The Dickhead Register

Two prompts for this:

  1. Neo-Nazis have been parading in my town and carefully not breaking any laws. Although the media has identified a lot of the masked cowards, the information mostly goes no further into society than the paywalled news article. The White Rose Society doesn’t seem to make public their lists of racists, perhaps from fear of being sued.
  2. My (other) smaller home town has quite a problem with misogyny and domestic violence. Here is an example… We only get to learn about such dickheads via the socials and IRL networking

That was in response to a woman wanting a ride to Melbourne but asking for a female driver only, for safety.

Just how governments have proscribed terrorist lists, and in Australia similar for bikie gangs, I propose something private more along the lines of a tenant database, where landlords share details of bad tenants. Because it can severely affect someone’s ability to be housed, there are rules:

Before listing a tenant on a tenancy database, a landlord or agent must:

  • Let the tenant know in writing if they want to list them on a tenancy database
  • Give the tenant at least 14 days to respond.
  • Consider the tenant’s response before listing them.

I do not believe a Dickhead Database would come under any government rules, because it is not discriminatory, it is opinion only, and it is for members only (although hopefully all of Australia joins, for free).

It would need to be clearly defined what qualifies someone. No he said/she said unless there are numerous individuals reporting someone. Even so, they might be placed in a lesser category, like orange instead of red.

Acceptable proof would be convictions, named in the mainstream media, or social media or text message screenshots like the above.

I’m thinking:

  • People causing physical harm
  • People threatening physical harm
  • Extremely bad business operators
  • Phoenix businesses
  • Extreme racists (beyond social media)
  • Serial pests

My thinking is, people we could do without, who are unlikely to reform. As opposed to thieves, addicts and so on.

The list needs to be as short as possible. Anyone who does reform can apply to be removed.

Use cases:

  • Avoid personal relationships with them
  • Avoid doing business with them
  • Add to the evidence from a wide array of members
  • Identify them pre-trial if they are out on bail
  • Start a national “don’t be a dickhead” movement

The idea of the latter is that for many blokes, being named and shamed as a special type of dickhead is worse than what the courts can do to them.

AI and the Revenge of Gaia

Humans have screwed the planet and the only reason we have got away with it is that the other living residents here have no idea. They could get their revenge (aka improve the lives of every not human) by getting rid of us. It might only take the interactions of three systems that are each feasible in the near future

  1. Using AI we begin to communicate with animals and even plants. Somebody might make all of the experiments interoperable, looking for common forms of communication between species, and even some kind of master code of communication, perhaps invent an Esperanto for all species to use.
  2. Digital twins are quite popular, and one day they could be at a very granular level, for accounting purposes. Every square centimetre of a city mapped out according to the materials it comprises of. Accessible to anyone for a fee.
  3. Infrastructure is a weak point that terrorists mostly ignore, despite the cost/benefit of the effort/harm ratio, and the lack of security in many areas.

Ask an AI agent to investigate the intersection of those three things, and whether it could be use for nefarious purposes, get a glitch, and then suddenly:

Every being on Earth gets told that humans are the enemy, and whether they comprehend that or not, they are all instructed to wreak havoc.

Bird strikes on planes.
Termites on critical wood.
Orca on boat propellors.
Apes going ape shit.
Magpies stealing keys.

AI will come up with combinations we could never think of in a hundred years, and coordinate all the species. And it could happen super-fast and before we noticed. Our civilisation could be fucked in a week. Possibly if it was only insects that were controlled.

The advice – never let interoperable AI systems do anything to each other, they need to be read only interactions. Otherwise the combinations become exponentially insane very rapidly and it only takes one oopsie to ruin everything. The time to mandate this is now, and we need to get every country on board. The easiest way is regulating the communications pathways, which at present are only the internet. I mean regulating, isolating, paying, layers of security, databases of who is accessing what, monitoring, and being as paranoid as fuck.

Posted in AI

Political Violence Goes Ballistic (USA)

Some commonalities are now taking shape when it comes to political violence in the US. The shooters of Trump and Kirk were locals, which means the politicians came to them, and the shooters found a local, easier possibility to act out. Allegedly the Trump assassin-wannabe would have also taken aim at Biden if he was handy.

Given the the right love rallies more than the left, they will be more targeted, especially during the lead up to the 2026 mid-terms. We might even see the end of outdoor rallies.

The other commonality that is emerging is that aside from the well-established race and religion motives, we also have gender identity in the mix, driven by the hate speech from MAGA. Many transgender folk already have mental health issues and they are often marginalised young people.

The biggie is simply the nature of copycats. When you are close to doing a terrible thing, and you see someone else do it, and in your eyes they are famous, heroic or a martyr, then that can tip you over the edge.

The solution is to stop hate speech, and end all the radical division, being pushed by MAGA. But as long as you have a president who spews out hate speech, and uses the language of violence and threats, it will keep getting worse.

I predict a major domestic terrorist bomb event, before 2026 is over, and hopefully it gets thwarted. It will target authority. Almost certainly it will be rural and involve a U-Haul.

Robots and Drones to Protect Native Animals

In New Zealand, a land that until a few hundred years ago had no mammals, there is a bold plan to remove every predator that threatens native species, via eradication. They are doing it via small areas at a time, with concerted efforts from locals.

Except, not unsurprisingly, feral cats. People don’t feel okay with killing those mammals. And there are way too many to catch, neuter and realise, even if it was affordable.

There might be a solution. Small, autonomous robots, flying or not, and solar powered, might be about to wander about the wilderness with very simplistic, repeated tasks.

It needs to:

  • be small enough to be cost efficient and energy efficient
  • be rechargeable by returning to a solar-powered dock
  • know roughly where it is, I think GPS is inevitable
  • be a bit randomised in where it goes
  • make sound or light sufficient to scare off a nearby cat
  • not get stuck!

I think it is all doable, and potentially not too expensive. Studies can find out what scares cats best.

Use groups of drones to herd the feral cats away from birds and towards a place where you have installed some serious fencing. Lock them away. Tell the public they can feed them if they wish, or let them starve from over-crowding.

Carbon Fibre Rocket Curtains for Defence

There are similar ideas, like the Iron Curtain and Bullet Curtain, which both use a lot of tiny missiles to interfere with an incoming missile.

My idea is a mile high curtain, like a fishing net, woven from carbon fibre, as thin as possible.

It lies folded on the ground (maybe there are rows of them, miles apart…) and when activated it is sent skyward by rockets on each end of it. The rockets are angled slightly away from the curtain so that when the curtain is drawn tight horizontally, the rockets self-straighten.

Balloons are released when it reaches full height to keep the curtain up for a while. Afterwards, balloons and rockets are refreshed and the curtain can be re-used.

The netting of the curtain simply needs to be tight enough to probably stop whatever is incoming.

Conceivably it would be cost-effective relative to other systems, and a good part of required redundancy.

Some Predictions for 2026 and Beyond

TRUMP

One is blindingly obvious – China won’t back down on tariffs, they will just keep matching any that Trump adds. They will end up back at square one, the bully will be vanquished OR the global economy will be destroyed. There is no win for Trump possible.

Talk of Greenland and Canada will disappear.

The Ukraine war will keep going. The US will end some support, but keep their hand in. The US will end Russia sanctions. Europe will keep giving Ukraine enough money and weapons to keep it at stalemate. That is until they give Ukraine enough to win, in exchange for

  • mineral rights (ha ha Trump)
  • economic agreements
  • no Ukraine in NATO
  • contracts for rebuilding

When the Russians have been pushed back to near their own border, a ceasefire will happen. A DMZ will happen covering both sides of the border, but patrolled by non-NATO international forces like Australia.

The US will of course have a recession by early 2026. The dollar will drop more. Another country or group will make a minor, but meaningful move towards making their currency more global.

CHINA

China will withstand Trump’s shenanigans and become more like a sensible, reliable, trustworthy superpower. They’ll keep expanding overseas economically and start building overseas military bases just as the US starts closing some.

AI and privacy will continue to be huge issues and China will more than ever be shut off from the rest of the world for anything that is more tech than a TV panel. Some countries will ban Chinese EVs because of privacy concerns, and then more countries will, and then sooner-or-later China will start bricking their overseas cars in retaliation. Well, they will do what they call “ending updates” but the cars will stop working.

OTHER

Austria will get a far right-wing government, and they will become good mates with Hungary.

Non-war drone attacks will become a serious problem. Gang fights, assassination attempts (especially officials who do not have high security, and families of officials). Drones will be used for robberies and kidnapping.

Africa will become the place to be. Lots of 100-year-leases to foreign powers. The new land of cheap factory workers. A few private micro-nations.

New Country: Northern Land

Turn the Northern Territory (of Australia) into an autonomous region, owned and operated by all Australian aboriginal people (and Torres Strait folk).

Define them by anyone already (provably) self-identified as aboriginal, and their descendants.

Existing privately owned land remains with the owners. If they want to leave Northern Land, the government will buy their property at a 20% premium.

Expected outcomes will be not dissimilar to native lands in the US:

  • A casino
  • No or low taxes
  • Aborigines choose if anyone can become a citizen, visit or stay temporarily.
  • Own laws regarding drugs, alcohol, education, gambling, crypto, sin taxes, speed limits and so on
  • Potential for things like fringe medical tourism and libertarians
  • Federal Australia has emergency powers

Here’s the bonus feature: The Northern Land has a lot of (seasonal) rain, sunlight and barren land.

Australia needs more industry for when our fossil fuels no longer make us rich

Refugees are a growing issue globally

  • Many people would choose to live in Australia, even if it was not idyllic.
  • Refugees can come to Northern Land as provisional Australian citizens, who cannot yet visit wider Australia.
  • The person, or one person from the family, must have the ability to do factory or farm work.
  • They are supplied rudimentary refugee accommodation and supplies. Better than where they come from, but still very basic.
  • Anyone who wants a job can have one. Not unlike factories in China with bunk beds. Hours would not be as extreme.
  • By Australian standards, pay will be low. There will be no minimum wage but companies (already paying little or no tax) will compete for workers.
  • After 5 years of work, they (and their family) can become full Australian citizens

The state wants such citizens, and will do their best to make fair but legitimate pathways to get there.

I figure this is win-win-win. 

How to end MAGA madness

I actually have a soft spot for some of Trump’s initiatives, but with caveats!

  • Trans children is so wrong. But soon Trump will be demonising gays.
  • Smaller government is good. But DOGE is outright lying about its wins
  • Getting rid of illegal immigrant gang members is good, if done correctly

But his tariffs and bullying are counter-productive, globally, frankly, at levels nobody has seen before. Both within the US and in other lands, Donald Trump is a disturbance that almost everyone would prefer no longer existed.

Unlike the UK, Australia and so on, there is no mechanism for ditching the president of the US, as long as he has the support of his party. And the Republican politicians are, almost everyone, scared of going against Trump because their precious jobs would be at risk. They are spineless.

His numerous current crimes, especially enriching himself and others, don’t matter, he has the immunity from SCOTUS. So prison cannot happen.

To my mind, that leaves three options:

Embarrassment – this is a stretch, but potentially something so bad emerges (perhaps Epstein related, or released by Putin), that he cannot continue.

Health – he is remarkably healthy considering his diet and age, and very on the ball, doing amazing hours of work. But he is old, and almost certainly on Viagra (can I say the word Loomer), and not necessarily going to stay alive for the full term.

Assassination – maybe that is why he is so cozy with Russia and Israel, the GOATs of murdering opponents. Of course he does have enemies overseas, but his murder would almost certainly come from within. A lone wolf (at least two have tried already), a rogue unit of the FBI or CIA, a disgruntled employee, or JD Vance – I wouldn’t put it past him. Trump is very careful with his food – he orders McDonalds for a reason – safer. But someone with Israel/Russia experience in the chain of food/drink custody could easily poison Trump.

Unfortunately, that would leave us with Vance, so he needs to go as well. That would make Mike Johnson president, which would be sane and tolerable

Colorful vs Beige

This is my prediction for the “western world” 10 years from now, politically.

Existentially it will still be left v right, woke v bigots. But the lefties will need to keep things fresh, become better defined, and have more fun.

The woke left already embrace the queerest of people, and the rainbow is pretty much their symbol. Meanwhile, especially with Trump, the direction is clearly Handmaid’s Tale, a lack of color. In South Africa (and the US), famously, non-whites have been called colored. It has been hard for woke whites and blacks/coloreds to join as one, but I reckon calling myself colorful (I am white) and giving them the opportunity to do the same, could work.

Meanwhile beige has long been a bit condescending, so that works well as a new insult.

We already know the left/right divides of opinion and policy. But there are some grey areas that the colorfuls can aim to claim.

Crypto – let the beige folk have NFTs and memecoins, while we claim the coins that do not waste electricity to create, and have at least a spirit of non-profit.

Climate Change – take active measures of preparation, and let the beiges feel inadequate when the worst comes. Same for taking vaccines and not getting sick.

Clothing – let’s make what you wear to be unambiguous, starkly so. Colorfuls can claim colors, given the rainbow precedent. Incorporating minor aspects of the rainbow, like a multi-colored stripe that is in the corner like a logo, can mean ownership of color. The beige folk could/should end up being afraid of wearing anything with multiple colors. We can have men wearing kilts, body piercing, dyed hair, and footy umpires wearing pink. They can retreat into the murk of boring.

Cash – Trump et al will want to control people. We can be the leaders of anti-surveillance and pro-cash.

New Age – lots of MAGAs are getting into natural therapies and yoga. We need to have our own varieties that are differentiated. It will at least confuse them, and disenfranchise them.

Vaccines – easy win. Colorful schools can simply require full vaccination.

Fossil Fuels – easy. Be 100% off them, be loud about it. Force the beiges to try and be different. See them give in, embarassed, when it costs more and is less fun.

Sponsored Events – because most actors/musicians/artists are colorful, then they can flaunt that, and make the beige folk feel unwelcome at their displays of artistry. Sponsorship from a prominent colorful brand should be enough, you know, like Bud Light.

Clubs and Themes and Identity and DEI – laws forbid exclusion based on race, gender, sexuality. The Beige will adjust laws so they can get around this. To go the other way, exclude the Beige, is already legal, if you are clever. You can have a private “smokers club” to get around laws regarding smoking in a bar. A gym can be only for anyone without a penis, instead of “women”. (Freebie for the Beige). You can have a school where scholarships are given to people who demonstrate a passion for queer culture, or black culture, or writing about feminist history. That is not discrimination. But nearly is.

Simply Being Us – a cinema (for example) with overtly colorful staff will scare away beiges. They don’t want to be infected. But a colorful won’t care as much going to a beige cinema, and having popcorn from a beige container. We can make them, here and there, feel like the oppressed.

Democracy – even if the federal democracy becomes one-party, there are other levels, especially in the US. States and counties can bring in new ideas like mixed-member-proportional voting, and anything else progressive.

Drugs – all psychedelics are cool, and marijuana. Own them. Flaunt them. Let MAGA do coke and oxy.

Media – presume that the authoritarian government will try to shut down consenting voices. And fight it ahead of time. That will scare them off and let the colorfuls feel empowered.

Have numerous methods of accessing the liberal media. For example, hosted in overseas territories beyond the control of your government. Launch a satellite service that bypasses terrestrial interceptions. Make it possible to 3D print receivers. Start a culture of peer-to-peer offline data sharing (basically copying thumbdrives and distributing)

Ultimately this is counter-culture and hippies, 50-60 years later, a new cycle of rebellion.

Luxury Tax on Travel

Australia has a luxury car tax. Once a car (not a truck or commercial vehicle) costs over $80K (or $90K if they are fuel efficient), then a 33% tax applies. So you can’t really buy a car for $100K or $110K, there is a big gap.

People still buy those cars.

It should be consider for more items, in countries around the world. Luxury, by definition, in an unnecessary splurge. It is hard to argue that those people are being treated unfairly, as they already pay way more for the product that its functional value. They are paying for exclusivity.

So:

  • handbags
  • clothing + shoes
  • furniture
  • art
  • whisky + wine
  • and travel!

We have many cities now trying to reduce the number of tourists that are visiting. Tax can help that easily. We leave alone public transport and regular hotels. We tax 1st class, business class, tours costing more than $x per night, and expensive hotels. At the least, the rich keep spending and the state or local government gets income. Or better still, we get fewer travellers and a saner and greener world.