's interview with Bill Clinton and the highly coordinated sales tactics used by hosts on the QVC shopping channel.

teleprompter· tech tv· qvc· tom brokaw· bill clinton

20:51 Oh man, idiots. I always get the feeling somebody's made a change. I mean it's almost like the guy, there's always these stories. In fact, I know it's doable. People who get in broadcasting who get really reliant on the teleprompter. Oh yeah. You can slip in some stuff in there and they'll just read it, you know, because they're just so used to reading robot-like Yeah, that they'll just read whatever it is and I am an idiot. I'll be back as that I am and happen, you know, whatever I you know, I got really good at teleprompter in my MTV years I mean you you could you could literally be writing it by hand underneath you on because the old teleprompters they weren't computer screens that were literally there was a camera that was positioned right over a conveyor belt and

21:37 And they'd have these scripts that were print out, aligned specially for the shot. And there was a guy, he would literally turn this little controller and it would control the speed of the motor. So during live broadcasts, they would be writing shit in, there was notes all over the place, and whatever showed up I could just interpret and I could just say it. It's like a Vulcan mind trick almost. pretty funny but the word thing for a i don't want to get into too much inside baseball here for people don't ever do any this kind of work but the the word there was we have the teleprompter rolling on the one hand and you have an i have to be in your ear which is that little squiggly thing you see and uh... and a yelling at you about someone other thing while you're out which i said reading you have to like squeeze another information gets quite complicated and you can see when people get flustered on television

22:28 But my all-time favorite screw-up with this sort of situation was one time I was shooting at the tech TV place I don't know why I've got some of these anecdotes today, but I'm on a tech TV and I'm doing this show Silicon Spin while Leo is doing a show in the other studio and we're at an exact same time moment and So I'm going to say, I'm going to do the same clock. So we're going to go to break at the same time and everything else. So I start my show and as soon as I start my show, I'm hearing his show in my ear. It's loud. And so he's, and I'm trying to get, I'm getting a little, you know what I mean?

23:04 Having enough trouble reading the prompter with this noise in my ear and then I finally go to the break I said this is screwed up. You do I don't have the control room. I've got Leo show and they all listen to nothing Because they're on the same commercial break. We're on right now. There's nothing there's no problem And so we go right back to the show and boom there comes Leo again screaming in my ear. Oh, yeah, so Yeah, moving going back to the launch of MSNBC. I was actually there because Microsoft This was just before they launched comic chat, and they couldn't quite get it working and it wouldn't scale so they hired remember come Yeah, comic chat that was another big mighty soft flop so they hired my company It was still on ramp then to do a chat and we basically set up like you know Linux based command-line chat room with little web GUI on top of it, so it was pretty robust but it was Who was it who was interviewing Bill Clinton?

24:00 Tom was a Tom Brokaw I think no that wouldn't that's not probably maybe it was yeah Tom Brokaw and he was interviewing Clinton and I was sitting in the control room, and I was just amazed at how he could be Almost he was almost moving Clinton through this through his answer just with his body language Because the producer was continuously saying okay now you've got to get him to wrap this up and we have one more question you have 28 seconds left until break and so while Brokaw is is Communicating through body language with Clinton, you know Then he's he interjects with one final question with like 17 seconds to go and the producers literally counting it down as he's doing his outro and Into the break it was the most astounding thing I've ever seen man was just fucking genius

24:44 That's why you got paid the big bucks. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And you know people who are on QVC do it as well. You watch if you, you know, because the what they're doing there is they're continuously monitoring the sales numbers and they'll see an item do really well and then you know be like okay we're gonna stay on this and talk more about the the color or what you know they're continuously giving the the host cues in their in their ear and their IFB and it's really how they fine-tune their sales. It's also an amazing process to watch. Yeah, actually I've always wanted to see that but you can see him doing it. What's amazing is there's those talking heads that are on those sales channels because they just blabber and blabber and it's non-stop chat. Yeah. Yeah, and it's got a real interesting color because it's an unusual version of taupe, don't you think, Lois? Yes, it hasn't been with color like this. I think, you know what it reminds me of? Fall fashion 2005, don't you think? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Hey, that brings us back to our story from last week about Marie Osmond where, I wish I had a copy of the

CHAPTER 09 / 11 Discussion

Marie Osmond, Show Business Strategy Claims

Speculation surrounds Marie Osmond's public incidents, including her fainting on "Dancing with the Stars" and appearances on Larry King Live. Some observers characterize her as a highly calculated figure in show business who understands how to orchestrate publicity to drive book sales and shopping channel appearances. Her family's long history in the entertainment industry is cited as the source of her expertise in managing public perception and media narratives.

marie osmond· dancing with the stars· larry king· show business· publicity

25:42 I don't have it handy anyway. We're talking about You asked me if I thought it was possible Marie Osmond might have orchestrated this big blow up on Larry King and actually before that her fainting on Dancing with the Stars and And I asked Patricia right after the show if I wait wait wait wait more background here I said it was possible you said there was no way that That that could ever be done. There's no it's not the way it works is what you said just to give people background Yeah, but then I remember specifically John you said do you think she is capable and I paused and I said I Don't think so, but let me ask Patricia, right?

26:23 Yeah, I guess. Okay, thank you. Thank you. She without even hesitating for a second said, absolutely, she is the most cunning woman in show business. Like even the faint, I saw her faint, she was laying there so pretty, that was not a normal person fainting, she doesn't even buy that part. Yeah, no, I thought the whole thing was a but you know, she's you she never I mean let's face it these two people both I mean I met Donnie too and he's a really nice guy and I guess she's probably a really nice person too But doesn't mean that that they're you know that they don't know that showbiz mavens man. Yeah, it's a showbiz

27:02 Family, you know all the tricks. Yeah, and you know, they don't overdo it I mean you haven't seen much sense I mean had a little blast and that you know got a few books sold and got her mention on her Shopping channel and you know, she's fine. Yeah, she's good. She's good. We got about three four minutes John you got anything? No, you know in fact I was looking at the blog to see if there's anything that came up in the recent stories that some guys are bringing there I did find it interesting. There was a And people can check this out, it was posted on the 24th whenever you hear the show, 24th of November. Some, let me just read about this. There's a couple of American cosmologists, you know, guys who study this kind of deep physics, investigating the consequences of the cosmos of quantum theory, the most successful theory, blah, blah, blah. And they said there's an odd feature of the theory that philosophers and scientists still argue about, and in a nutshell, the theory suggests that we change things simply by looking at them,

CHAPTER 10 / 11 Discussion

Quantum Theory, Retro-Psychokinesis, Fourmilab Website

John Walker, the founder of Autodesk, maintains a website called Fourmilab that explores fringe scientific theories including retro-psychokinesis. This concept suggests that human consciousness can influence random data that has been generated but not yet observed, effectively changing the past through meditation. While the hosts acknowledge the idea is likely crackpot, they discuss its intersection with quantum theory's observation effect and the potential for mass meditation experiments.

quantum theory· john walker· fourmilab· retro-psychokinesis· consciousness

27:57 and theorists have puzzled over the implications of this. So in other words, they're thinking, you know, you're looking at outer space, you're watching something blow up, you're actually somehow, because of quantum theory, you're changing it somehow. You're making it happen. Which now makes sense when you go to Oakland and these big black guys you look at and say, what are you looking at? Because they know that you're screwing with them. Just by looking at them. Okay, John. That's my story. You better be sticking to it. We should have a What Are You Looking At website. What are we going to do this week? I got like... Wait, wait, let me give you one more story. I got to bring this up now that I think about it. Okay. Okay, now you've got to go to John Walker's, the guy who started AutoCAD Autodesk, right? And he moved to Switzerland some years ago for whatever reason and he gave up his American citizenship and he's Swiss.

28:52 And he has a really weird website that you're going to have to do some research to find. It's called Forny Lab or something like that. Dot CH. And he has a, there's a theory about some sort of reverse time kinesis and he has a whole bunch of information about this. Which says something, and I don't know the exact name of the thing because I wasn't prepared, but it goes like this. If I don't know the college score of a game that just ended, I meditate long enough that it's a certain score and then I finally go look up the score. It will be that score I will have changed the score in time in the space-time continuum I'm all for that. I Got some meditating that I'm looking at it right now. It's for in the lab dot ch. I

29:43 That's it. So, but anyway, so I'm thinking when I read this thing about quantum theory and it's, you know, the fact that if you look at something you change it, I'm thinking, hey, maybe it's possible. You know, I could, you know, we could do something with the University of California Bears perhaps, but unfortunately I already know the score, so it's too late. Well, why don't we do something really big and have mass meditation? But we don't, we have to not know what happened in the first place and make it happen some funny way. Read the article that he has posted there on this crazy idea. And I think it's crackpot by the way. For anyone out there who really wants to know how I feel, it's nuts. But I think it's kind of fun nuts. Wait a minute, where do I find this on his site? Because I see...

30:29 This is his website. Is that what this is? Yeah, I think so. Let's see. What's a four-need F for? forum a lab F. Oh hi spell for me Foxtrot Oscar uniform Romeo Mike India Lima Alpha Bravo dot Charlie Hotel It's it's like a real it's like one of those old-school hardcore hacker eunuchs HTML 1.0 websites. Yeah, no, it's really kind of... I know exactly what kind of guy this is when I see his site. Yeah, it's kind of actually the thing itself is pathetic. Let's see, I think it would be under either consciousness... on the left-hand side he's got this little sidebar. Yeah. And it's either under consciousness studies or nanotechnology. I think that's what it is. Let me look there first. Yeah, there it is. Retro Psychokinesis Project.

31:22 Right at the top. And I'll read this for people out there listening to the show. Retro-psychokinesis is the claimed ability of certain subjects to alter random data generated but not examined prior to the time the data are presented to the subject. Crazy, you say? Well, there's certainly no mechanism in mainstream physics which would permit such an effect, although I think now that this quantum thing might. Yet, experiments conducted by a number of different researchers over the past 20 years suggest compellingly according to some analysis that the probability of the results obtained in such experiments, obviously Walker's not a writer, being purely the result of chances sufficiently low that they would be considered evidence of causal mechanism in most scientific disciplines, blah blah blah. So anyway... What the hell does that mean, John?

32:06 It means that there may be something to it. I see the probability pipe organ at the bottom of the page. I'm so down. I'm going to play the pipes and we'll compare notes next week. Well, and maybe users out there can check this out and send us or leave a message on your machine again and we'll put them on the air. Yeah, let me uh... Let me give the- let me do the voicemail number. This'll be cool. This'll blow your eardrums out. Yo yo! What the heck was that? That was the voicemail jingle, dude. God. All right, man. Been fun talking to you, John. We'll do it again next week. I'll be in San Francisco and I think you'll be on the West Coast as well, I hope. Yeah. Okay. From just south of London in the Curry Manor, I'm Adam Curry. And I'm John C. Dvorak in California. All right. We'll talk to you again next week. Take care, John.

CHAPTER 11 / 11 Discussion

Podshow and Limelight Outro

The program concludes with a brief acknowledgement of the content delivery partners, Podshow and Limelight. The hosts sign off from their respective locations in London and California, confirming their schedule for the following week's recording in San Francisco.

podshow· limelight· content delivery· podcasting· sign-off

33:16 The best and the brightest. Served up daily by the sharpest minds in content delivery, pod show and limelight.