Everything We Don’t Need to Know, and A Few We Do

Edward Curtin

1 May 2026

“And there are those who claim that Big Data will supplant Sapiens and drag him helplessly along like a straw in the mighty flow of information. We will then be close to knowing almost everything we don’t need to know.”

– Roberto Calasso, The Unnamable Present, 2017

Onerous it is and more onerous it will be when AI relieves us of the burden of knowing anything except how to ask AI the answers to everything. The weight of thinking for oneself, reading books, and living in natural reality will be lifted. Siri, Alexa, and the other AI assistants will usher us conveniently into virtual “reality” – an insubstantial world – where all anxieties will be tranquilized by trivia and the natural flow of time will be replaced by pointillist beeps of agitated inattention.

And most importantly: truth will disappear behind propaganda, for artificial intelligence and the digital world have been created and are controlled by the technology companies and government intelligence agencies that together with the corporate media are our controllers. Their mission is mind control, MKUltra writ large for everyone.

There is a reason the smart phones are called smart: they are designed to make everyone stupid, but only stupid people would fail to grasp this. Everyone has a reason why they must have a smart phone. Cram people’s heads full of useless information.

Censorship today is primarily accomplished by flooding people with pointless information. Smartphones are the everpresent surveillance and distracting machines essential to the process of creating inattention and stupefaction in their users. Smartphones prove their power over those who can’t imagine living without them.

Essential to their control is the digital propaganda war waged against ordinary people whose minds must be captured and assuaged through lies and an overload of trivia.

Central to this mind control is using the Internet and digital devices to control people’s thinking by creating confusion, distractions, fear, hope, and despair in alternating narratives.

Elections are a key part of this “hopey” propaganda. Study the U.S. wars of just the 21st century for complete confirmation of this bipartisan consensus.

Catholic priest and antiwar activist Daniel Berrigan died ten years ago but his message still rings true: “The only message I have to the world is: We are not allowed to kill innocent people. We are not allowed to be complicit in murder. We are not allowed to be silent while preparations for mass murder proceed in our name, with our money, secretly … It’s terrible for me to live in a time where I have nothing to say to human beings except, “Stop killing.”…Our plight is very primitive from a Christian point of view. We are back where we started. Thou shalt not kill; we are not allowed to kill. Everything today comes down to that — everything.”  

Don't have one, don't need one ,they are turning some people

into virtual zombies ,cannot eat my dinner till i take picture of it,

how many people have lost their lives taking selfies with it.

young kids spending too much time on them ,instead of doing

something useful ,but that's just me...

regards worgeordie

13 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Don't have one, don't need one ,they are turning some people

into virtual zombies ,cannot eat my dinner till i take picture of it,

how many people have lost their lives taking selfies with it.

young kids spending too much time on them ,instead of doing

something useful ,but that's just me...

regards worgeordie

That's confusing misuse with the tool itself. People have lost their lives taking photos with cameras too, but nobody argued cameras were the problem.

Smartphones can be addictive if used badly, but they also put the world's knowledge, communication, navigation, emergency services, banking, education and work tools in your pocket. The issue isn't the technology - it's self-discipline and how people choose to use it.

Blaming smartphones for human behaviour is like blaming books because some people waste time reading gossip magazines.

6 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Everything We Don’t Need to Know, and A Few We Do

Edward Curtin

1 May 2026

“And there are those who claim that Big Data will supplant Sapiens and drag him helplessly along like a straw in the mighty flow of information. We will then be close to knowing almost everything we don’t need to know.”

– Roberto Calasso, The Unnamable Present, 2017

Onerous it is and more onerous it will be when AI relieves us of the burden of knowing anything except how to ask AI the answers to everything. The weight of thinking for oneself, reading books, and living in natural reality will be lifted. Siri, Alexa, and the other AI assistants will usher us conveniently into virtual “reality” – an insubstantial world – where all anxieties will be tranquilized by trivia and the natural flow of time will be replaced by pointillist beeps of agitated inattention.

And most importantly: truth will disappear behind propaganda, for artificial intelligence and the digital world have been created and are controlled by the technology companies and government intelligence agencies that together with the corporate media are our controllers. Their mission is mind control, MKUltra writ large for everyone.

There is a reason the smart phones are called smart: they are designed to make everyone stupid, but only stupid people would fail to grasp this. Everyone has a reason why they must have a smart phone. Cram people’s heads full of useless information.

Censorship today is primarily accomplished by flooding people with pointless information. Smartphones are the everpresent surveillance and distracting machines essential to the process of creating inattention and stupefaction in their users. Smartphones prove their power over those who can’t imagine living without them.

Essential to their control is the digital propaganda war waged against ordinary people whose minds must be captured and assuaged through lies and an overload of trivia.

Central to this mind control is using the Internet and digital devices to control people’s thinking by creating confusion, distractions, fear, hope, and despair in alternating narratives.

Elections are a key part of this “hopey” propaganda. Study the U.S. wars of just the 21st century for complete confirmation of this bipartisan consensus.

Catholic priest and antiwar activist Daniel Berrigan died ten years ago but his message still rings true: “The only message I have to the world is: We are not allowed to kill innocent people. We are not allowed to be complicit in murder. We are not allowed to be silent while preparations for mass murder proceed in our name, with our money, secretly … It’s terrible for me to live in a time where I have nothing to say to human beings except, “Stop killing.”…Our plight is very primitive from a Christian point of view. We are back where we started. Thou shalt not kill; we are not allowed to kill. Everything today comes down to that — everything.”  

You must own a flip phone from the late 90's.

17 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

artificial intelligence and the digital world have been created and are controlled by the technology companies and government intelligence agencies that together with the corporate media are our controllers. Their mission is mind control, MKUltra writ large for everyone.

Mind control is only possible if you let yourself.

If you gravitate towards the wrongs sources ..

But has always existed, including religions ..

AI crunching the numbers frees up human beings to do other things.

I can't wait for my own personal R2D2 ... bounce some ideas off of it.

That thing will be my best buddy.

17 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Everything We Don’t Need to Know, and A Few We Do

Edward Curtin

1 May 2026

“And there are those who claim that Big Data will supplant Sapiens and drag him helplessly along like a straw in the mighty flow of information. We will then be close to knowing almost everything we don’t need to know.”

– Roberto Calasso, The Unnamable Present, 2017

Onerous it is and more onerous it will be when AI relieves us of the burden of knowing anything except how to ask AI the answers to everything. The weight of thinking for oneself, reading books, and living in natural reality will be lifted. Siri, Alexa, and the other AI assistants will usher us conveniently into virtual “reality” – an insubstantial world – where all anxieties will be tranquilized by trivia and the natural flow of time will be replaced by pointillist beeps of agitated inattention.

And most importantly: truth will disappear behind propaganda, for artificial intelligence and the digital world have been created and are controlled by the technology companies and government intelligence agencies that together with the corporate media are our controllers. Their mission is mind control, MKUltra writ large for everyone.

There is a reason the smart phones are called smart: they are designed to make everyone stupid, but only stupid people would fail to grasp this. Everyone has a reason why they must have a smart phone. Cram people’s heads full of useless information.

Censorship today is primarily accomplished by flooding people with pointless information. Smartphones are the everpresent surveillance and distracting machines essential to the process of creating inattention and stupefaction in their users. Smartphones prove their power over those who can’t imagine living without them.

Essential to their control is the digital propaganda war waged against ordinary people whose minds must be captured and assuaged through lies and an overload of trivia.

Central to this mind control is using the Internet and digital devices to control people’s thinking by creating confusion, distractions, fear, hope, and despair in alternating narratives.

Elections are a key part of this “hopey” propaganda. Study the U.S. wars of just the 21st century for complete confirmation of this bipartisan consensus.

Catholic priest and antiwar activist Daniel Berrigan died ten years ago but his message still rings true: “The only message I have to the world is: We are not allowed to kill innocent people. We are not allowed to be complicit in murder. We are not allowed to be silent while preparations for mass murder proceed in our name, with our money, secretly … It’s terrible for me to live in a time where I have nothing to say to human beings except, “Stop killing.”…Our plight is very primitive from a Christian point of view. We are back where we started. Thou shalt not kill; we are not allowed to kill. Everything today comes down to that — everything.”  

Smart phones with AI are a blessing and a curse at the same time.

AI can help in many ways but only if controlled (which is not) .Too many people, most uneducated, believe and trust what AI delivers. (Who delivers these information to AI??) It's their God in many ways.

18 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Essential to their control is the digital propaganda war waged against ordinary people whose minds must be captured and assuaged through lies and an overload of trivia.

Don't forget the advertising.......

A dystopian view of how AI potentially makes it all worse from the Qualcomm CEO

https://www.theregister.com/personal-tech/2026/06/02/qualcomm-ai-agents-will-be-as-transparent-as-they-will-be-inescapable/5249894

COMPUTEX 2026 In his Computex keynote speech this week Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon offered a glimpse of an AI-augmented future straight out of an episode of Black Mirror.

According to Amon, agents — automated systems which harness AI models to automate complex tasks without the need for human supervision — will fundamentally change humanity’s relationship with technology.

Readers comments are less enthusiastic 😏

People are simply too stupid, or too scared to ask the right questions. I was taught and learned, best to think for yourself. Something that got lost a few generations ago.

Along with forgotten be my aged peers. When did y'all start trusting everything you're told, especially by govt.

Ignorance is Bliss

Today, y'all .... follow the science

Me, always ... question the science

Edited June 4Jun 4 by KhunLA

I smarter than my phone but not my dog.😄

I am smarter than my phone, as it cannot do anything unless I press the button or tap the screen to activate it. So, until I do either of those things, it is just a dumb box of electronic bits. It does what I tell it to do, when I tell it to.

8 minutes ago, Surasak said:

I am smarter than my phone, as it cannot do anything unless I press the button or tap the screen to activate it. So, until I do either of those things, it is just a dumb box of electronic bits. It does what I tell it to do, when I tell it to.

Yep, amazing I used to function at the same level, without a smartphone. Does come in handy though, negotiating metro traffic.

Gmap guides me though Krung Thep with no issues, and amazed I used to do the same with paper maps. Only difference now is, I get to avoid worse traffic jams, along with a lot less circling around and trying that again. Damn paper maps didn't tell which roads were one way, or no turns at that intersection.

After about a decade, I didn't even need the maps, and memory was enough. Now the smartphone had dumbed me down, to the point, I don't remember any metro routes, as now I don't have to

I can negotiate the whole country, TH, without Gmap, just prefer not to. Spares the wife of hearing MF'er a lot more often.

The smart phone has replaced TV as the main weapon being used in the battle to control your mind.

1 minute ago, NotEinstein said:

The smart phone has replaced TV as the main weapon being used in the battle to control your mind.

Only if you allow it.

13 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Only if you allow it.

Short of not connecting it to the internet, you are allowing it.

11 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Yep, amazing I used to function at the same level, without a smartphone. Does come in handy though, negotiating metro traffic.

Gmap guides me though Krung Thep with no issues, and amazed I used to do the same with paper maps. Only difference now is, I get to avoid worse traffic jams, along with a lot less circling around and trying that again. Damn paper maps didn't tell which roads were one way, or no turns at that intersection.

After about a decade, I didn't even need the maps, and memory was enough. Now the smartphone had dumbed me down, to the point, I don't remember any metro routes, as now I don't have to

I can negotiate the whole country, TH, without Gmap, just prefer not to. Spares the wife of hearing MF'er a lot more often.

Fortunately, I don't drive, 8 years now. So again fortunately, there are two people in the family who drive and know their way around. I sometime wonder why I have a phone, but cash transfers would then be a problem. So I guess we are all slaves to phones one way or another. Although I like to think it works for me, not the other way round.

“Is your phone smarter than you are?”

No. But it does seem to have a mind of its own.

Especially when it comes to spilling.

*spelling.

Damned otto collect.

32 minutes ago, NotEinstein said:

Short of not connecting it to the internet, you are allowing it.

Same as stating TV, MSM, a damn newspaper controls you. Only if you're an idiot and allow it. People have the right to think for themselves, but have to use it.

I have total control of the info that is out there. Ignore 99.99% of what is unsolicited, about the same as AN threads. A little common sense and thinking for one's self goes a long way.

Didn't make it to 71 and retire at 45 by listening to a bunch of BS from idiots, or marketeers trying to sell me something, based on BS.

AI is probably the biggest threat mankind has seen for many many years if not from the beginning of man. AI has it use for sure but using it for everything is ridiculous. In my opinion it is potentially a threat to mankind and should be used only to solve the sort of problems that would take humans many decade if not hundreds of years to solve.

16 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Same as stating TV, MSM, a damn newspaper controls you. Only if you're an idiot and allow it. People have the right to think for themselves, but have to use it.

I have total control of the info that is out there. Ignore 99.99% of what is unsolicited, about the same as AN threads. A little common sense and thinking for one's self goes a long way.

Didn't make it to 71 and retire at 45 by listening to a bunch of BS from idiots, or marketeers trying to sell me something, based on BS.

I didn't say it controls you - by using a smartphone you are allowing the opportunity for attempts to influence your mind.

Sure, you have a defensively aware attitude, but you admit to 0.01% unsolicited, who knows what kind of influences are behind the media you do 'allow'.

Personally, my "smart" phone is just a telephone that stays in the house and has Line and Whatsapp for messaging. All my other internet interaction (no social media) is on my Linux desktop. The information I do look at obviously does have an influence on my mind, even if I don't agree with elements - that is the nature of the human subconscious.

My $20 Casio watch is smarter than me. And I have a STEM degree and a 40+ year engineering career behind me.

Time and tech move on...

Edit: On an aside, I'm glad I learned to use a slide rule, encyclopedias, long division, and the Dewey Decimal System before it was all spoon fed to us. If only so I know what's in the sausage.

Edited June 4Jun 4 by impulse

17 minutes ago, NotEinstein said:

I didn't say it controls you - by using a smartphone you are allowing the opportunity for attempts to influence your mind.

Sure, you have a defensively aware attitude, but you admit to 0.01% unsolicited, who knows what kind of influences are behind the media you do 'allow'.

Personally, my "smart" phone is just a telephone that stays in the house and has Line and Whatsapp for messaging. All my other internet interaction (no social media) is on my Linux desktop. The information I do look at obviously does have an influence on my mind, even if I don't agree with elements - that is the nature of the human subconscious.

Mine's with me constantly, as use the camera and GPS. The phoning part, actually calling or answering the phone is the least used option of the device.

Got 3 people on my contact list, if not them, I don't answer the phone. Only use the smartphone for info, that I request, and very little else. Actually hate using the phone at all, and prefer the laptop.

Use when shopping, to research ingredients if buying something with a label, and that's rare, or compare price to online vendor.

If not for the EV, and charging app, I really wouldn't have any mandatory use for a smartphone. Would be emergency use only, or use as a hotspot, if at accommodations with no or weak internet.

AI crunching the numbers frees up human beings to do other things.

Depends on who's doing the training, and on what knowledge base.

For a ridiculous example, can you imagine what would happen if they trained an AI model using nothing but supermarket tabloids like the National Enquirer?

I would contend that today's MSM isn't much better. Yet I see all kinds of AI slop being thrown around that's obviously been trained on very slanted data sets.

16 minutes ago, impulse said:

For a ridiculous example, can you imagine what would happen if they trained an AI model using nothing but supermarket tabloids like the National Enquirer?

They will use AI to manipulate you into mindless consumption.

But you can also query AI to help you.

You need to be in the driver's seat, not a passive zombie.

3 hours ago, Surasak said:

I am smarter than my phone, as it cannot do anything unless I press the button or tap the screen to activate it. So, until I do either of those things, it is just a dumb box of electronic bits. It does what I tell it to do, when I tell it to.

Except, of course, for telling corporations where you go, every minute of every day.

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Only if you allow it.

You can't stop it. Surveillance cameras on every corner, in every doorbell, and a phone tracking your every move. At least TVs were only watching you have sex.

2 hours ago, Front Row said:

“Is your phone smarter than you are?”

No. But it does seem to have a mind of its own.

Especially when it comes to spilling.

*spelling.

Damned otto collect.

You must drive a shift. That's where all my coffee spills came from!

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Same as stating TV, MSM, a damn newspaper controls you. Only if you're an idiot and allow it. People have the right to think for themselves, but have to use it.

I have total control of the info that is out there. Ignore 99.99% of what is unsolicited, about the same as AN threads. A little common sense and thinking for one's self goes a long way.

Didn't make it to 71 and retire at 45 by listening to a bunch of BS from idiots, or marketeers trying to sell me something, based on BS.

"I have total control of the info that is out there." Dream on, Buddy.

It's subtle enough to have affected your whole life unconsciously. When you buy toothpaste, do you buy Colgate (with Gardol)?

I still remember the jingles from Pepsodent and Alka-Seltzer and I know you do, too.

Edited June 4Jun 4 by unblocktheplanet
add

Just now, unblocktheplanet said:

"I have total control of the info that is out there." Dream on, Buddy.

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

AI is probably the biggest threat mankind has seen for many many years if not from the beginning of man. AI has it use for sure but using it for everything is ridiculous. In my opinion it is potentially a threat to mankind and should be used only to solve the sort of problems that would take humans many decade if not hundreds of years to solve.

Like quoting on AN.

41 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

"I have total control of the info that is out there." Dream on, Buddy.

It's subtle enough to have affected your whole life unconsciously. When you buy toothpaste, do you buy Colgate (with Gardol)?

I still remember the jingles from Pepsodent and Alka-Seltzer and I know you do, too.

I use peroxide & baking soda, and haven't needed a cleaning or cavity filled since.

I haven't been exposed to TV advertising in decades, as don't subscribe to any. I only buy things I research, before buying, never because I saw a commercial, without researching the item.

Avoids me from buying junk, useless, flawed, dangerous or unhealthy items. Stopped making those mistakes decades ago.

Edited June 4Jun 4 by KhunLA

51 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

You can't stop it. Surveillance cameras on every corner, in every doorbell, and a phone tracking your every move. At least TVs were only watching you have sex.

Big fan of surveillance, outside the home, as I'm not a criminal. It is the public domain, so no right to privacy, and I consider that a good thing. As PoPo are there to take a report, after a crime has been committed, not to stop crime.