Ripped From The Headlines, February 24, 2023
New Zealand Exposes Cashless Society Flaw, AI Invades Romance, Dole North America Hit By Ransomware Attack - #Read, #Share, & #Subscribe - SherlocExposes.com
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The cyclone that tore through New Zealand last week has exposed the dangers of a cashless society, prompting the central bank to consider new ways of ensuring access to physical money when power and telecommunications fail.
New Zealanders were left unable to pay for vital goods such as food and water for days after cash machines and payment systems were knocked out by Cyclone Gabrielle, which left at least 11 people dead and displaced thousands as it cut across the upper North Island on Feb. 13 and 14.
'What it is showing is the importance of physical cash still in society today,' Reserve Bank Assistant Governor Karen Silk said in an interview Friday in Wellington, adding she was unsure if there could ever be a truly cashless society. 'There’d have to be some quite significant changes from a technology perspective.'
RBNZ Governor Adrian Orr said at a press conference on Wednesday that banks’ drive to a cashless society 'shows how vulnerable we are,' and that cash management operations are a critical component of financial stability.
'You’re seeing and reading some horrific stories out there at the moment of isolated communities,” Orr said. “When people lose the ability to transact, when they don’t have a means of exchange, then social cohesion is very quickly challenged.'”
Fictional humans have been falling in love with robots for decades, in novels like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), The Silver Metal Lover (1981) and films like Her (2013). These stories have allowed authors to explore themes like forbidden relationships, modern alienation and the nature of love.
When those stories were written, machines were not quite advanced enough to spark emotional feelings from most users. But recently, a new spate of artificial intelligence (AI) programs have been released to the public that act like humans and reciprocate gestures of affection. And some humans have fallen for these bots—hard. Message boards on Reddit and Discord have become flooded with stories of users who have found themselves deeply emotionally dependent on digital lovers, much like Theodore Twombly in Her.
As AIs become more and more sophisticated, the intensity and frequency of humans turning to AI to meet their relationship needs is likely to increase. This could lead to unpredictable and potentially harmful results. AI companions could help to ease feelings of loneliness and help people sort through psychological issues. But the rise of such tools could also deepen what some are calling an “epidemic of loneliness,” as humans become reliant on these tools and vulnerable to emotional manipulation.
'These things do not think, or feel or need in a way that humans do. But they provide enough of an uncanny replication of that for people to be convinced,' says David Auerbach, a technologist and the author of the upcoming book Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities. 'And that’s what makes it so dangerous in that regard.'”
"A cyberattack earlier this month forced produce giant Dole to temporarily shut down production plants in North America and halt food shipments to grocery stores, according to a company memo about the incident obtained by CNN.
The previously unreported hack — which a source familiar with the incident said was ransomware — led some grocery shoppers to complain on Facebook in recent days that store shelves were missing Dole-made salad kits.
'Dole Food Company is in the midst of a Cyber Attack and have subsequently shut down our systems throughout North America,' Emanuel Lazopoulos, senior vice president at Dole’s Fresh Vegetables division, said in a February 10 memo to retailers.
Dole has four processing plants in the US and employs more than 3,000 people, according to a recent company press release.
After CNN published this story on Wednesday afternoon, Dole spokesperson William Goldfield sent CNN a statement confirming that ransomware was the cause of the incident.
'The company has notified law enforcement about the incident and are cooperating with their investigation,' Dole’s statement said in part. 'While continuing to investigate the scope of the incident, the impact to Dole operations has been limited.'”
“Thank God… We’re Being Shown” Friday, Ripped From The Headlines. Things To Ponder:
“Go Cashless! What Could Go Wrong?”
Our friends in New Zealand can tell you…
They just dealt with a cyclone that shut almost everything down…
And their government’s fevered pace to move toward a cashless society caught them with their pants down.
Reserve Bank Assist Governor Karen Silk got the metaphorical “smack in the face” with that fact… and said as much:
“Cash becomes incredibly important as the primary form of payment,” she said. “Having resilient distribution is important.”
This REALLY matters because you have to read between the lines… we’ll come back to that in a moment.
Why does this matter?
Because we continue to be pushed toward a Central Bank Digital Currency (#CBDC) - according to this guy, that would solve ALL of our problems:
How about the problem of powering that mark of the beast though, slim?
Oh wait, they’ve already thought about that… read between the lines:
While what you’re reading in this story sounds good, check this out:
“'What it is showing is the importance of physical cash still in society today,' Reserve Bank Assistant Governor Karen Silk said in an interview Friday in Wellington, adding she was unsure if there could ever be a truly cashless society. 'There’d have to be some quite significant changes from a technology perspective.'“
See what they did there?
They are using the talk about cash as a weapon of mass distraction. They are not really planning to use it at all.
And, you can bet those significant changes from a technology perspective are all ready to go…
They just have to get you confused, scared, and dependent enough on them to accept it.
Know. Your. Foe.
“I Love You, AI… Your Statement Does Not Compute… Kill Yourself Human…”
Scary, isn’t it?
Think about the premise of technology:
It’s supposed to connect the world…
But it’s made us more isolated…
It’s supposed to make us smarter…
But we’re drowning in too much information that we can’t process…
Here’s the kicker…
We are in a place where AI is filling a relationship void…
And that AI, in many instances, is programmed by people who have limited relationship skills.
Because they are more isolated…
And more overloaded…
With too much information they can’t process…
This isn’t good.
Pray. A LOT.
“Not To Worry… We Just Can’t Get You Food Right Now…”
Yikes.
We’re not sure what’s scarier…
The fact that these things are happening, or that we don’t find out about them for days, weeks, months, or years…
For clarity, THE ENTIRE NORTH AMERICAN SYSTEM FOR DOLE FOODS WAS SHUT DOWN AND HELD HOSTAGE FOR RANSOM.
Let that sink in…
When you combine this with our inability to respond effectively to a natural or manmade disaster, inability to fix really important things, or the inability to communicate critical information, the idea of self-sufficiency takes on a whole new level of importance, doesn’t it?
Don’t expect this to get better anytime soon.
Build community, and build reliance.
What Does This Mean?
The government has no clue how to manage or account for your money…
You’re being told that AI replaces human relationships…
Major system f*!@k-ups incompetence is being ignored, subject to “spin,” or simply being covered up by major publications…
And… we’re on the brink of World War 3.
What does that all amount to?
Nothing good.
Why Should I Care?
Kirk Elliot, Ph.D., recently echoed our sentiments on the economic and financial position of the world, basically sharing that major economies are going to fail, massively, and aren’t going to save you…
You are going to save yourself.
You should care.
What Should I Do?
Given where we’re at, we want to share our recommendations of things to do:
Pray, a lot.
Grab some precious metals at SherlocEZ.com.
Grab supplies at 4Patriots.
Get started on a food forest at Food Forest Abundance.
Share this newsletter with everyone you know. Steal the content.
Repeat
YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT.
James Wesley, Rawles, publisher of SurvivalBlog.com has put together a “bookshelf” list of key things you should have. CLICK HERE to access the list.
Plus a recap of the 50 things you should have handy to barter.
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