It is hilarious. Chutzpah pays off if one has stick-to-it-ness.
Pretty innocuous stuff. One can make allowances for a regional district manager for Upper Middle Western American Region Home Mortgages getting a thrill with his ‘intelligence’ briefing. But the rest? The reporters? Lulz indeed.
@DrLeoStrauss
Anything he loses he gets in insurance – but I cannot grok how he was able to gull this massive list of companies to pay him for what is essentially a tip sheet with no deep inside intel:
@Comment Friedman should be grateful in part to Annon – same ‘Global Think Tank’ label given in Asian and European press, too. Plus, he gets a victim platform. The security and liability issues maybe not so much.
SpaceMonkeyCafe audio feed a great listen. Jumping into a car going 85 from standing start. He’s right, intelligence contracting industry needs more sunshine.
So the UK police, which were on the take for Murdoch’s cronies helping to violate security of Prime Ministers, Royals, business people, enemies and anyone News Corp didn’t like, trumpet the arrest of ‘Topiary’ from LulzSec.
LulzSec has scored quite a branding coup. By calling themselves Security they have media outlets around the world repeating that name and subconsciously implying they are some sort of security company.
When Palantir Technologies raised $90 million in VC funding last summer, TechCrunch referred to it as the “next one billion-dollar company.”
Seems a lot can change in a year. Palantir, a Silicon Valley-based provider of analytics platforms for financial and intelligence clients, now is closer to being the next $3 billion company.
Palantir is in the midst of raising new money at a valuation of between $2.5 billion and $3 billion, according to a source familiar with the situation. The deal was first revealed in an SEC filing, which showed $50 million raised so far (only some of which is new equity — the rest appears to be related to an acquisition or possible share conversion).
No investors were listed on the filing, although I’m told that they include Tiger Global Management. Past backers include The Founders Fund, Glynn Capital, In-Q-Tel, Reed Elsevier Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Youniversity Ventures, Jeremy Stoppelman, Ben Ling and what TechCrunch referred to as “a couple of high-profile NY funds” (which may, or may not, have included Tiger).
Barr has an all around bad year – lulz or no lulz. As bad as the stuff he was up to – we see how he could get caught up in it. A lot of American these days have this problem. Barr is probably wondering how it came to this – Lots of mixed feelings going thru his head. Think of all the respectable people out there how probably did worse. Think about how normal Barr thought it was to suggest forgery and fraud as a Solution to bank’s problem with leakers and bloggers.
Barr is more about our times than Charlie Sheen is.
The writer and editor barely conscious thinking about Risen’s status in the narrative and how he relates to the larger Politico world – They know he is Serious, but are still unsure what kind of serious he happens to be.
True, Politico is all about tactical positioning and voyeurism. Their lavish parties celebrating themselves are revealing. In this regard they have supplanted the now rudderless WaPo, which continues to lose revenue. Politico is useful for operatives to shape perceptions, etc. When it is supplanted by a new technology/format its fall will be immediate.
Interesting – but is it us or was Politico’s story poorly written and confusing? It sort of seemed to obscure and bury the relevant issues and the wider implications. It sort of flattened many factors and made small details seem equal to larger elements of the story. Politico can be annoying especially when they are unsure which way the establishment wind is blowing.
Yeah – there’s probably endless # stories to come from this and related private espio’s. That guy at HB has quite an IT CV.
What’s funny about the ad for the gov job was how it was totally open and above board about asking for someone to create a deceptive platform.
This is similar to the HB emails where suggestions for action that seem illegal – fraud, counterfeiting, etc – are casually made. There is no sense that respectable seeming companies will not want to hear this kind of offer. None of the mumbling discretion mobsters use when saying they wanna “go have a talk” with someone when they really mean something else.
Gov’t wants to buy software to fake social personas for bogus campaigns. This is part of the larger arstechnica piece in the comment below but it’s worth highlighting.
The US government put out a request for exactly that kind of software last June, with its request for “Persona Management Software.”
Software will allow 10 personas per user, replete with background , history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographacilly consistent. Individual applications will enable an operator to exercise a number of different online persons from the same workstation and without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries. Personas must be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social media platforms. The service includes a user friendly application environment to maximize the user’s situational awareness by displaying real-time local information.
Sort of funny, but we saw Bob Somerby writing about Lind’s Salon column. Somerby says Lind makes some good points – though poorly written.
Actually – we think Lind is a fantastic writer – even when he is wrong. Whereas Somerby’s Daily Howler writing is the opposite – Even when he is right, Somerby’s writing is boring. He writes endless columns. He communicates like his old roomate Gore – ponderous, interminable.
Everyone projects these days. Guess we all do it. Ohwell
So we are either the world’s richest nation by far or broke. Can make up our minds. Rich enough to rubble some Arabs or poor enough to fire teachers in one a relatively well off state. True or False- thinking makes it so.
See Norah O’Donnell on msnbc has adopted the gop conventional wisdom as her own – “we’re broke.”
Makes it very convenient to fire a lot of middle class people – peonize them. That’s the new GrownUp, Serious, Centrist, Tough Choices view.
Easier than a modest tax increase, less war, and budget negotiations.
Yeah, funny about that. Progressive is — as you noted –a marketing effort, profit/loss and lifestyle maintenance an imperative. The split for $2 million a month to be billed the Chamber was 40% to HBGary, and 30% to Palantir and Berico respectively. $800k a month? The emails indicate that approval for the project went up to the top at Palantir for sign off.
Because they advertise themselves as having a progressive reputation and they recruit in Palo Alto – So people there hear those kind of epithets tossed around and it conjures up a meathead image. Of course they are prob. full of s***, but that’s a different story.
DrLeoStrauss says
It is hilarious. Chutzpah pays off if one has stick-to-it-ness.
Pretty innocuous stuff. One can make allowances for a regional district manager for Upper Middle Western American Region Home Mortgages getting a thrill with his ‘intelligence’ briefing. But the rest? The reporters? Lulz indeed.
Comment says
@DrLeoStrauss
Anything he loses he gets in insurance – but I cannot grok how he was able to gull this massive list of companies to pay him for what is essentially a tip sheet with no deep inside intel:
DrLeoStrauss says
@Comment Friedman should be grateful in part to Annon – same ‘Global Think Tank’ label given in Asian and European press, too. Plus, he gets a victim platform. The security and liability issues maybe not so much.
Comment says
@DrLeoStrauss
CNN headline is kinda funny grandiose “Hackers Target GLOBAL think tank”
DrLeoStrauss says
Annon goes after George Friedman and his Stratfor newsletter for the lulz. $1 MM said to be given to charity.
Dr Leo Strauss says
Palantir sure managed to prosper after the HB Gary fiasco.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/palantir-the-vanguard-of-cyberterror-security-11222011.html
Comment says
@BarrettBrownLOL is pretty funny character.
Dr Leo Strauss says
It pays to be the face of Anonymous. http://gawker.com/5856604
Dr Leo Strauss says
@Comment Strafor. Have to hand it to George. Didn’t think it would last. Amazing people pay for it to us, but George gets the last laugh.
Dr Leo Strauss says
SpaceMonkeyCafe audio feed a great listen. Jumping into a car going 85 from standing start. He’s right, intelligence contracting industry needs more sunshine.
Comment says
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20111101-dispatch-implications-online-tactics-against-mexican-cartels
Comment says
@DrLeoStrauss
http://www.youtube.com/spacemonkeycafe
Comment says
@DrLeoStrauss
Sounds like a high moment for anon, if they pull it off. Rival cartels will help.
DrLeoStrauss says
Anonymous back on the cartels?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-57318239-245/anonymous-threat-on-mexican-cartel-going-forward-source-says
DrLeoStrauss says
@jwb It *was* a bit odd, wasn’t it?
jwb says
@DrLeoStrauss That was one of the more peculiar articles that I’ve recently read in a mainstream media source.
DrLeoStrauss says
Anon backs off from going after Zetas, apparently.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/02/anonymous-zetas-hacking-climbdown
Dr Leo Strauss says
Who Wikileaks blames for password breach:
http://www.alternet.org/world/152262/who_is_wikileaks_blaming_for_breaching_it%27s_security
DrLeoStrauss says
Follow-up on Barr’s HBGary’s FB stalking strategy. Maxim magazine!http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/08/18/298081/hbgary-federal-us-chamber-persona/
DrLeoStrauss says
@RedPhillip Touche!
RedPhillip says
@Dr Leo Strauss You know the proper answer already, good Doctor: “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Dr Leo Strauss says
So the UK police, which were on the take for Murdoch’s cronies helping to violate security of Prime Ministers, Royals, business people, enemies and anyone News Corp didn’t like, trumpet the arrest of ‘Topiary’ from LulzSec.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/27/lulzsec-hacking-suspect-topiary-arrested
Think about that.
Dr Leo Strauss says
The Man is not amused.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/19/us-usa-fbi-hacking-idUSTRE76I4E320110719
Comment says
@DrLeoStrauss
Also LulzSec’s Twitter avatar cartoon is pretty funny. The monocle, the glass, etc
Comment says
@Dr Leo Strauss
It’s only a matter of time before we get LulzReform.
DrLeoStrauss says
@Comment
It’s always video games to blame!
http://kotaku.com/5814773/suspected-lulz-hacker-told-mom-he-was-gaming-not-hacking
Dr Leo Strauss says
@Comment It’s really quite something, agree.
Comment says
LulzSec has scored quite a branding coup. By calling themselves Security they have media outlets around the world repeating that name and subconsciously implying they are some sort of security company.
DrLeoStrauss says
Gene Simmons on Anonymous
http://gawker.com/5800884/gene-simmons-on-his-anonymous-foes
Dr Leo Strauss says
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/06/analyze-this-palantir-worth-more-than-2-billion/
————————-
Comment, check out your original note below.
Timing, as they say, is everything . . .
Comment says
Barr has an all around bad year – lulz or no lulz. As bad as the stuff he was up to – we see how he could get caught up in it. A lot of American these days have this problem. Barr is probably wondering how it came to this – Lots of mixed feelings going thru his head. Think of all the respectable people out there how probably did worse. Think about how normal Barr thought it was to suggest forgery and fraud as a Solution to bank’s problem with leakers and bloggers.
Barr is more about our times than Charlie Sheen is.
Dr Leo Strauss says
Aaron Barr of HBGary Federal resigned.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381207,00.asp
Wonder if Barr is enjoying the Lulz?
Comment says
The writer and editor barely conscious thinking about Risen’s status in the narrative and how he relates to the larger Politico world – They know he is Serious, but are still unsure what kind of serious he happens to be.
How the pecking order of dissing is complicated –
Dr Leo Strauss says
True, Politico is all about tactical positioning and voyeurism. Their lavish parties celebrating themselves are revealing. In this regard they have supplanted the now rudderless WaPo, which continues to lose revenue. Politico is useful for operatives to shape perceptions, etc. When it is supplanted by a new technology/format its fall will be immediate.
Comment says
Interesting – but is it us or was Politico’s story poorly written and confusing? It sort of seemed to obscure and bury the relevant issues and the wider implications. It sort of flattened many factors and made small details seem equal to larger elements of the story. Politico can be annoying especially when they are unsure which way the establishment wind is blowing.
Dr Leo Strauss says
The U.S. grabs phone, credit and bank records of NYT reporter, but they didn’t apparently check out his social websites.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50168.html
Comment says
Yeah – there’s probably endless # stories to come from this and related private espio’s. That guy at HB has quite an IT CV.
What’s funny about the ad for the gov job was how it was totally open and above board about asking for someone to create a deceptive platform.
This is similar to the HB emails where suggestions for action that seem illegal – fraud, counterfeiting, etc – are casually made. There is no sense that respectable seeming companies will not want to hear this kind of offer. None of the mumbling discretion mobsters use when saying they wanna “go have a talk” with someone when they really mean something else.
Rather – it’s all so casual.
DrLeoStrauss says
Gov’t wants to buy software to fake social personas for bogus campaigns. This is part of the larger arstechnica piece in the comment below but it’s worth highlighting.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110218/02143213163/more-hbgary-federal-fallout-government-wants-to-buy-software-to-fake-online-grassroots-social-media-campaigns.shtml
Dr Leo Strauss says
The author of the email graphic above reveals how HBGarry also wrote back doors and rootkit malware for USG. They just keep on giving.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/black-ops-how-hbgary-wrote-backdoors-and-rootkits-for-the-government.ars
Comment says
Sort of funny, but we saw Bob Somerby writing about Lind’s Salon column. Somerby says Lind makes some good points – though poorly written.
Actually – we think Lind is a fantastic writer – even when he is wrong. Whereas Somerby’s Daily Howler writing is the opposite – Even when he is right, Somerby’s writing is boring. He writes endless columns. He communicates like his old roomate Gore – ponderous, interminable.
Everyone projects these days. Guess we all do it. Ohwell
Comment says
So we are either the world’s richest nation by far or broke. Can make up our minds. Rich enough to rubble some Arabs or poor enough to fire teachers in one a relatively well off state. True or False- thinking makes it so.
Comment says
See Norah O’Donnell on msnbc has adopted the gop conventional wisdom as her own – “we’re broke.”
Makes it very convenient to fire a lot of middle class people – peonize them. That’s the new GrownUp, Serious, Centrist, Tough Choices view.
Easier than a modest tax increase, less war, and budget negotiations.
Anon says
Gotta love the kids. They usually are the only ones not corrupted or broken by the Movement.
Dr Leo Strauss says
As HBGarry shows, this always turns out well. DOD’s call for swapping with the private sector.
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62827
Dr Leo Strauss says
CF,
Yeah, funny about that. Progressive is — as you noted –a marketing effort, profit/loss and lifestyle maintenance an imperative. The split for $2 million a month to be billed the Chamber was 40% to HBGary, and 30% to Palantir and Berico respectively. $800k a month? The emails indicate that approval for the project went up to the top at Palantir for sign off.
Comment says
Rumsfeld thinks he’s at a cocktail party.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZMXwconALU&feature=youtu.be
CF Oxtrot says
Wow. “Progressive” spy technology! “Progressive” homeland security. It really is Bizarro World!
Comment says
Because they advertise themselves as having a progressive reputation and they recruit in Palo Alto – So people there hear those kind of epithets tossed around and it conjures up a meathead image. Of course they are prob. full of s***, but that’s a different story.
CF Oxtrot says
Why would Palantir “not want to be associated with” such attitudes, if it’s in the game of helping with spy technology?
“Business, not personal”?
Comment says
“Commies” – that’s the kind of language Palantir does not want to be associated with. Greg’s prob just a meathead.