03 August 2006

Bill O'Reilly warns of the rise of the machine

"The Internet has drastically changed the way news reaches the public ... but our leaders have not figured that out yet. Misinformation and false analysis is instantly out there and sometimes widely accepted by people getting their information from machines." - Bill O'Reilly Talking Points Memo on The O'Reilly Factor.
Oh, my! That caused a bit of vituperation and laughter from me last night. Mr. O'Reilly is often good for his net inanity, but this one really does take the cake. Bolding in the above, mine, of course. After that he goes on to his favorite topics of what people *should* be concerned about... but think about that for just a moment.

I was watching Mr. O'Reilly on television... a device with microelectronics, display circuitry, storage and multifunction input device. Pretty much a computer in this day and age, but even before now it was and remains.... A Machine!

Painful, huh? Now, did you talk with a friend over the telephone and exchange views and information? Would you believe you got information from... A Machine!

How about radio programs and music over the airwaves? Yes, you need a radio or other device to change those electromagnetic oscillations into something human comprehensible. You need... A Machine!

Newspapers and magazines are printed by large presses, and when you read THEM you get information from... A Machine!

That book you read recently (or not so recently depending upon your nature)? Similarly printed up (unless you read a hand illuminated manuscript from the middle ages) by.... A Machine!

Owners manual from your car? Yes, not only is the car a machine, but the manual was made by... A Machine!

That CD or DVD for your computer or home CD/DVD player? Yes, it was stamped and etched and packaged and encoded by... A Machine!

Trust *none of it*!

Run to a cave and live in darkness!

Wait for the town crier to tell you the news, as he only gets it *mostly* wrong!

Why Mr. O'Reilly trusts *some* machines and not others is beyond me....

We now return you to your regularly scheduled loofah.

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