At the end of AbbyGASM (where we sent about 50 emails complaining about a non-existent Discordian festival to 10 national advice columnists) we started talking about how we could keep the prank alive and Nigel came up with the idea of marathon meta-meta jake. The idea is to send 1,000 letters to Playboy in which we attempt to connect every known conspiracy theory to a specific Discordian cabal. So who's in?
Me.
Hell yes!
but I don't have a subscription to playboy. How will we know if we're having any effect?
For completely unrelated reasons, I'm actually about to get a subscription myself. But thanks for bringing up the point, Cram. 'cause I was wavering between Esquire and Playboy, so consider me tipped. So are you coming along for the ride as well?
I'm the man and here's the plan (as it currently stands);
1. Make a list of every conspiracy theory we can think of. Everything from the now classic 9/11 conspiracy theories to the recent "musician X is a member of the Illuminati". Just to be clear, this means that every iteration of a conspiracy theory will be counted as a different theory. So the Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Jay-Z Illuminati rumors will be counted as three separate conspiracy theories, not one. And the various 9/11 theories will also be counted as separate theories. The only qualification is that we will not invent conspiracy theories for PlayboyGASM.
2. Get a list of every Discordian cabal, including defunct cabals. I doubt that there are a thousand cabals out there, so fake cabals and ones made up especially for PlayboyGASM are ok. In fact, I'm gonna make one up now. I hereby declare myself the Bishop of the Playboy Cabal. Playboy Cabal is composed of everyone who posts or has posted in this the thread.
3. Come up with a set of template scenarios to aid the process of figuring out how (for example) The Playboy Cabal could possibly be responsible for the death of Marilyn Monroe (obviously we're time traveling mobsters. And this connects us to the Philadelphia Time Travel Experiment Conspiracy Theory and to all mob related conspiracies) As Nigel said, these scenarios don't have to be convincing, the point is simply an Olympic level of insanity.
4. Using the previously mentioned lists and templates we will then write a series of 1,000 letters to Playboy. All of the letters should explicitly mention Discordianism at some point. And some of the letters should be handwritten (just to let 'em know how serious we are).
5. Then we'll make t-shirts with the playboy bunny inside of a golden apple.
The GASM will end either when we reach 1,000 letters or when Playboy acknowledges what's going on by either (a) sending one of us a letter that is obviously not a form letter (b) prints one of the letters or (c) makes a comment about it somewhere in the magazine.
The steps don't necessarily have to be done in any sort of order but that's the general outline of what we want to do. If someone wants to start a separate thread to solicit conspiracy theories that would be cool. Or we could just get a hold of a conspiracy theory dictionary (like RAW's "Everything is Under Control") and go straight down the list, matching them up with random cabals as we go. And I'm sure wikipedia has a good, long list of conspiracy theories. I think there's a list of cabals out there too. Anybody seen such a catalog?
I'm in.
Quote from: Lord Quantum on April 17, 2010, 01:06:41 AM
For completely unrelated reasons, I'm actually about to get a subscription myself. But thanks for bringing up the point, Cram. 'cause I was wavering between Esquire and Playboy, so consider me tipped. So are you coming along for the ride as well?
eh, I kind of like to be able to see the fruits of my labor.
it's fun to see something crazy in print, but since I'm not a playboy subscriber, I'm not super charged to be in the letters to the editor column. If I'm going to write and mail more than one crazy letter, I want there to be a good chance of a HOLY FUCK WOW IT WORKED at the end. In ColbertGASM there was an end point, a target date. We sent all our mail during one week. If Playboy doesn't react to our mailing, we could be writing letters forever with no idea when to call it quits.
I still think this is a good idea, I just think Playboy is a bit obscure.
Quote from: Lord Quantum on April 19, 2010, 04:50:15 AM
I'm the man and here's the plan (as it currently stands);
1. Make a list of every conspiracy theory we can think of. Everything from the now classic 9/11 conspiracy theories to the recent "musician X is a member of the Illuminati". Just to be clear, this means that every iteration of a conspiracy theory will be counted as a different theory. So the Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Jay-Z Illuminati rumors will be counted as three separate conspiracy theories, not one. And the various 9/11 theories will also be counted as separate theories. The only qualification is that we will not invent conspiracy theories for PlayboyGASM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conspiracy_theories is a good start. One can probably mine out rigorous intuition and disinfo for more obscure ones.
Quote
2. Get a list of every Discordian cabal, including defunct cabals. I doubt that there are a thousand cabals out there, so fake cabals and ones made up especially for PlayboyGASM are ok. In fact, I'm gonna make one up now. I hereby declare myself the Bishop of the Playboy Cabal. Playboy Cabal is composed of everyone who posts or has posted in this the thread.
http://discordian.com/discordian.html
http://www.poee.org/society/cabals.htm
http://s23.org/wiki/Discordian_Cabals_%28rankings%29
Quote
3. Come up with a set of template scenarios to aid the process of figuring out how (for example) The Playboy Cabal could possibly be responsible for the death of Marilyn Monroe (obviously we're time traveling mobsters. And this connects us to the Philadelphia Time Travel Experiment Conspiracy Theory and to all mob related conspiracies) As Nigel said, these scenarios don't have to be convincing, the point is simply an Olympic level of insanity.
Even if they are not convincing, must they make any sense at all? If sense is not a prerequisite, I can hack up a grammar to generate these as I did http://twitter.com/conspiracybot
Quote
4. Using the previously mentioned lists and templates we will then write a series of 1,000 letters to Playboy. All of the letters should explicitly mention Discordianism at some point. And some of the letters should be handwritten (just to let 'em know how serious we are).
Ditto.
Quote
5. Then we'll make t-shirts with the playboy bunny inside of a golden apple.
The GASM will end either when we reach 1,000 letters or when Playboy acknowledges what's going on by either (a) sending one of us a letter that is obviously not a form letter (b) prints one of the letters or (c) makes a comment about it somewhere in the magazine.
The steps don't necessarily have to be done in any sort of order but that's the general outline of what we want to do. If someone wants to start a separate thread to solicit conspiracy theories that would be cool. Or we could just get a hold of a conspiracy theory dictionary (like RAW's "Everything is Under Control") and go straight down the list, matching them up with random cabals as we go. And I'm sure wikipedia has a good, long list of conspiracy theories. I think there's a list of cabals out there too. Anybody seen such a catalog?
Awesome! I kept meaning to start this thread, but then forgot. Thanks for taking the initiative LQ!
I think that we should collaborate on the letters here, and only send 1-2 per month. They'll be a lot more interesting and better if they're well-thought-out, unique, and not an obvious "letter-writing campaign".
I also think that the 1-2/month should be sent from different locations, so each of us gets to send some... but they should all be written in the same "voice" and signed by only one pseudonym. To add to the intrigue.
Enki! Woooo! Great post man, it really organizes things. And I like Nigel's ideas too. So now we need to create some sort of character. I'm kinda thinking of Rorschach from Watchmen for some reason. Or maybe we should be more like Charles Fort. Maybe we're looking for some sort of crazy gimmick, like a business man who travels a lot (to explain the multiple addresses) who writes letters to Hugh Hefner warning him about various things. So I guess that's the Phillip K. Dick character. I don't know, maybe we want to pretend to be an angry Baptist preacher hellbent on getting Playboy to do a biting expose on this dangerous cult of Discord. So what do you guys think? Any of this sound interesting?
I think we should use one or two completely new, non-memetic pseudonyms.
What I meant to say was that we should emulate their style. Fort, for example always claimed that he didn't believe his own theories "I offer the data" was his motto. He showed the data and then tried to explain it as best he could, while making fun of the "scientific" explanations of the time. He's the guy who came coined the term, "teleportation" by the way. Rorschach has a very creepy, stop start style. Have you read Watchmen. I haven't actually read anything by Phillip K. Dick, so I don't really know what that character would sound like. And of course, I'm sure we all know what an angry Baptist preacher sounds like. But then again, maybe we should figure out what the first two letters are going to be about before we start talking about style. Starting with Lady Gaga would be the easiest because we could just say, "they got Colbert, they'll come for her next!".
PKD's style isn't particularly distinctive. His content is, though. I don't know that a style of writing could be pinned as PKD-ish, though he has a tendency to start off in a very mundane manner and then go into wtf territory so gradually that you don't notice the transition until it's over -- kind of like LMNO's thing in the SME thread.
I would probably argue for multiple pseudonyms using different styles. Lovecraft and Rorschach styles are easy to mimic, and aren't immediate indicators of hoaxing. Likewise Fort.
I think that's what we're looking for. Something that isn't an immediate sign that this is a hoax. I'll brush up on my Fort and get started on the Lady Gaga letter to show you guys what I mean. So that'll be Letter #0001: connecting Ratatosk's cabal to the Lady Gaga Illuminati conspiracy theory. Any ideas for Letter #0002?
I see no reason to mimic anyone's style. If we can't develop our own characters/voice doing this we have no business writing.
I think the multiple addresses/states of origin should be left utterly unexplained. I also think that we should say as little about ourself(ves) as possible, and focus entirely on our insane conspiracies.
Examine this for intrigue:
One or two distinct voices
The obviously lunatic author(s) of the letter are consistent
The origin of the letters is different each time
There is no explanation offered.
Compare this with the intrigue of:
Many voices, some of which are clearly cribbed from other writers
the origin of the letters is different each time
some excuse is offered, unasked, for why
The intrigue of the former scenario is clearly much higher, while the latter reeks of a loosely-organized letter-writing campaign.
If we're going to pull this off, these letters have to appear to be coming from only one or two people. The different postmarks/IPs will, without any explanation proffered, serve to intensify interest in the letters.
I think it would not hurt to re-read Illuminatus! (as painful as that my be, especially for those of us who don't smoke pot) and verrrry carefully insert some of those conspiracies into our conspiracies, just for the meta-ness.
(nods) ok, now I see what you're saying.
I think that we can/should collaborate heavily on the letters, each participant bringing ideas/skeleton of each letter to the table, and then we group-rewrite them until they sound like we want our characters to sound, and then we each in turn get to print and send the letters.
Just a possible resource thrown in. From the previous links - combined Google-monitoring and MK Ultra mind control with Facebook's Beacon program. Random cabal leader's name: "Hicutus."
I know I'm 'doing it wrong' and don't know if any part of this will be useful, but it was fun to write. Adapt, ignore, mess with it like it did something wrong, etc.
Quote
Dear Hef,
I offer my hearty congratulations and thanks for your recent March Issue: Kelly Bensimon was quite a coup! Unfortunately, the weighty matter I bring to your attention must needs distract us from her beauty, for it is my duty to warn you of events which have long commanded our attention, but have only recently been made clear to me.
You are, of course, aware of Facebook's recent 'Beacon' scandal. This program was seemingly designed to collect information on Facebook users and automatically spread advertising throughout their networks based upon their online purchases. While apparently innocent, the Beacon program was, in fact, subcontracted to Facebook through Google which was commissioned by their monitoring partners in the CIA and Trilateral Commission under the aegis of the 'new' MK ULTRA project. Inquiries I have made during my travels concerning this matter have alerted me to new dangers: sadly, our market and government are not as sovereign as we would like to believe.
The true nature of the Beacon program was concealed even from the companies and departments involved. Silently steering the Trilateral Commission is a man or woman known only as "Hicutus," a suspected leader of a dangerous Discordian cult. On the surface, Beacon was an exercise in new marketing techniques, but was, in truth, an experiment in synthetic telepathy: messages embedded in the subliminal advertising digital signals within the Beacon application urged Facebook users to rise up and oppose the spread of their 'personal information.' Hicutus dubbed this project "New Xi Nao" (apparently in reference to the shadowy Discordian cabal he serves).
You understand now why I need to unveil this project to you before phase two begins.
According to my infiltrator contacts, New Xi Nao was a success. Facebook users immediately obeyed the subliminal messages, and massive coordinated online protests against Beacon began only one day later. Imagine if you will the inevitable weaponization. I tell you without risk of hyperbole that the potential for mass mind control is already proven, and this shadowy Hicutus is rumoured to be a slippery personage without scruple or moral compass.
Yours truly,
[_____]
Hmm. I don't think that's "doin' it wrong" at all.
Wow. We're definitely gonna have to keep you around, Nurse. That was great! And I liked how you actually bothered to see who was on the cover this month.
Bare idea: CIA's successor to project MK-NAOMI (that one that stockpiled drugs and laundered money to supply MK-ULTRA) involved in MONARCH-type experiments (the Finders have already been arguably linked to discordia and, depending upon who you ask, are associated with mind control, so this might be a good fit if it doesn't hit too close to home) that have been subverted by a cabal that infiltrated the same masonic lodge that several of the higher-ups have infiltrated for the purpose of doing long-term experiments on members.
Quote from: E. A. Waterhaus II on April 22, 2010, 12:25:59 AM
Bare idea: CIA's successor to project MK-NAOMI (that one that stockpiled drugs and laundered money to supply MK-ULTRA) involved in MONARCH-type experiments (the Finders have already been arguably linked to discordia and, depending upon who you ask, are associated with mind control, so this might be a good fit if it doesn't hit too close to home) that have been subverted by a cabal that infiltrated the same masonic lodge that several of the higher-ups have infiltrated for the purpose of doing long-term experiments on members.
This is good, and could definitely stand fleshing out.
I think a key element will be to choose a few main themes and stick with them, expanding, morphing, and fleshing them out by "uncovering new information" as we go. It's one thing to write crazy conspiracy theory letters, but another to keep them cohesive and comprehensible over a matter of months or years.
Here are a couple of (unrelated) letters written by Thornley that seem largely to indicate that he was batshit crazy: http://www.gyrofrog.com/kwt30.php
http://www.american-buddha.com/letterkerry.htm
(I'm thinking that they might be useful for stylistic research)
Quote from: E. A. Waterhaus II on April 22, 2010, 12:25:59 AM
Bare idea: CIA's successor to project MK-NAOMI (that one that stockpiled drugs and laundered money to supply MK-ULTRA) involved in MONARCH-type experiments (the Finders have already been arguably linked to discordia and, depending upon who you ask, are associated with mind control, so this might be a good fit if it doesn't hit too close to home) that have been subverted by a cabal that infiltrated the same masonic lodge that several of the higher-ups have infiltrated for the purpose of doing long-term experiments on members.
:lol: ^that^ is frigging hilarious!
Quote from: Lord Quantum on April 21, 2010, 11:13:18 PM
Wow. We're definitely gonna have to keep you around, Nurse. That was great! And I liked how you actually bothered to see who was on the cover this month.
Thanks. :) These things are fun to write.
edited for threadspammage
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on April 21, 2010, 05:31:00 PM
I think that we can/should collaborate heavily on the letters, each participant bringing ideas/skeleton of each letter to the table, and then we group-rewrite them until they sound like we want our characters to sound, and then we each in turn get to print and send the letters.
This seems like a good idea. Having said that, does anyone have any suggestions for re-writing Rhizone's letter? The only thing I can think of is maybe a quick summary of the Beacon scandal and a link to the settlement website http://www.beaconclasssettlement.com (http://www.beaconclasssettlement.com) Also, we need to come up with a pseudonym (or pseudonyms). And here's my suggestions for all that...
Robert Paris
R.S. Wilson
Markoff Chaney
C.F. Riley
Quote from: Lord Quantum on April 24, 2010, 01:15:46 AM
R.S. Wilson
Markoff Chaney
Obvious tipoffs. Remember who we're writing to.
My suggestion:
M. L. Blissett -- it's non-obvious, and the paranoid will connect both to Martin Luther and Luther Blissett
If we're going to go with "non-obvious" we might as well just use one of our real names. As long as that real name isn't attached to our real address.
:wrong:
:lulz: Well, my name is out of the question.
It might be best to make up something very ordinary or combine a couple of our names. I can donate my last name but not my first, for the obvious reasons.
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 08:55:51 PM
:lulz: Well, my name is out of the question.
It might be best to make up something very ordinary or combine a couple of our names. I can donate my last name but not my first, for the obvious reasons.
Use my middle name, Barry, nice and non-descript. Could be interpreted as a last name or a double first name. Barry whatever-your-last-name is. Barry, seems like a genuine fellow's name...
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 09:52:31 PM
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
I suggest last name Burke. Common, but not obviously made up.
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 09:52:31 PM
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
Just googled Barry Stratton with quotes. Over 5000 hits. There's even a barrystratton.com.
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 03, 2010, 10:19:27 PM
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 09:52:31 PM
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
Just googled Barry Stratton with quotes. Over 5000 hits. There's even a barrystratton.com.
That's awesome! Perfect level of common without being overly generic.
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 10:53:34 PM
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 03, 2010, 10:19:27 PM
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 09:52:31 PM
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
Just googled Barry Stratton with quotes. Over 5000 hits. There's even a barrystratton.com.
That's awesome! Perfect level of common without being overly generic.
Cool, so we have pseudonym #1 (I'm in btw). Not sure if my writing style jives, but if I see a couple of examples, I can try and mimic. I also (going back on previous posts) like the idea of the unexplained travels. It makes Barry seem more paranoid with possible reason. Like that dude who called into Coast to Coast about Area 51 and the station had unexpected and unexplained broadcast failure (you can hear the caller's comments on Faaip de Oiad by Tool if you're not sure what I'm talking about). Gives it that cautious credibilty feel.
Should make a facebook page. Fill up the interest pages with interesting stuff.
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 03, 2010, 10:00:34 PM
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 09:52:31 PM
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
I suggest last name Burke. Common, but not obviously made up.
Eric Simon Burke
Quote from: E. A. Waterhaus II on May 04, 2010, 01:33:10 AM
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 03, 2010, 10:00:34 PM
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 03, 2010, 09:52:31 PM
Barry Stratton. Nice.
Sounds like a real fellow, and is about to become a total nutjob. :lulz:
Now, he just needs a friend for the tag-team effect.
I suggest last name Burke. Common, but not obviously made up.
Eric Simon Burke
I vote in favor of your statement and Telarus'
Awesome, so now we have two pseudonymns; Barry Stratton and Eric Burke and one letter (the one written by Rhizone). There's also Enki's idea about the CIA's MK-NAOMI thing. Do we have any volunteers for sending out the first letter?
Quote from: Lord Quantum on May 04, 2010, 02:40:37 AM
Awesome, so now we have two pseudonymns; Barry Stratton and Eric Burke and one letter (the one written by Rhizone). There's also Enki's idea about the CIA's MK-NAOMI thing. Do we have any volunteers for sending out the first letter?
I'm going to sit out at first so I can get a sense of Barry and Eric's writing styles, but as previously stated, once I get a feel I'll go for it.
I just had an idea for a letter - the reason that nothing ever changes in Washington is because the Tuscon Cabal (which is actually much older than you think) together with the Masons are the one who really run this country. The Democrats and the Republicans elect actors to pretend to be President, meanwhile, the most senior mason and the Episcopos of the Tuscon cabal are the ones who actually make the decisions which are attributed to "the President". If you're wondering why some of Obama's policies seem so similar to Bush's it's because the same person is responsible for them, yes that's right, the Good Reverend Roger has actually been the REAL president since the Clinton years! Our Dark Masters throw us a bone every now and again (like health care reform) just to make it believable that there's a different person in the White House every four years but really there isn't. The True White House is still in Philadelphia. And don't even get me started on the electoral college...
Quote from: Lord Quantum on May 05, 2010, 04:02:23 PM
I just had an idea for a letter - the reason that nothing ever changes in Washington is because the Tuscon Cabal (which is actually much older than you think) together with the Masons are the one who really run this country. The Democrats and the Republicans elect actors to pretend to be President, meanwhile, the most senior mason and the Episcopos of the Tuscon cabal are the ones who actually make the decisions which are attributed to "the President". If you're wondering why some of Obama's policies seem so similar to Bush's it's because the same person is responsible for them, yes that's right, the Good Reverend Roger has actually been the REAL president since the Clinton years! Our Dark Masters throw us a bone every now and again (like health care reform) just to make it believable that there's a different person in the White House every four years but really there isn't. The True White House is still in Philadelphia. And don't even get me started on the electoral college...
We could probably use some phrases from "Two-man con" in BIP to flesh it out.
I like the idea of the Facebook pages (one for each of them), and I also think that collaborating on building those pages will give us some sense of "personality" from which to launch a writing style. We should friend and like all kinds of conspiracy people and pages, but not all the same for each. They should both have different conspiracy focuses, with slight overlap.
... I also think we need to be really careful not to use anything that could lead a curious editor here via Google.
We can't be googled. The GASM board is invisible to people who aren't registered members.
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 05, 2010, 09:56:09 PM
I like the idea of the Facebook pages (one for each of them), and I also think that collaborating on building those pages will give us some sense of "personality" from which to launch a writing style. We should friend and like all kinds of conspiracy people and pages, but not all the same for each. They should both have different conspiracy focuses, with slight overlap.
What will we do for profile pictures? And should we set the profiles to private, so that they come up but can see friends list? might add to the paranoiac angle.
Quote from: Lord Quantum on May 05, 2010, 11:26:43 PM
We can't be googled. The GASM board is invisible to people who aren't registered members.
Uhhh.. while this specific sub-forum can't be googled, most of the memes you mentioned (Tuscon cabal, etc) can definitely be tracked back to other areas of the forum.
:fnord:
Yep, I'm thinking that names like The Good Reverend Roger et al should be avoided, because they would lead a curious Googler right to this forum and from there it's a small step to sign up, make a couple posts, and bam, here we are.
Having the profiles set to private is a very good idea. For pics I was thinking that a couple of people here might donate pics of themselves, and they might even choose to obscure their faces or take other paranoid steps to conceal their identity. It's not that unlikely that an editor, if intrigued, might try to friend one of our characters, so we should be prepared for that.
It's not unheard of for people to have pictures of things other than their faces as facebook profile pics, and among the paranoid set there is a trend towards just using the default blank picture. That said, a pixelized and unrecognizable face would probably seem more likely to be legit than a default.
Having a blank profile will make the profile look new and incomplete. It's also something that porn spammers do alot. Using a pic of something else is a much better idea. Are we planning on friending this person or just having the profile set up? 'cause it'll look weird if these are the only people on facebook without a hundred friends.
Is "Rex Bologna" too obvious?
For what its worth, Bologna is a genuine surname.
Quote from: Lord Quantum on May 06, 2010, 08:28:38 PM
Are we planning on friending this person or just having the profile set up? 'cause it'll look weird if these are the only people on facebook without a hundred friends.
Oddly enough, a lot of people will accept friend requests from people they don't actually know if they appear to be people they might know. A moderate-sized fake social network of nebulous contacts could be arranged, as long as the profile itself seems legit and there aren't any major red flags for not being an aquaintance.
By the by, I found a nice juicy source of bits to cut up or reference: http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index632.htm
The list was linked to on boingboing and apparently these articles have become the source for a lot of popular conspiracy theories, so taking individual pieces from them would not be a giveaway.
Quote from: E. A. Waterhaus II on May 06, 2010, 09:15:57 PM
Quote from: Lord Quantum on May 06, 2010, 08:28:38 PM
Are we planning on friending this person or just having the profile set up? 'cause it'll look weird if these are the only people on facebook without a hundred friends.
Oddly enough, a lot of people will accept friend requests from people they don't actually know if they appear to be people they might know. A moderate-sized fake social network of nebulous contacts could be arranged, as long as the profile itself seems legit and there aren't any major red flags for not being an aquaintance.
By the by, I found a nice juicy source of bits to cut up or reference: http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index632.htm
The list was linked to on boingboing and apparently these articles have become the source for a lot of popular conspiracy theories, so taking individual pieces from them would not be a giveaway.
Friending musicians and bands always seems to work.
*nod*. Another thing I've noticed is that conspiracy theorists and occulty types seem to be (oddly enough) more keen on friending strangers than other types. I became a fan of the crowley page and at least six people tried to friend me on that alone. It should be pretty easy to build up a very strange social network.
Quote from: E. A. Waterhaus II on May 06, 2010, 09:57:53 PM
*nod*. Another thing I've noticed is that conspiracy theorists and occulty types seem to be (oddly enough) more keen on friending strangers than other types. I became a fan of the crowley page and at least six people tried to friend me on that alone. It should be pretty easy to build up a very strange social network.
We should create a fake fan page for a non-existent conspiracy theorist. So much of modern conspiracy theories is taken from really old stuff that I doubt anyone would even bother to check as long as the conspiracy theory itself wasn't too far fetched. But then again, what's "far-fetched"? In the 1860s, a contract lawyer named Lysander Spooner claimed that the Constitution wasn't really a social contract and basically called for it to be done away with.
Fan pages can actually fan other fanpages, so (say) fanning crowley, raw, Ayn Rand, and Icke from a fanpage may bring in lots of new fans. People are pretty cavalier about that. However, a fanpage is tracable to the account that created it. We should have one of our guys create a fanpage.
for the photo, picture of their dog or other pet, perhaps?
hxxp://pseudoccultmedia.blogspot.com/2008/05/stephen-colbert-33rd-degree-freemason.html?showComment=1273472899258#c5245718069584794448
Eric Simon Burke said...
Stephen Colbert is in fact an inducted member of the Bavarian Illuminati. He formally accepted their coded invitations on February 28th, 2008 (check about 40 second in). At that point he became the 'Third Outer Head of the Bavarian Illuminati' [the previous third out head died about a year previous... I will not speculate publicly whom that was]
Link to initiation ->
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/156749/february-28-2008/richard-brookhiser
I really can't tell you how I got this information. During the same week, Jon Stewart admits on air during one of the inter-show bumps w/ Colbert that some-one accused him of practicing 'black magick'. This was due to repeated letters sent to the Daily show office inviting Jon to join the "The Erisian Society & Smoking Club", apparently a parallel recruitment effort using some of Wilson's memes (you don't think the Illuminati wouldn't co-opt RAW's work?!?!?! really?!?!).
More info here: http://www.pravenue.com/newsletter.asp?article=534
For future reference, here's Playboy's email address
letters@playboy.com
and their mailing address
730 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10019
I'm gonna hand write Nurse Rhizome's letter (see page 2) later on today and send it out tomorrow as Barry Stratton. Or maybe I'll send it today, I don't know if the mail has run already.
Fucking excellent!
I am working on LMNO's project right now so I won't have much time for letter-writing in the next week or two, but after that I'll work on it.
A thought; hand-writing could become a problem when the handwriting from different parts of the country, same name, doesn't match.
What telarus is doing with the commenting-on-blog-entries is a good idea.
Quote from: The Lord and Lady Omnibus Fuck on May 13, 2010, 01:07:03 AM
Fucking excellent!
I am working on LMNO's project right now so I won't have much time for letter-writing in the next week or two, but after that I'll work on it.
A thought; hand-writing could become a problem when the handwriting from different parts of the country, same name, doesn't match.
Aww crap. I didn't even think of that. Maybe it could add to the mystery :)? No? Ok, then, in that case, it looks like I've just designated myself as "Barry Stratton". I'm going to be moving soon though, so an address change is inevitable. If there's anyone else that wants to handwrite, they can be "Eric S. Burke". Other than that, I guess we'll just set up email accounts to email Playboy. I'm sure barrystratton@yahoo.com isn't taken (etc).
LQ - love that you handwrote (it's a word now) that letter and got this started. That, and Telarus' blog comments make me want to get more involved. This went from being lulzy to fucking awesome while I was away.
Could be wrong, but I don't think the handwriting poses that big a problem. If consistency's an issue, everyone else sending BS letters types or prints (as it's not a blitz, paper letters seem better somehow), and whenever you feel like it, you write one up. Would that work? Writing from all over the place was part of the plan. Hef'll get a few from kanukistan at least.
Still, I have to ask - Is there a reason Hef's the target? It's funny *and* I still don't get it.
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 14, 2010, 11:14:07 PM
LQ - love that you handwrote (it's a word now) that letter and got this started. That, and Telarus' blog comments make me want to get more involved. This went from being lulzy to fucking awesome while I was away.
Could be wrong, but I don't think the handwriting poses that big a problem. If consistency's an issue, everyone else sending BS letters types or prints (as it's not a blitz, paper letters seem better somehow), and whenever you feel like it, you write one up. Would that work? Writing from all over the place was part of the plan. Hef'll get a few from kanukistan at least.
Still, I have to ask - Is there a reason Hef's the target? It's funny *and* I still don't get it.
I'm guessing that PB would be more likely to publish letters like this. That and Hef is basically a celebrity, as opposed to other magazine owners. As far as the handwriting goes, would it be possible to mask that by using capitalized block letters? Might have a cool sort of effect to it, especially if they're all caps but the size of lower case
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 14, 2010, 11:14:07 PM
Still, I have to ask - Is there a reason Hef's the target? It's funny *and* I still don't get it.
Glad I inspired you, Nurse Rhizome. I think Hef was targeted because at the time R.A.W. and Robert Shea wrote the Illuminatus! trilogy, they wre working as editors for the "letters to the editor" column and started getting letters about the Illuminati. After a while they had such a collection of genuine American Conspiracy surrealism that they wrote a book about it (including their friends' characters of Omar and Malaclypse).
Quote from: Telarus on May 16, 2010, 09:31:46 PM
Glad I inspired you, Nurse Rhizome. I think Hef was targeted because at the time R.A.W. and Robert Shea wrote the Illuminatus! trilogy, they wre working as editors for the "letters to the editor" column and started getting letters about the Illuminati. After a while they had such a collection of genuine American Conspiracy surrealism that they wrote a book about it (including their friends' characters of Omar and Malaclypse).
That's... just...
:fap:
I only know the little I've read in the past few months here, and know *nothing* about the trilogy writers (blasphemous noob). Thank you for that! Just made this a
hell of a lot more interesting.
It's like we're part of history...
\
:hippie:
@ Twid - I was thinking the same thing you were (re. celebrity stuff). Add that onto the general WTFedness of "Oh God! The evils I have seen... Hef needs to know about this right away!" -- that was enough for me, too.
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 17, 2010, 04:49:42 AM
Quote from: Telarus on May 16, 2010, 09:31:46 PM
Glad I inspired you, Nurse Rhizome. I think Hef was targeted because at the time R.A.W. and Robert Shea wrote the Illuminatus! trilogy, they wre working as editors for the "letters to the editor" column and started getting letters about the Illuminati. After a while they had such a collection of genuine American Conspiracy surrealism that they wrote a book about it (including their friends' characters of Omar and Malaclypse).
That's... just...
:fap:
I only know the little I've read in the past few months here, and know *nothing* about the trilogy writers (blasphemous noob). Thank you for that! Just made this a hell of a lot more interesting.
It's like we're part of history...
\
:hippie:
@ Twid - I was thinking the same thing you were (re. celebrity stuff). Add that onto the general WTFedness of "Oh God! The evils I have seen... Hef needs to know about this right away!" -- that was enough for me, too.
It is really funny when you think about it that way too. Has the sort of implication that these characters think that Hef can actually do something about it. This looks like a job for Hugh Hefner! Activate the Bunny Signal!
I made that "Erisian Society & Smoking Club" letterhead mentioned in Telarus' post.
If anyone would like to use it for this project I can post a link to it.
Quote from: Ne+@uNGr0+ on May 17, 2010, 07:50:04 AM
I made that "Erisian Society & Smoking Club" letterhead mentioned in Telarus' post.
If anyone would like to use it for this project I can post a link to it.
Yes! Post it!
Enjoy:
http://ifile.it/s3tyig7
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 17, 2010, 07:33:59 AM
It is really funny when you think about it that way too. Has the sort of implication that these characters think that Hef can actually do something about it. This looks like a job for Hugh Hefner! Activate the Bunny Signal!
:lulz:
(http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6456/bunnysignal.png)
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 17, 2010, 04:42:29 PM
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 17, 2010, 07:33:59 AM
It is really funny when you think about it that way too. Has the sort of implication that these characters think that Hef can actually do something about it. This looks like a job for Hugh Hefner! Activate the Bunny Signal!
:lulz:
(http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6456/bunnysignal.png)
Fucking yes!
^^as his bathrobe waves in the night sky...^^ :lol:
edited for moar editing & threadspammage
Quote from: Ne+@uNGr0+ on May 17, 2010, 01:59:07 PM
Enjoy:
http://ifile.it/s3tyig7
I wasn't aware that we were into pataphysics. Good to know. I'll add that to my resume.
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 17, 2010, 08:24:22 PM
^^as his bathrobe waves in the night sky...^^ :lol:
edited for moar editing & threadspammage
I may be a noob myself but, I'm going to have to keep an eye on your posts. Waving bathrobe=perfect image
Thanks. Ditto and I like the cut of your jib. :)
I've been playing with this letter, but decided it was time to hand it off. Tried translating into the kind of writing Nigel linked to earlier, or Rorshack-speak, but I fail at it (I blame school papers and editing gigs... it's made me a bland panda). But if it's salvageable, I invite you (anyone) to mess with it. So, another possible resource: Your tv/internet is controlling you + MK Ultra and Naomi in there (could become a clue later in the conspiracy BBZ thought of) == Project Puppetrat. Random cabal name: the Fraternal Order of Eris.
QuoteDear Hef,
Please relay my kudos to Hope Dworaczyk! Her smile never ceases to brighten this horrid world, and we need her light now more than ever. Though it brings me no joy, I must relay the most recent news from my infiltrator contacts in the government, as their proof is (sadly) airtight.
You have no doubt noticed our newest generations of citizen seem 'addicted' to their electronics, but I warn you, there is no 'seems.' Rather, the "Fraternal Order of Eris," a mad Discordian cult, has created this addiction for purposes we can only guess at (quite possibly, their own deranged amusement).
Chemical tests for "Project Puppetrat" began decades ago through their access to "MK-Naomi," a drug supplier for MK-Ultra. By 1991, a complex soup was developed consisting of pure dopamine, paroxetine (Paxil) and hydrocodone/paracetamol (Vicodin). Meanwhile, they found the perfect delivery system for Project Puppetrat!
Seeing no need to inject the substance directly when so many people are reliant on electronics, these deviants connived to add their sick brew to the regular composition of communication devices. As you know, ICT devices 'leak' minuscule amounts of lead, mercury, etc., and habitual use of ICTs cause chemical build-up in human bodies. So it is with the dopamine soup release.
The end result is that citizens (instead of feeling assaulted by constant streams of information and demands to instantly respond) are actually addicted to being accessible to their toys! With no choice but to ignore the environment, politics and their own educations, they fill out endless personality quizzes, 'poke' one another and view asinine videos in an unceasing Pavlovian search for their next fix. Innocent and unknowing victims of a treacherous and unaccountable cabal.
A thick pair of rubber gloves and gas mask will not keep us safe forever, but may ward off manipulation long enough during my travels to uncover more of this heinous story and finally bring these slippery cultists into the light of public scrutiny!
Trust only the bunnies, Hef. They are, as ever, blameless. I will communicate with you again as soon as I know more.
Sincerely,
[_____]
really come on; F.O.E. ?
think they might get smart to what your attempting
I think we should avoid any obvious 'Discord' memes (but they're good placeholders), as Hef will(might?) probably remember who R.A.W. was.
depends usually its the girls answering thee mail, if their e! is anything to go by
so he might enjoy a jake on the editors
Quote from: Pēleus on May 18, 2010, 11:43:38 PM
really come on; F.O.E. ?
think they might get smart to what your attempting
This is good to know! (taking the time to point out the fail - very appreciated)
I'm new to all this discordian stuff (no offense), don't know the history, never finished Illuminatus, and just found out yesterday that there's a history between your main guys and Hef. Been reading non-stop for the past few months, but really I just like pranks, the trickster philosophy(ies) resonated, and I dove into this site when I found it. Never occurred to me that F.O.E. would be a more obvious tip off than any of the other cabals listed in the link earlier in the thread. Would just switching another cabal in there help, or is it doomed?
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 01:30:03 AM
I think we should avoid any obvious 'Discord' memes (but they're good placeholders), as Hef will(might?) probably remember who R.A.W. was.
Really interesting... Thinking I should take a cue from Twid and sit out 'til I get a better grip (on the history, what other people here are writing about, why this works as a prank, etc.). Instructions for this were to take already established conspiracy theories and tie them in to Discordian cabals, so my approach was pretty much just cut-paste, but actual discordians will know what are obvious memes and what to avoid.
Back to the readin'. :lol:
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 19, 2010, 04:13:06 AM
Quote from: Pēleus on May 18, 2010, 11:43:38 PM
really come on; F.O.E. ?
think they might get smart to what your attempting
This is good to know! (taking the time to point out the fail - very appreciated)
I'm new to all this discordian stuff (no offense), don't know the history, never finished Illuminatus, and just found out yesterday that there's a history between your main guys and Hef. Been reading non-stop for the past few months, but really I just like pranks, the trickster philosophy(ies) resonated, and I dove into this site when I found it. Never occurred to me that F.O.E. would be a more obvious tip off than any of the other cabals listed in the link earlier in the thread. Would just switching another cabal in there help, or is it doomed?
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 01:30:03 AM
I think we should avoid any obvious 'Discord' memes (but they're good placeholders), as Hef will(might?) probably remember who R.A.W. was.
Really interesting... Thinking I should take a cue from Twid and sit out 'til I get a better grip (on the history, what other people here are writing about, why this works as a prank, etc.). Instructions for this were to take already established conspiracy theories and tie them in to Discordian cabals, so my approach was pretty much just cut-paste, but actual discordians will know what are obvious memes and what to avoid.
Back to the readin'. :lol:
I recommend that any references to Eris (if necessary) be referred to as Eridian rather than Discordian or Erisian. Eridian is actually correct (as opposed to Erisian which means nothing) and makes the characters seem more pedantic (yes I realize I'm condemning myself as a pedant by saying this), like a pseudointellectual would say, and makes him/them seem like an outsider. Maybe for a cabal name, say The Ancient and Worshipful Order of Erebus, or something like that. You should be involved, I'll be involved as much as I can, my sitting out is more due to get a consistency in writing style. Honestly, I think you're on a roll, and that the vets here will be able to give you guidance on already good ideas.
Totally! I didn't mean to intimidate you into non-action or anything, but we're still in the phase of tightening down the concept so any ideas are welcome (but will probably have the chaff burnt off).
Welcome to Discord. We're more fucking esoteric than those Crowley fan-bois.
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 19, 2010, 05:05:22 AM
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 19, 2010, 04:13:06 AM
Quote from: Pēleus on May 18, 2010, 11:43:38 PM
really come on; F.O.E. ?
think they might get smart to what your attempting
This is good to know! (taking the time to point out the fail - very appreciated)
I'm new to all this discordian stuff (no offense), don't know the history, never finished Illuminatus, and just found out yesterday that there's a history between your main guys and Hef. Been reading non-stop for the past few months, but really I just like pranks, the trickster philosophy(ies) resonated, and I dove into this site when I found it. Never occurred to me that F.O.E. would be a more obvious tip off than any of the other cabals listed in the link earlier in the thread. Would just switching another cabal in there help, or is it doomed?
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 01:30:03 AM
I think we should avoid any obvious 'Discord' memes (but they're good placeholders), as Hef will(might?) probably remember who R.A.W. was.
Really interesting... Thinking I should take a cue from Twid and sit out 'til I get a better grip (on the history, what other people here are writing about, why this works as a prank, etc.). Instructions for this were to take already established conspiracy theories and tie them in to Discordian cabals, so my approach was pretty much just cut-paste, but actual discordians will know what are obvious memes and what to avoid.
Back to the readin'. :lol:
I recommend that any references to Eris (if necessary) be referred to as Eridian rather than Discordian or Erisian. Eridian is actually correct (as opposed to Erisian which means nothing) and makes the characters seem more pedantic (yes I realize I'm condemning myself as a pedant by saying this), like a pseudointellectual would say, and makes him/them seem like an outsider. Maybe for a cabal name, say The Ancient and Worshipful Order of Erebus, or something like that. You should be involved, I'll be involved as much as I can, my sitting out is more due to get a consistency in writing style. Honestly, I think you're on a roll, and that the vets here will be able to give you guidance on already good ideas.
Just as a side note, I interrupted my first rereading of Illuminatus! because my semester started. I took notes with a pencil in the side margins to keep track of ideas that were brought forth, not for Discord's sake, but to make better sense of it. I get the sense that Illuminatus! needs to be read several times to fully appreciate it for the literary work that it is, Discordianism aside. Hell they poke fun at themselves for being drugged out hippies, include a negative book review that is the exact description of the trilogy, and has a hell of an ending. It literally made me laugh out loud when Joe Malik delivered that line in the sub (I was on lunch break at work). Not gonna give it away, but you should read it and appreciate it for what it is. Gonna get back to my note taking after Thursday (tomorrow) when I'm done with finals.
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 01:30:03 AM
I think we should avoid any obvious 'Discord' memes (but they're good placeholders), as Hef will(might?) probably remember who R.A.W. was.
You know, the more I hear people saying that we shouldn't do anything that would lead someone back to this board the more I think that's exactly what we should be doing. Isn't everyone always saying that we need more media exposure? How else are we supposed to get it? The actual discussions that are going on on this board are way spookier than any conspiracy theory we could ever come up with. Think about, we're a bunch of people intentionally trying to cause chaos and confusion.
And what is up with this don't mention RAW stuff anyway? Do you really think Hef personally remembers every teeny tiny detail about everyone he's ever employed and everything those people have ever written? This is Playboy for crying out loud! He's been in this business for like 55 years now and in all that time, how often has the word "Eris" ever been used in the magazine? I bet even Playboy's review of Illuminatus! doesn't mention Her and yet, magically, everybody here really thinks that the people who answer the letters (who may not have even been born when these books were written) will automatically spot the joke as soon as they see that name? Come ooooon! Besides, seeing as how we're creating DIY conspiracy theories, we might as well drop all references to Discordians and just blame everything on the Catholics and Masons (like really real conspiracy theorists do).
Oh and by the way, this line is classic
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 18, 2010, 10:10:12 PM
Trust only the bunnies, Hef. They are, as ever, blameless.
/quote]
The creepy thing is that phenomenon you're talking about actually exists, in a way. A recent study suggested that the reason why people find it so hard to avoid texting while driving is that dopamine is actually released to the brain when you get a text message. I think we may need to simplify the "soup" you mentioned though, too many pharmaceutical terms may cause the eyes to glaze over. I'm finishing up a short story right now but I'm gonna get back to my original letter idea soon. I think that our next letter should come from "Eric Burke".
Purple Monkey Mafia
would work, and they are inactive these days
and isnt overty discordian
I'm in. I'll take off my tin foil hat for a bit. See what happens.
Quote from: Lord Quantum on May 19, 2010, 05:45:15 AM
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 01:30:03 AM
I think we should avoid any obvious 'Discord' memes (but they're good placeholders), as Hef will(might?) probably remember who R.A.W. was.
You know, the more I hear people saying that we shouldn't do anything that would lead someone back to this board the more I think that's exactly what we should be doing. Isn't everyone always saying that we need more media exposure? How else are we supposed to get it? The actual discussions that are going on on this board are way spookier than any conspiracy theory we could ever come up with. Think about, we're a bunch of people intentionally trying to cause chaos and confusion.
And what is up with this don't mention RAW stuff anyway? Do you really think Hef personally remembers every teeny tiny detail about everyone he's ever employed and everything those people have ever written? This is Playboy for crying out loud! He's been in this business for like 55 years now and in all that time, how often has the word "Eris" ever been used in the magazine? I bet even Playboy's review of Illuminatus! doesn't mention Her and yet, magically, everybody here really thinks that the people who answer the letters (who may not have even been born when these books were written) will automatically spot the joke as soon as they see that name? Come ooooon! Besides, seeing as how we're creating DIY conspiracy theories, we might as well drop all references to Discordians and just blame everything on the Catholics and Masons (like really real conspiracy theorists do).
Oh and by the way, this line is classic
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 18, 2010, 10:10:12 PM
Trust only the bunnies, Hef. They are, as ever, blameless.
/quote]
The creepy thing is that phenomenon you're talking about actually exists, in a way. A recent study suggested that the reason why people find it so hard to avoid texting while driving is that dopamine is actually released to the brain when you get a text message. I think we may need to simplify the "soup" you mentioned though, too many pharmaceutical terms may cause the eyes to glaze over. I'm finishing up a short story right now but I'm gonna get back to my original letter idea soon. I think that our next letter should come from "Eric Burke".
You do have a point here. I heard about Discordianism about 12 years ago, and yet here I am with approx. 100 posts now. I forgot about it for a long time. I actually stumbled here on a random google search that was unrelated to Discordianism about a year ago. And I signed up about 3 months ago (didn't post for a good while, but didn't read the threads either). Basically signed up for the GASMs. BTW, is anyone here (from the Metro Boston area) responsible for signs on Beacon St. for a lost grilled cheese that answers to the name "Fluffy"? It's old news, but just want to know. Almost called the number for shits and giggles, threatening to eat said sandwich if my demands weren't met.
If this is too rambly, scroll down for tl;dr.
Didn't mean to imply "Criticism? Shit I don't know? Baawww, my delicate baby ego... I'm going home nao!" Farthest thing from the truth. Really sorry if that's how it came across.
@ Telarus, more information doesn't intimidate me,
it makes me giddy. More information is better. Also, I'm a geek and a firm believer in "if you try and fail, try again 'til you stop failing." No worries. Burn mah chaff! ... please... burn it... :evil:
Though it's cool to know that the idea behind this isn't pinned and pruned yet, and that's what's going on here. It's very different reading how things get thought through here by reading past threads, and actually taking part. Just reading, it's easy to see the brainstorm. Taking part, it feels like everything's already been thought. Actually pretty nifty to find that's not necessarily the case.
For me, I think it's probably going to go in cycles. Get involved, pull back and read more, get involved, go readin', ad nauseum.
@ Twid - I should have said that your reasons for sitting back were different than mine (damned parenthesis don't infer shit... crap! Did it again!). I know you're just waiting til the voices for these guys get established. Thanks for the encouragement, all the good info, the explanation about 'Eridian' and *good luck on your finals*. You're good beans.
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 19, 2010, 05:26:53 AM
I get the sense that Illuminatus! needs to be read several times to fully appreciate it for the literary work that it is, Discordianism aside.
:cry: So I'm guessing this won't cut it for Cole's notes? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxWTy1ilH4M
@ pelus - YES! Purple monkies it be. Maybe this'll work a little better?
QuoteYou have no doubt noticed our newest generations of citizen seem 'addicted' to their electronics, but I warn you, there is no 'seems.' Rather, the "Purple Monkey Mafia," a mad Eridian cult, has created this addiction for purposes we can only guess at (quite possibly, their own deranged amusement).
@ LQ - A classmate of mine is actually making the dopamine-tech thing her thesis. There's a mess of technophobia and Neil Postman-style 'think of the children' in these studies so far, but they're interesting.
Looking forward to reading your letter once you've had the time to finish. Still going with Lady Gaga?
tl;dr - telarus: no worries; Twid: 7 times???; peleus: thanks!; LQ: fear the tech...
Aaah, ok, I kinda lost the OP in all of the replies.
QuoteThe idea is to send 1,000 letters to Playboy in which we attempt to connect every known conspiracy theory to a specific Discordian cabal. So who's in?
Did you mean each conspiracy we cite is connected to a different cabal, or that they are all the machinations of a single cabal (the former is a tad more believable).
Quote from: Nurse Rhizome on May 19, 2010, 06:33:30 AM
@ Twid - I should have said that your reasons for sitting back were different than mine (damned parenthesis don't infer shit... crap! Did it again!). I know you're just waiting til the voices for these guys get established. Thanks for the encouragement, all the good info, the explanation about 'Eridian' and *good luck on your finals*. You're good beans.
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 19, 2010, 05:26:53 AM
I get the sense that Illuminatus! needs to be read several times to fully appreciate it for the literary work that it is, Discordianism aside.
:cry: So I'm guessing this won't cut it for Cole's notes? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxWTy1ilH4M
tl;dr - Twid: 7 times???;
Thanks for the well wishes. I know I'm going to blast the crap out of one of them, the other I'm not sure about (finals)
Never read notes on Illuminatus! [edit: saw or watched, but will go for that link on Thursday], just kinda went with my own impressions and based on memory of the first reading (like good songs, you get out of it what you decide to get out of it, based on what knowledge of whatever I've accumulated in the interim and guess work).
Not sure what the 7 times refers to, but again, my last post in "What makes you happy right now" makes mention of Sam Adams. I should probably log off now, lol. If it refers to something in this thread, I must have mistyped something that I can't recall at the moment.
I love the idea that it's all going to point discretely towards Tuscon. We could weave some Lennon / Beatles / messages into the thread, after all,
"Jo-Jo built his home in Tuscon Arizona, bought some Californian grass"! I'm going to have a Mansonesque sift through some old Beatles lyrics, find some nutty, but plausible pointer as to who, or what Jo-Jo could be.
I've also had some half credible crackpot stuff rattling around in my head for a while now, about an the build up of low frequency sub-sonic noise, and how it's conducive to a general condition of constant low intensity stress in a population. And how domestic electrical goods are all tuned to hum inaudibly between certain frequencies. Deliberately to build a condition of general, but non-specific malaise among a population. I mean, it's not the kind of thing you'd notice until someone pointed it out to you, and then you'd notice it all the time. and now I notice it all the time. And how the Bass in modern Dance music has dropped right down to the audible limit of human hearing, and below, so now, every speaker system sold, needs a Sub Woofer to reproduce accurately the frequencies we listen to. That's a fairly recent development. And it's well documented that the Security Forces have been developing Low Frequency Sound, as another weapon in their non-lethal Arsenals. The market for non-lethal Weaponry will soon be as big as the stuff that kills you. At least one oil tanker has successfully repelled Somalian Pirates by using a Sub-sonic Throbber, that exposure to for any extended period of time, (2 minutes) produces nausea, and voiding of the bowels, and when cranked up to eleven, can liqueify your liver at 400 mtrs.
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 06:34:55 AM
Aaah, ok, I kinda lost the OP in all of the replies.
QuoteThe idea is to send 1,000 letters to Playboy in which we attempt to connect every known conspiracy theory to a specific Discordian cabal. So who's in?
Did you mean each conspiracy we cite is connected to a different cabal, or that they are all the machinations of a single cabal (the former is a tad more believable).
I got the sense that all conspiracies were tied to one specific (the Tucson) cabal. As far as conspiracies go, I think more centralized is better. Maybe there can be a compromise, that specific cabals are responsible for specific things, but all answer to one master cabal like it's the Vatican?
:fnord: Yeah, with Roger sat at the middle of it all, like some huge, bloated Machiavellian Spider, at the center of the web, bristling with sensory mind lasers, and a H.I.M.E.O.B.S T Shirt on. And a look of profound innocence on his face. :fnord: :jebus:
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 07:51:02 AM
:fnord:Yeah, with Roger sat at the middle of it all, like some huge, bloated Machiavellian Spider, at the center of the web, bristling with sensory mind lasers, and a H.I.M.E.O.B.S T Shirt on. And a look of profound innocence on his face. :fnord: :jebus:
We'll have to get him a mitre and a staff then.... :lulz:
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 19, 2010, 07:58:50 AM
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 07:51:02 AM
:fnord:Yeah, with Roger sat at the middle of it all, like some huge, bloated Machiavellian Spider, at the center of the web, bristling with sensory mind lasers, and a H.I.M.E.O.B.S T Shirt on. And a look of profound innocence on his face. :fnord: :jebus:
We'll have to get him a mitre and a staff then.... :lulz:
:roflcake:
Or a Motor, and a stiff.
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 08:01:36 AM
Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on May 19, 2010, 07:58:50 AM
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 07:51:02 AM
:fnord:Yeah, with Roger sat at the middle of it all, like some huge, bloated Machiavellian Spider, at the center of the web, bristling with sensory mind lasers, and a H.I.M.E.O.B.S T Shirt on. And a look of profound innocence on his face. :fnord: :jebus:
We'll have to get him a mitre and a staff then.... :lulz:
:roflcake:
Or a Motor, and a stiff.
A motor would be a nice gift, but don't know about the corpse. A little to grimmm/kvlt/depraved for my gift preferences.
Typo. (Must have left the "Y" off the end)
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 08:07:01 AM
Typo. (Must have left the "Y" off the end)
:lulz:
Hmmm... I have no witty retort for that. Especially since I'm still laughing.
I think it's really funny that this all has the potential to go either global, and perfectly to plan, or hideously wrong, with far reaching consequences for all involved, with Naval Intelligence, the CIA, MI5, and Mossad all falling over each other, tying the ends up, and creating a massive super-cyber-terrorist group, bent on the pwng of all of our bases.
didnt - say they used to read his blog?
Quote from: Pēleus on May 19, 2010, 08:49:41 AM
didnt - say they used to read his blog?
Don't come here trying to make everyone paranoid, with your crazy conspiracy theories! . . . . .Oh! *Looks around nervously* I expect they still do, then.
Once you come to
their attention, they usually end up either extraordinarily renditioning you, recruiting you, or retiring you. Sometimes all three.
(But you didn't hear that from me, ok?) *
Slopes off, furtively*
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 07:18:51 AM
I love the idea that it's all going to point discretely towards Tuscon. We could weave some Lennon / Beatles / messages into the thread, after all,
"Jo-Jo built his home in Tuscon Arizona, bought some Californian grass"! I'm going to have a Mansonesque sift through some old Beatles lyrics, find some nutty, but plausible pointer as to who, or what Jo-Jo could be.
I've also had some half credible crackpot stuff rattling around in my head for a while now, about an the build up of low frequency sub-sonic noise, and how it's conducive to a general condition of constant low intensity stress in a population. And how domestic electrical goods are all tuned to hum inaudibly between certain frequencies. Deliberately to build a condition of general, but non-specific malaise among a population. I mean, it's not the kind of thing you'd notice until someone pointed it out to you, and then you'd notice it all the time. and now I notice it all the time. And how the Bass in modern Dance music has dropped right down to the audible limit of human hearing, and below, so now, every speaker system sold, needs a Sub Woofer to reproduce accurately the frequencies we listen to. That's a fairly recent development. And it's well documented that the Security Forces have been developing Low Frequency Sound, as another weapon in their non-lethal Arsenals. The market for non-lethal Weaponry will soon be as big as the stuff that kills you. At least one oil tanker has successfully repelled Somalian Pirates by using a Sub-sonic Throbber, that exposure to for any extended period of time, (2 minutes) produces nausea, and voiding of the bowels, and when cranked up to eleven, can liqueify your liver at 400 mtrs.
:mittens:
Quote from: BadBeast on May 19, 2010, 07:51:02 AM
:fnord: Yeah, with Roger sat at the middle of it all, like some huge, bloated Machiavellian Spider, at the center of the web, bristling with sensory mind lasers, and a H.I.M.E.O.B.S T Shirt on. And a look of profound innocence on his face. :fnord: :jebus:
My friend Johnny Brainwash has an Erisian Ganesha-in-a-gas-mask shirt that eerily resembles that......
On a serious note, is there going to be some sort of 'reveal' or 'climax'?
Quote from: Telarus on May 19, 2010, 06:34:55 AM
Aaah, ok, I kinda lost the OP in all of the replies.
QuoteThe idea is to send 1,000 letters to Playboy in which we attempt to connect every known conspiracy theory to a specific Discordian cabal. So who's in?
Did you mean each conspiracy we cite is connected to a different cabal, or that they are all the machinations of a single cabal (the former is a tad more believable).
In retrospect I think that maybe the total amount of letters should go down from 1,000 (which now seems overly ambitious) to 100. The original idea was to continue AbbyGasm (in which we wrote about 7 letters) except in a slightly different direction. The concept was supposed to involve connecting existing Discordian cabals to existing conspiracy theories. I thought that it would be easier to do it like this if we didn't have to generate our own conspiracy theories, but I don't see anything wrong with the way things have developed (fake cabals and brand new theories). The real point of all this was simply creating a totally insane long-term plan.
So here's the letter I've been writing. What do you guys think?
Dear Hef,
As I'm sure you've noticed, political apathy is on the rise. And I know that this must really sadden someone like you who has been such a tireless champion of many worthwhile causes over the years. The good news, I suppose is that the turnout for the last Presidential election was the best it's been since Nixon (hmmm) but the bad news is that it's all a scam (politics I mean). And I mean that literally. You know this. It's your classic good cop, bad cop. The bad cop tells us trade our (social) freedom for (economic) security, while the good cop tells us to trade in our economic freedoms for our social freedoms. It's a two man, con is what it is! But what you don't know (what nobody knows) is that it's not even a two man con – it's a one man con. Ever wonder why things never seem to change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Ever wonder why even diametrically opposed Presidents like Bush and Obama seem to have so many of the same policies? It's not because of the "pressures of the job" or any of that nonsense, it's because there's really only one man in Washington. Or Philadelphia actually (the real capitol never moved). That's all I can tell you for now, 'till I know that you're ready to hear the truth (I know that you've got a lot on your plate). I'll send you the second piece of the puzzle in my next letter.
Sincerely,
Eric Burke
Quote from: Lord Quantum on June 04, 2010, 01:10:28 PM
So here's the letter I've been writing. What do you guys think?
Dear Hef,
As I'm sure you've noticed, political apathy is on the rise. And I know that this must really sadden someone like you who has been such a tireless champion of many worthwhile causes over the years. The good news, I suppose is that the turnout for the last Presidential election was the best it's been since Nixon (hmmm) but the bad news is that it's all a scam (politics I mean). And I mean that literally. You know this. It's your classic good cop, bad cop. The bad cop tells us trade our (social) freedom for (economic) security, while the good cop tells us to trade in our economic freedoms for our social freedoms. It's a two man, con is what it is! But what you don't know (what nobody knows) is that it's not even a two man con – it's a one man con. Ever wonder why things never seem to change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Ever wonder why even diametrically opposed Presidents like Bush and Obama seem to have so many of the same policies? It's not because of the "pressures of the job" or any of that nonsense, it's because there's really only one man in Washington. Or Philadelphia actually (the real capitol never moved). That's all I can tell you for now, 'till I know that you're ready to hear the truth (I know that you've got a lot on your plate). I'll send you the second piece of the puzzle in my next letter.
Sincerely,
Eric Burke
I like it
Thanks...but where the Hell is everybody else?
Quote from: Lord Quantum on June 04, 2010, 01:10:28 PM
So here's the letter I've been writing. What do you guys think?
Dear Hef,
As I'm sure you've noticed, political apathy is on the rise. And I know that this must really sadden someone like you who has been such a tireless champion of many worthwhile causes over the years. The good news, I suppose is that the turnout for the last Presidential election was the best it's been since Nixon (hmmm) but the bad news is that it's all a scam (politics I mean). And I mean that literally. You know this. It's your classic good cop, bad cop. The bad cop tells us trade our (social) freedom for (economic) security, while the good cop tells us to trade in our economic freedoms for our social freedoms. It's a two man, con is what it is! But what you don't know (what nobody knows) is that it's not even a two man con – it's a one man con. Ever wonder why things never seem to change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Ever wonder why even diametrically opposed Presidents like Bush and Obama seem to have so many of the same policies? It's not because of the "pressures of the job" or any of that nonsense, it's because there's really only one man in Washington. Or Philadelphia actually (the real capitol never moved). That's all I can tell you for now, 'till I know that you're ready to hear the truth (I know that you've got a lot on your plate). I'll send you the second piece of the puzzle in my next letter.
Sincerely,
Eric Burke
Not bad :)
Though given that Playboy gets lots of SRS letters from SRSLY crazy conspiracy theorists... you may really need to go Over The Top to get any notice.
I thought it was a good teaser. :lol:
And I'm glad you kept that "only you can help us, Hef" tone: he's a great humanitarian, a political powerhouse - protector of all that is good, cute, fluffy and righteous.
Quote from: Lord Quantum on June 04, 2010, 01:10:28 PM
So here's the letter I've been writing. What do you guys think?
Dear Hef,
As I'm sure you've noticed, political apathy is on the rise. And I know that this must really sadden someone like you who has been such a tireless champion of many worthwhile causes over the years. The good news, I suppose is that the turnout for the last Presidential election was the best it's been since Nixon (hmmm) but the bad news is that it's all a scam (politics I mean). And I mean that literally. You know this. It's your classic good cop, bad cop. The bad cop tells us trade our (social) freedom for (economic) security, while the good cop tells us to trade in our economic freedoms for our social freedoms. It's a two man, con is what it is! But what you don't know (what nobody knows) is that it's not even a two man con – it's a one man con. Ever wonder why things never seem to change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Ever wonder why even diametrically opposed Presidents like Bush and Obama seem to have so many of the same policies? It's not because of the "pressures of the job" or any of that nonsense, it's because there's really only one man in Washington. Or Philadelphia actually (the real capitol never moved). That's all I can tell you for now, 'till I know that you're ready to hear the truth (I know that you've got a lot on your plate). I'll send you the second piece of the puzzle in my next letter.
Sincerely,
Eric Burke
Excellent!
Quote from: Ratatosk on June 11, 2010, 05:46:13 PM
Though given that Playboy gets lots of SRS letters from SRSLY crazy conspiracy theorists... you may really need to go Over The Top to get any notice.
Quote from: Ratatosk on June 11, 2010, 05:46:13 PM
Though given that Playboy gets lots of SRS letters from SRSLY crazy conspiracy theorists... you may really need to go Over The Top to get any notice.
What would be Over the Top though? Should I accuse Gen. David Petraeus of preparing a coup against the President (apparently this is an actual rumor floating around Congress)? I can't think of anything that really fits into the good cop/bad cop routine. The American Dynasty thing, Stephen Colbert is actually the President, Sarah Palin and the apocalypse...yeah, I don't know. I got nuthin'. Thoughts?
Quote from: Telarus on June 12, 2010, 03:15:05 AM
Quote from: Lord Quantum on June 11, 2010, 05:40:12 PM
Thanks...but where the Hell is everybody else?
Finals.
But it's like June. I've had finals twice already by this time (regular Spring semester and then the 1 month May-mester) and you're just getting around to the first round? Gotta catch up man.
BUMP to say - I'm going to print and send LQ's letter today if there are no suggestions for tweaking it.
How about mentioning about homosexuals being in control and how they murdered Patton as a coup, he was really in charge of the fifth order of Judicers of America who are the real government running out of Philadelphia god cop, bad cop