Antichrist Theory?

Revelation13 is a fascinating website with some very interesting propositions:

The Antichrist (666), also called The Beast, has been identified: the Evil One is Russian President Putin! And the Antichrist Putin is the leader of a country with a nuclear arsenal that could incinerate this planet in a nuclear firestorm!

In this site Revelation 13, my method of prophecy combines Astrology and other New Age Schools, mythology, religion, the prophecies of Nostradamus, Bible Code in the King James Bible, Bible prophecy, and numerical analysis. In particular, the Book of Revelation of the Bible is discussed, including Chapter 13 on an evil dictator, the Antichrist. The Antichrist (666), also called The Beast, has been identified: the Evil One is Russian President Putin!

(Thanks to Posthuman Blues for the link)

Apocalypse When?

2012, Armageddon, Y2k, and alien invasion scenarios all have a unifying thread. A presence, a power, or an unconscious process overshadows our choices and limits our reactions. Change is derived externally by forces so powerful that our individual responses become essentially meaningless. There is something seductive and alluring about this process that provides a sustaining energy for Fringe minds drawn to apocalyptic thought.

So many aspects of our modern lives are beyond our individual control. The bureaucratic Beasts of government and multinational corporations are so removed from humanity that they seem alien and intimidating to any plebeian caught in the webs of regulations and soul-sucking phone trees that accompany our modern existence. Something seems wrong, but we cannot identify a specific cause or explanation. This alienation and nihilism, the perspective of Adbusters, metal and emo music, and despondent rebels everywhere seeps into the unconscious mind and likely contributes to the increased rates of depression in "rich" Western culture.

Resonation with apocalyptic thought could be a projection of the unconscious desire to escape from the mediated prison that has been created around us. A powerful cleansing force of change is coming to reformat existence. Repent, and look busy!

Is this resonation with apocalypse lazy thinking for minds that have given up the imposing task of taming or re-creating a world that has spun out of control? Does hope spring eternal, or is it inevitable that humans will be overwhelmed and reduced to mindless consumer automatons? Does apocalypse bring divine judgment, or are we responsible for the situation we find ourselves in?

Where is the true locus of control, and how do we communicate that to the asteroid/volcano/tsunami/black helicopter speeding our way?

Media Frenzy

Our endless mediated experience provides our minds with unprecedented stimulation. With Web, RSS, YouTube, television, radio, and print competing for our awareness, entertainment and entrainment are never far from our grasp. This deluge of information can be freeing, allowing the transmission of important information, enabling faster scientific research and fostering activism and social interaction.

The downside of this overflowing media buffet is the ease with which this media can induce a form of hypnosis on the consumer. It is so much easier to passively receive the streams of information, than to engage in more active synthesis and creative process. Even when using these new tools and media for creative expression, a quick perusal of YouTube or Technorati will show you that the majority of user generated content falls into the Bread and Circuses category. While mainstream politics occupies a significant component of the signal, it is basically reduced to noise by the inane directions in which the popular focus is steered.

Is this misdirection a Machiavellian ruse promulgated by elite puppetmasters, or a byproduct of the information overload the modern mind is presented with? Are we being programmed, or is human nature bound to obsession with celebrity, sex, and stupid jokes? These are central Fringe questions. Conspiracy theorists, skeptics, paranoids, and the disinterested may each bring an interesting perspective to the table. How do we find threads of meaning, importance, and mindfulness in the crashing waves of media confronting our minds?

Happy New Year!

Thanks for a great 2007, from the Fringe Reporter! This exploration has been exciting, and I have enjoyed trolling the internets for interesting Fringe info. My goal for the next year is to add more musings and comments in addition to the video and linky goodness. I appreciate those of you who have subscribed to the feeds, and hope that I can eventually generate more comments and discussion about these ideas and the Fringe movement in general.