Re: Why the Hacks Hate Michael Hastings
Subject: Re: Why the Hacks Hate Michael Hastings
From: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com>
Date: 7/15/10, 20:21
To: Barry Eisler <barryeisler@mac.com>

Barry-

Thanks for the praise, and particularly for your kind offer of further assistance.

Things have been speeding up a bit on this end. I've been contacted by producer Robert Green, who's proposing that I allow him to raise funds by which to advance Project PM and potentially start a new cable news outlet that would be run somewhat differently than, say, all of the shitty ones now in existence. Obviously, that second effort is quite preliminary and perhaps overly-ambitious, but then perhaps not; there seems to be quite a bit of motivation out there to take on the existing structure. Anyway, I'm currently preparing materials with which he'll be creating a presentation for donors. I've pasted one of these below; it's a description of how the blogger/media network will operate. Let me know if you have any questions. Also keep in mind that running parallel to this network will be another, similar one, tentatively called the governing network, which will serve as a sort of distributed online think-tank. 

Incidentally, I was on Russian television the other evening and the ending was quite amusing; I pulled a bit of a prank on this Kremlin-funded outlet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gbBZe478xE&feature=player_embedded

More to the point, I am currently trying to force National Review to acknowledge my criticisms of Rich Lowry's attacks on Michael Hastings, as described in that Vanity Fair piece. I know for a fact that they've seen it, but of course it's not in their interest to reply. If you could distribute this somehow, it would be of great help in forcing their hand:

http://trueslant.com/barrettbrown/2010/07/15/an-open-message-to-national-review-editor-rich-lowry/

Anyway, let me know if you have any other questions about PM and what we're doing. Also, have you ever read Neuromancer?



On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 11:41 AM, Barry Eisler <barryeisler@mac.com> wrote:
Barrett, if you don't mind my saying, and I promise not to go on and on about it, but... the book is brilliant.  Really.  Read the prologue and Friedman and Bennett chapters last night and so far it's just superb -- horrifying, hilarious, fucking devastating.  The notion of equating pundits with failed-but-still-flourishing futurists is smart and I can't think of a better way to help people see the nature of the problem.  The first paragraph is a lapel-grabber.  Your arguments and evidence are unanswerable, and there were so many lines that had me laughing out loud... Bennett, a spirit creature from Neptune composed of pure energy.  Some actual sentences Friedman has written (which reminded me of on SNL skit where Tiny Fey did Sarah Palin, but without manufactured dialogue -- she repeated Palin's actual, fantastically garbled words, and the joke was that no comedy could possibly top the real thing).

Hmm, I think I'm violating that promise not to go on and on.

Krauthammer is cued up for this morning and I'm pissed I have an interview in Berkeley later on because I don't want to stop. I'll do all I can to get out the word via my blog, FB, Twitter, etc., but if there are any other ways you can think of that I can help you reach the widest possible audience, please just ask.

Now, back to the book.


On Jul 14, 2010, at 4:38 PM, Barrett Brown wrote:

Barry-

Thanks, I appreciate your interest and your assistance. Below, I've pasted a summary of our main effort, the media network. I've also cc'd my associate Clark Robinson on this; he's helping to organize our various recruits and otherwise assist in administration as we expand our scope.

Incidentally, I was approached two weeks ago by Robert Green, a producer out in LA, who's proposing to raise a great deal of money in order to assist in our operations as well as to potentially found a new cable outlet. Apparently he has the means to raise the necessary funds. Let me know if you'd like to speak with him, and feel free to call me if you'd like to discuss any other details (we'll also provide you with links to further info on what we're doing specifically with our other entity, tentatively known as the governing network).

***

Information flow is fundamental to the success of every manner of human collaboration. Nonetheless, the processes by which information is gathered, handled, transferred, and acted upon receive far less attention than is warranted. The purpose of Project PM is to change this dynamic by developing new techniques with which to more efficiently conduct information.

Because the great preponderance of information crucial to the success of a representative government is transferred through the media, Project PM focuses primarily on media reform. Our first and foremost effort has been to establish a distributed media cartel made up of bloggers as well as journalists who work at least in part through online media. Rather than simply assembling this group of exceptional media professionals into an online outlet similar to those currently in existence, we are instead organizing our participants into a network which itself operates under a unique schematic designed to take best advantage of the internet as a medium while simultaneously avoiding the drawbacks common to even the best online communities.

In order to seed the network, we have recruited around two dozen bloggers and journalists whom we have identified as particularly competent and intellectually honest. Each of these individuals is encouraged to bring other bloggers into the network based on their own judgment; these new participants are then connected to the blogger who has brought them in and may likewise bring others into the network, and so on . As such, the network grows perpetually while maintaining a high average quality in terms of its participants, as is explained further below.

Upon the launch of our network, each of the initial bloggers will be connected to each other via a widget which is embedded on their respective blogs, as well as connected to those whom they’ve recruited. When a particular individual composes a piece of work that he considers to be of particular merit, the individual pushes a single button which causes the article in question to be sent to all of the bloggers to whom he is connected. Each of those bloggers in turn then decides whether or not they agree that the article is worthy of greater attention; if so, they push the button and thereby send it along to every blogger to whom they themselves are connected. Thus it is that information deemed worthy of attention by some great number of erudite and honest individuals from a variety of backgrounds will tend to perpetuate through the system and gain a larger audience than they might otherwise receive.

As the network expands by way of the process described above, it is inevitable that there will be failures of judgement on the part of participants when choosing additional bloggers to bring into the network. Let us say that Blogger X, who is rather competent, brings in Blogger Y, who is only moderately so, and who in turn brings in Blogger Z, who is a giant douchebag. Blogger Z begins composing and pushing forward posts to the effect that Barack Obama was born in Tehran or that ethanol subsidies are awesome or some such thing – but these posts only initially go to Blogger Y and whatever horrid bloggers Blogger Z has brought in himself, assuming he has brough in any. Blogger Y may or may not be inclined to push forward these nonsense posts, but Blogger X will almost certainly delete them immediately and is quite likely to disolve his connection to Blogger Y for displaying such poor judgement. Thus it is that the system is defended from deterioration by the high competence of the initial round of bloggers and consequently comparable competence of those brought in gradually afterwards, coupled with the nature of the schematic itself. No supervision is necessary for the network to expand while maintaining a high level of quality.

A few other characteristics bear noting. Any participant may connect to any other participant who agrees to the connection, no matter “where” each participant resides in the network, and thus the network is likely to evolve from the shape of a pyramid to that of a web, which is advantageous in terms of ensuring that good information does not become overly “regionalized.” All participants are equal regardless of the order in which they joined. Participants are free to bring on as many other bloggers as they would like, although they will find that it is to their own advantage to be selective in this regard.

The system is capped off with another widget distinct from that used by the bloggers – the reader widget, a downloadable application which displays those posts which have been pushed forward a certain number of times (as set by the individual reader). The end result should be the best system of news and information filtration that has ever existed.
 

On Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 7:25 PM, Barry Eisler <barryeisler@mac.com> wrote:
Hi Barrett, sorry for the slow reply -- back from the tour now, though still distracted by interviews and a few local events.  Just printed out the manuscript and will start digging in tonight.  I'll be in touch as soon as I'm done reading, and would like to help get the word out anyway I can -- getting people to approach the news more critically has become almost a personal mission for me.  In which regard, I'd love to hear more about Project PM.  

Cheers,
Barry

On Jul 7, 2010, at 7:31 PM, Barrett Brown wrote:

Barry-

Thanks again for your help. I have just received the final manuscript for the book, which I have attached here. The last chapter alludes to Project PM, which I would love to have you involved in some capacity (and which would require no time commitment on your part while also giving you influence over our organization,which is composed of of some 150 people including Michael Hastings, the head of theoretical physics at Case Western, philanthropists, a former editorial board member of the Washington Post, and people of similarly diverse and useful backgrounds. We are growing extraordinarily quickly now. Let me know if you'd like me to send you a short summary of our main media reform effort.

On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 4:30 PM, Barry Eisler <barryeisler@mac.com> wrote:
Hi Barrett, I'd love a sneak peek, and email is fine if that works for you.  Will do what I can to get the word out -- getting people to recognize pseudo-journalism and embrace real journalism has become a mission of mine, one I'm trying to use my novels and whatever platform I have as a novelist to advance.

Best,
Barry


On Jun 28, 2010, at 11:12 AM, Barrett Brown wrote:

Hi, Barry-

Thanks for the note and for Twittering my article or Tweeting it or whatever. I'll have the publisher get you a review copy of the upcoming book as well, or will e-mail the manuscript if you prefer. Let me know.

On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 11:06 AM, Barry Eisler <barryeisler@mac.com> wrote:
Barrett, I just read your scathing, hilarious, devastating VF piece.  Can't wait for Hot, Fat, and Clouded, which sounds right up my alley, and will do what I can to help get the word out about it.

Cheers,
Barry Eisler
www.barryeisler.com



--
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Barrett Brown
Brooklyn, NY
512-560-2302




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Barrett Brown
512-560-2302
<HFC ARC 7-2010.pdf>




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Barrett Brown
512-560-2302




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Regards,

Barrett Brown
512-560-2302