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Found 3 results

  1. Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form does this blog entry advocate for or against the use of controlled substances. This blog entry discussed the use of controlled substances and the fallout of the closure of a marketplace that distributed controlled substances. Do not mistake the call for legalization as a call for use, it is not. The author of this blog entry feels that it's the individuals decision to engage in this activity or not, and it's not the government's decision to determine the legality of the individual's choice. TOR is an interesting concept. It stands for The Onion Router and basically what it does is 'bounces' your signal across so many different servers globally that it's almost impossible to trace your activities back to you. This allows for another interesting concept to emerge. It's called the Deep Web and is not indexed by any search engine. Their domain names end in the .onion top level domain and can only be accessed by the TOR browser. These sites can only be accessed by those that are using the TOR browser and since no search engine can index the site, you have to know the exact web address to view the site. Naturally, this had lead to some very unusual and highly illegal activities on the Deep Web. It's also worth noting that the Deep Web is approximately 4 to 5 times larger than the regular web, but there's no way to know, for sure. This is a very broad topic and can go in many interesting directions, but I want to talk about one site in particular, and the implications surrounding it: Silk Road. Development for this Deep Web site began in the second half of 2010 and the site was launched in February of 2011. Silk Road has been described as the Amazon or eBay of (illegal) drugs. The vast majority of the drugs sold on the site were illegal, but not all. Some were prescription medication that (from my understanding) was sold at a cheaper price than was commercially available. It wasn't a free-for-all, either. Buyers were able to make an account, for free. Sellers, on the other hand, had to purchase a "seller's account" from an auction, which had a limited quantity. This ensured that the seller was legitimate and serious with their intentions. If someone was looking to flood the market with poor quality or incorrect drugs, they're far less likely to do so when they had to purchase their account. There's an extra level of protection involved, because the entire site operates on the BitCoin currency, with the owner taking a cut. If you don't know what BitCoin is, it essentially boils down to this: an anonymous, decentralized, purely digital and global currency. BitCoin isn't something that world governments are particularly fond of, and countries like Thailand have already outright banned it. No BitCoin can be used in the country, enter or exit it anymore. On the 2nd of October of this year, the FBI seized control of the domain for Silk Road and arrested the owner of the site, Ross William Ulbricht. This came as an alarming surprise to most, especially the buyers of the site. Supposedly, the FBI has obtained a bit-for-bit copy of the server(s) that host Silk Road, therefore having all the information on the site, including addresses where product was sent. It hasn't been said if the FBI will be using that information to press further charges against more individuals or not. The sting that brought about Ross's arrest is bizarre and not entirely relevant to the intent of this entry. The more disturbing issue is the drugs and the buyers. The FBI has noted that the quality of the drugs sold on Silk Road is impressive. Upwards of 70% of the drugs they purchased (in over 100 purchases) were of 'high quality', which is practically unheard of. As well, the FBI seized all BitCoin deposits in the system when they took control of the site. Buyers had no option of withdrawing their BitCoins once they made a deposit into their Silk Road account. This has created a host of issues for buyers. Many had made deposits valued at hundreds of dollars moments before the shut down of the site. Some had made deposits worth thousands. Even worse, many buyers have stated that the money they deposited into their account wasn't even theirs - it was being fronted to them by other individuals, to make purchases on their behalf. With the FBI closing the site, all that money is gone. Suddenly, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lost large sums of money and are being held personally responsible to reimburse the lost funds, with money they don't have. The fall out of this will never be properly measured or known, but could be widespread and catastrophic. Supposedly, there's a mechanism in place to return all deposited BitCoins to buyers, in case of a situation like this, but no such mechanism has been triggered... yet. Atlantis was considered to be Silk Road's competition. However, that marketplace was closed by their owners some time ago for 'security reasons'. As it currently stands, buyers and sellers have no viable fall back marketplace to turn to, to provide the services they desire and need. This has created a very dangerous situation for the buyers, some of whom suffer from an addiction and don't enjoy the luxury of stopping their purchases. The only place they have left to turn to now is the streets. Before this, they had Silk Road. They had a controlled, quality-driven marketplace where they could pick and choose exactly what they wanted from trusted and vetted sellers. Their drug of choice was purchased anonymously and sent directly to their home by mail, with no one aware of the content of their package. Now, without that service available, they need to turn to the outside world. It's no secret that the streets are not safe. Both from the people roaming it and the drugs that they sell. One former Silk Road user made a post, explaining the quality of MDMA (commonly referred to as Molly) in comparison between Silk Road and the streets. She had a sample from Silk Road, which she tested and found to be pure. She took two samples, each from independent vendors in New York City and found that both had been 'cut'. The MDMA had been diluted with another substance (sometimes other drugs, like heroin or tranquilizers designed for horses, etc.). Both samples were unpure and contained unknown third party chemicals. Even if the now ex-Silk Road buyers survive the violence of the street, the drugs their buying are now killing them, and much faster than before. Silk Road sold illegal substances. No one is disputing that. The services that Silk Road provided were incredibly illegal. No one is disputing that. However, while the intentions of the FBI were good (they dealt a harsh blow to the drug cartels that were using Silk Road to distribute their products safely), they've done far more harm then good. They've forced untold numbers of buyers to turn to the streets to seek the drugs that they need. Once again, the fall out of this will never be properly measured or known, but could be widespread and catastrophic. The owner of Atlantis has written a post mortem, from their experiences. The most striking quote from what they had to say is this, in my opinion: (source) That really is interesting, isn't it? Ulbricht made some mistakes in how he conducted himself and his business, but it's undeniable that he was smart and knew what he was doing. Why would someone with so much future potential throw it all away? He'll probably never see the light of day, with the charged laid against him. Snowden is forced to reside in Russia, in temporary asylum. He doesn't know what his future holds or where he'll end up. All he knows is that he'll never be able to step foot into his native country or allies of his native country ever again. Manning, whose prison sentence ensures they won't be released until they're old enough to be a grandparent - their life is effectively over. All these people's lives are effectively over. They also knew this when they chose to do what they did. But why? They all feel, whether correctly or incorrectly, that the government is over-stepping it's bounds, from within the law and the Constitution that created the country. They feel that the government is out of control and they felt they were playing their part to reign that control in. To put a stop to the injustices committed by the government. The FBI has started an arms race that they have no hopes of being able to win. Look at The Pirate Bay, which is still alive and kicking. They're on the regular web, and they make no attempt to hide what they do and they're still around. Silk Road v2.0 is coming and soon. It'll be bigger and better and far more secure than ever before. If that's taken down, then another one will appear and another one and another one. The people have spoken, the demand is there and capitalism is doing its thing. This will not go away for the FBI or anyone else. Drugs will not go away, they're here to stay. On a similar but unrelated note, the Ontario Liberal government launched a site to crowd-source suggestions for their next election platform (which is a hint that an election is coming, but that's another blog entry). One of the suggestions was for the government to set up a crown-corporation (of sorts) that produces Methamphetamine. It was immediately dismissed, of course, but is it such a bad idea? Since the war on drugs was started, the quality of drugs has dramatically improved and the price has dramatically fallen. To me, at least, this seems like the exact opposite of what should be happening. As one former police officer put it, to win the war on drugs, it seems reasonable to completely remove every trace of drugs from the face of the Earth. That would constitute a "win" for the war, wouldn't it? Of course it would. But it is also entirely unrealistic and impossible to do. The government's problem is that they're too involved with the lives of the individual. I say this as someone that is incredibly socially left-wing. One of the major arguments for the legalization of same-sex marriage is for the government to get out of the bedroom. The same case can be made here. As long as the drug user isn't harming anyone, let them do whatever they want. If they want help, give them the help they need. "But that'll cost money!" you say. However, they'll be doing the drugs anyways, and if they want the help to get better, it should be available to them. You shouldn't put a price on a human life and they'll become a productive member of society (assuming they aren't already, but chances are, if they need help, they aren't). The government needs to legalize drugs and put an end to the pointless and expensive war. More importantly, instead of trying to squash the drug marketplace sites on the Deep Web, the government needs to open their own site and provide the services themselves.
  2. Forget Me Not Kevin and Steve tumbled into bed after a heavy night drinking. They made a clumsy attempt at sex, but when that failed they rolled together and slept soundly until just after sunrise. Kevin started tossing and turning so much it awoke Steve who looked towards Kevin, listened to his unintelligible mutterings and became concerned by his increasingly frantic movements. “Hey buddy, what’s happening?” Steve asked as he shook Kevin awake. “Mmm...what...oh this is terrible.” “What is?” “This disease that’s spreading around the world, killing millions of people, including my Gran. I miss her so much.” “Sorry about your Gran, but I think you’re just dreaming.” “Dreaming? No, we all have to be careful not to get infected.” “Your dream must have been a rough one with all that thrashing around.” Kevin looked at Steve and asked “Hey, who are you?” “I told you my name last night, I’m Steve.” “Steve...wait...I don’t think you are; at least you’re not my Steve.” “That’s true. I don’t think a one night stand makes me yours, but my Mum calls me Steve, so must be.” “Where am I, whose bed is this?” “My flat and my bed. Don’t you remember last night?” “Last night, what about last night? Hey where’s my phone?” “Probably on the floor somewhere, you were so keen last night you peeled off your clothes as soon as we were through the door.” Kevin crawled around amongst a jumble of discarded jeans, jocks and shirts till he found his phone. With trembling hands he just managed to select phone book then swiped down to G, selected the number and pressed call. “Hello, can I help you?” “Who’s this” he demanded “I want to speak to my Gran.” “Well what a rude young man you seem to be. As you made the call I think it is incumbent upon you to identify yourself first.” “I’m Kevin and I want to speak to Gran.” “You’re Kevin, Daniel’s boy?” “Daniel...oh yes, now why are you answering Gran’s phone what’s happened to her?” “Nothing Kevin, she’s in the bathroom, she shouldn’t be long. In the meantime I think it’s appropriate for me to introduce myself. I’m Candida, your aunt, well a cousin actually.” “Do I know you?” “I’m your grandmother’s niece, cousin of your father so that makes us second cousins.” “I don’t care who you are I just want to talk to Gran.” “Won’t be long, I can hear the bowl flushing now. Wait up sweetie.” After a short delay he heard “It’s for you Beryl, Kevin your grandson, is he always so rude and wound up.” “That’s not like Kevin.” Beryl took the phone and said “Hello Kevin, Gran here, what’s wrong?” “Oh Gran you are alive.” “Yes Kevin, I’m alive, what did you expect? Sorry there won’t be any will reading today.” “What... oh no I didn’t mean that, it’s just that I thought you died from this deadly virus spreading around the world.” “No I didn’t die, I’m safe and sound here and Candida is staying with me for a while. She’s just come back to Australia after twenty years away, I barely recognised.” A confused Kevin said “That’s nice Gran... I’ll go now that I’m assured you’re well. We’ll talk later. Bye Gran.” As he hung up he looked at the stranger he slept with, who said “I couldn’t help overhearing, but that was a strange conversation, from this side anyway.” “Yeah, I don’t know what’s happening. I feel like I’m in the middle of a pandemic thing and I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.” “I did warn you against taking those pills last night. You don’t know what they were.” “I don’t take pills.” “You did last night, just about everyone in your party did. Damn fools playing Russian roulette with unknown substances. You’re all mad. Now while you get your gear on, I’ll make some coffee, unless ya wanna pick up where we left off last night. I don’t think we got very far, you just went all limp, not just your dick.” “Yeah whatever, I think I’ll take the coffee option, thanks all the same.” Kevin dressed, followed the smell of the coffee to the small kitchen and perched on a bar stool. “There you go, get that inta ya, will make you feel more human.” “Thanks, now tell me how did we meet?” “You really did get wiped out, didn’t ya? I was the stripper for your party at the Bottoms Up Bar.” “What party?” “It was a graduation party for your arty farty friends.” “I’ve graduated, I suppose that’s good, but can’t remember it...Stripper?... My brother is supposed to the stripper at that bar.” “Who’s your brother?” “Ah...Jason.” “He’s not a stripper, he’s the bar manager. In fact he owns the bar. Although, now that you mention it, I think he told me he used to strip before he bought the bar.” “He owns the bar?” “I thought you said he was your brother.” “He is, but I don’t remember him buying the bar.” “So tell me more about this dream of yours, sounds scary.” “But it doesn’t seem like a dream to me, it still feels real. There is this virus, came from China and spread around the world to every country. Millions infected and so many people died. They just can’t stop it spreading.” “Sounds like a sci-fi movie plot. So how does it end?” “I don’t know, it’s still going on as far as I know.” “No...you’re awake now, so it’s ended.” “Hey there was one funny thing happened. Donald Trump was the president of the US.” “That rich guy from the apprentice show? What a hoot.” “Yeah so I suppose it must have been a dream.” “That must have been some seriously hallucinatory shit you swallowed last night.” But Kevin wasn’t listening, he was deep in thought. “Wait...did you say what a hoot?” “Yeah, means fun, lots of laughs and such.” “I know what it means. Steve says that.” “Yeah, I’m Steve and I just said it.” “No, the other Steve, I think he’s my boyfriend.” Kevin watched the images in his head for a few moments then picked up his phone, went to S in his phone book, swiped down a bit then asked. “Did you give me your number last night?” “I don’t think so, why, do you want it now.” “No, I’ve already got it, unless....” “Unless what?” “Where’s your phone.” “Here in my pocket.” “Just wait while I call this number...The number’s ringing but your phone’s not ringing.” “Hello my man. I was about to call you again, been leaving messages all day.” “Is this Steve?” “Of course, my voice probably sounds a bit different over the satellite connection.” “Where are you Steve?” “London, I’m on a three day layover, but I told you that.” “Oh...yes...I must have forgotten.” he lied. “Anyway, how are the preparations going?” “Preparations?” “For our big day. Sorry to leave you with all this. I told them I didn’t want any long haul this month, but when Jeremy’s wife went into premature labour he stood down and I was on standby.” “Yes, of course.” he answered, but the image of Steve’s explanation was still not focussed in Kevin’s mind. “London’s just so beautiful this time of year. Wish you were here to see it. The roses are in bloom everywhere, the old buildings are a honey colour in the spring sunshine and even the Thames glistens in the midday sun. I can see the eye from my hotel room; I know you’d just love it. Hey, I know, we’ll come here for our honeymoon. It might be a delayed honeymoon by the time we make arrangements, but we’ll do it, hey!” “Honeymoon?...yes of course.” “Kevin, you sound a bit vague, are to all right?” “Just tired and a bit hung over. Apparently I had a big night last night at our graduation party.” “Apparently?” “I don’t remember much of it.” “Why don’t you take some Panadols and sleep it off.” “Yeah, might do that.” “I have to go now, the shuttle will be here soon and I haven’t even packed. I’ll be home Tuesday morning, Sydney time. Can’t wait to give you a big hug. Love you.” “Yes... love you too... bye.” “So?” asked Steve. “Yes, that was my boyfriend Steve... he’s in London...I think he’s a flight steward...he’ll be home soon...we have a big day coming up... I think I’m getting married.” “You think you’re getting married?” “I’m not sure of anything at present. Just can’t get my head around who I am, where I am. One minute I’m in school, the next I’ve graduated from college. My Gran’s dead and then she’s not. My boyfriend is just doing his HSC and then he’s in London. What’s happening to me?” “I think the first thing you need is to get some food and water into your system and try to neutralise whatever that shit was you took last night. Why don’t you make some eggs and toast for us. Everything you need is in the fridge. While you do that, I’ll call a friend of mine. He’s a nurse at a drug rehab centre and usually knows what’s going around town.” “You think it’s the drugs?” “Unless you have some other condition you’re not telling me about, then that’s my best guess.” Kevin busied himself with preparing the breakfast and had it ready just as Steve returned to the kitchen. “Well, I think we may have the answer to your problem. I just spoke with Will from Odyssey House. He always has his ear to the ground getting all the latest info on the drug scene. It seems there’s a new one circulating in Sydney. It’s a synthetic drug they call, forget me not, on the streets. They don’t know too much about it, but from reports they have it gives you an extreme high and a sense of euphoria while awake. Then when sleeping you have extremely vivid and convincing dreams. When users wake up they are usually convinced that their dream is reality, as you seem to be experiencing. They also suffer from memory loss of recent events, like a temporary amnesia.” “How long does this amnesia last?” “About three days before the memory returns to normal, but comes back in flashes when something familiar triggers a memory.” “Like when you said ‘what a hoot’ it reminded me of my boyfriend.” “Yes, and when I said I was a stripper, it reminded you of your brother. By the way, he’s a great guy. He runs the bar really well, takes no nonsense from drunks or bullies, but if you do your job he’s a top boss.” “Thanks, I’ll tell him that.” “Now the other problem with this substance is they don’t know if there will be any long term effects. Because this drug is so new they haven’t been able to do much research on it. But if what you took is the drug Will is talking about then you should be clear in a few days.” “Thanks for doing that Steve. I would have been more of a mess without your help.” “I’m glad you were here for me to help and to get Will’s expert advice. Speaking of which, do you want me to arrange an appointment for you to speak to a users’ support counsellor?” “Thanks anyway, but I’m not a user and I don’t want this on record... Now that you mentioned counsellor... I’m getting a memory that my father is a counsellor of some sort.” “Well that’s good, will you talk to your father about it?” “Probably not, if I were to seek help it should be from a stranger, but it sounds like I’ll be ok.” “By the way, great scrambled eggs, what’s your secret, they taste much better than mine.” “I don’t know if it’s a secret recipe or wether I just made it up from what was available. For what it’s worth as a recipe, I put in cheese and a little of that prepared mild mustard.” “Ah that’s the taste I couldn’t identify. I’ll remember that tip, cheese and mustard. Now tell me more about your dream.”
  3. I didn't see a thread on this already. The show's amazing. The seasons just kept getting better and better. Season 5 part 1 is playing right now and each episode thoroughly wows me. Without giving away spoilers, what they did in episode 1 was freakin' bad ass and episode 2 made me go "oh snap" like 6 times. Discuss what is quite possibly the best drama show ever made.
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