http://www.hillmole.com/ Life is But a Dream en Copyright 2008 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:21:34 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Berlin is known as the "poor but sexy" city, according to Mayor Klaus Wowereit. Berlin's unemployment rate is 17.20%, which is astounding. Berlin is also multicultural, drawing people from around Europe and the world. It is probably one of the more difficult environments to make a spy. Making an intelligence operator requires recognizing patterns and this is easiest in homogenous cultures. It's a snap in Washington, where everyone is pretty much defined on what they do and where they work. In Washington, and much of the United States, people are pretty routine. It is pretty unlikely that upstanding citizens will vary from this routine very much in their course of their daily lives, especially when their livelihoods depend on it. Berlin, however, is a city rife with artists, musicians, opportunists, and the unemployed. Even those Berliners who have good, reputable, jobs enjoy quite a lot of vacation and flexibility. To make it even harder, traveling around Berlin, Germany, and around the world is relatively cheap due to subsidized public transport and discount airlines. Of course, added complexity comes from the richness of immigrant, expatriot, and tourist culture. The variety of languages spoken on a daily basis is dizzying. Berlin is an international, heterogeneous, city plop in the middle of one of the most homogenous countries on the planet. Even Germans are confounded since they're only good at discerning "German" and "not German." Sometimes, this is really all that is important, even when non-German are natural citizens of Germany. If you're not ethnically German, you'll probably never be accepted as German. Whatever the case may be, this holds little bearing in Berlin where difference is not simply tolerated but celebrated. When it comes to coercion and blackmail, Berlin is tough. One cannot gain control over another operator simply by threatening to expose dirty laundry. While that may work in the rest of Germany, in Berlin, with its culture of exploration and experimentation, most of the usual secrets and fetishes are not simply embraced but promoted. In Berlin, prostitution is legal, drugs are not a high priority, infidelity is uncommon but no reason for panic -- most Berliners never marry and have children with more than one partner, which is pretty normal and accepted. And, when it comes to antisocial activities, residents of Berlin are pretty low key. In a city with high unemployment but also generous social services, breaking with the generous-but-strict laws is neither amusing or rewarding. Generally speaking, the only Berliners who are considered to be a menace are the skinheads and white supremacists and they're easy to identify -- they fly their own flag, if you will, and are covered in tattoos -- and generally politically and commercially unimportant and uninteresting. It will be interesting to see if I will be better able to tune my pattern recognition machine and maybe develop some better filters and more discernment. Until then, I am going to err on the side of flagging false positives -- I would much prefer to be a little paranoid than getting even one false negative, that's for certain. http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/12/making_a_spy_in.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/12/making_a_spy_in.html Berlin Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:21:34 -0500 "Trust, but Verify."]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/12/how_well_do_you.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/12/how_well_do_you.html Deception affirmation alls ambiguity array beens boss brain brains colors community complexity conjecture consistency couples creatures cues cultures discernment dislike doe environments evenings exercise experiences feelings fellow goode goodness habit heart hearts humanities image images integrity intention interaction liking listener littl love man maps masks mentality mole onli participants pastes pathologies pattern recognition people perception perceptions personal personality personalization physics possibilities predator prey reagan recognition engines repetition resourcefulness respondents sadness service shooter simplicity sketch social social situations socialism socialization sociopath sorts spending time taked target terrorists titilation train trains two ways Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:34:41 -0500 you're not in the big league until you have a client disappeared!]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/05/when_business_i.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/05/when_business_i.html Business Intelligence Discretion Engagement Intelligence Operations Propaganda Spycraft Technology oligarch oligarchy online intelligence online reputation Russia Soviet Union spycraft Sat, 10 May 2008 08:47:46 -0500 Public Relations following-up to his 1928 book, Propaganda. Essentially, Bernays was able to rebrand and relaunch a military and wartime word associated with oppression into something that was perceived as being transparent and friendly -- and opportunity for organizations, governments, and corporations to be able to better expose themselves to their members, citizens, and customers. Before Propaganda became public relations, there were advertising, marketing, and publicity firms. It wasn't until the work in psychoanalysis by Bernays' uncle, Sigmund Freud, became popularized and utilized in professional communications and propaganda that modern propaganda was born. Or, at least, until public relations because a more acceptable euphemism for such a tarnished word. Today, of course, even PR is considered tarnished and sleazy. PR is popularly called "spin" and the entire industry has been painted as using manipulative, calculating, and lethal campaign strategies on behalf of their clients. As a term, PR has been replaced by marketing and communications. Even so -- and whatever it may be called or labeled -- public relations works, whether used in wartime or in times of peace; to placate a populace or to encourage consumerism; or to repair the reputation of an entire country or just as a way of removing the egg off of the face of a indiscreet CEO. In fact, if used judiciously and long-term, PR can and does groom entire cultures towards destinations both known and unknown, the consequences of which can often be anticipated and mostly planned for. No doubt that PR is a compelling industry and effective whether or not anyone believes in it any more. Actually, the less people are guarded against the effect of messaging, communications, the media, PR, marketing, advertising, publicity, and sales (and they are beginning to collaborate more and more), the more effective these tools and methods become. To quote Baudelaire, la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas! Or, in English, the devil's best trick is to persuade you that he doesn't exist!]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/05/public_relation.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/05/public_relation.html Affairs Deception Intelligence Operations Propaganda Public Relations Statecraft Baudelaire Edward Bernays information PR propaganda Public Relations publicist publicity Sigmund Freud Mon, 05 May 2008 09:20:18 -0500 I felt cornered and unsafe in Washington. The pavement felt hot and everything seemed like it was falling apart. Most people I knew I felt like I didn't know. The others had moved away. After all that has happened, I gladly took an opportunity to sublet an apartment in Berlin. W made all the arrangements. W friend moved me into his former apartment. I never really thought about it, but I am here as a direct result of W's time and energy and I am beholden to him. Of course, I speak no German and have never had any passion or dream to move to Germany. That said, moving here does satiate a lifetime desire to expatriate to Europe. The vision was Paris, but Berlin is said to be the new Paris, the new New York, the new San Francisco. I guess I moved from one Nation's Capital to another, Bundeshauptstadt. From my first impression, Berlin might well be as saturated in international intrigue as it was twenty years ago. It rings of subtext and safe houses. It smells of statecraft and spycraft. All underground railroads seem to lead to Berlin. They call it multiculti but I think that maybe Berlin is a safehouse all its own. It really doesn't matter. The city is civilized and safe, the people are generous, and all the trains still run on time. Below the surface, however, there is something going on. I just received my residency papers and I will be required to perform 300 hours of language training and 50 hours of German integration training. At the end of the day, I think the secret to becoming a Berliner is to receive the 300 plus 50 hours gladly and with a certain amount of civic and national pride. Otherwise, I fear, to not gladly integrate can result in some prejudice from both the government and her people. http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/05/upon_moving_to.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2008/05/upon_moving_to.html Berlin Country Patriotism Berlin Bundeshauptstadt Germany hauptstadt Integration language course prejudice Thu, 01 May 2008 13:28:36 -0500 "here I am, with the woman I love, and she knows nothing at all about me -- who I really am -- and I think I will take this time to reveal myself to her;" or, it could be, "here I am, alone in the world, unmarried and unmarriageable -- I have nothing and no one, what do I have to lose? Fuck it." Both are self-destructive and invariably result in an unacceptable security risk. Better leave New Years to the fools and the amateurs. Remember, you'll never lose your wife and family if you just stay home and act like an old fart, unable to stay awake until the ball drops; you'll never find a wife if you're out and about getting pissed while being pissed. In both cases, your career, family, health, life, the lives of the men and women with whom you work, and national security are better served if you just stay in on New Year's Eve.]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/12/stay_home_on_ne.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/12/stay_home_on_ne.html Country Cover Discretion Honor Intelligence Operations Security Spycraft Tactics Technique Valor Vulnerability Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:46:53 -0500 golden. Then and only then would I recommend it. Being a sociopath wouldn't hurt, either. Remember: the lie, the privacy, and the discrete nature of the affair hinges on your weakest link: your lover. Don't assume that pillowtalk and postcoital promises are worth anything. Come on, soldier, you're smarter than that!]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/11/how_to_cheat_on.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/11/how_to_cheat_on.html Affairs Corruption Deception Discretion Operations Security Surveillance Training Thu, 23 Nov 2006 22:02:52 -0500 When you are cheating on a spouse or significant other, you are lying to someone, being private from someone -- someone who knows you even better in some cases than you know yourself. When one maintains discretion, when one maintains privacy, it is essential to spend as much energy as possible avoiding attention or from bringing attention to yourself. Once you're under scrutiny, human nature makes it nearly impossible to remain discrete, to keep the secret, to keep on message, to maintain believability, and to keep from contradicting yourself or paint yourself into a corner. http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/11/it_takes_two_to_1.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/11/it_takes_two_to_1.html Affairs Concealment Corruption Cover Deception Discretion Honor Operations Propaganda Recruitment Security Seduction Surveillance Tactics Technique Training Vulnerability Thu, 23 Nov 2006 22:01:52 -0500 My advice to those of you who believe you are having a secret love affair or have had a discrete one night stand: 1) it takes two to tango and if one of you confides with or brags to anyone (guys brag and women confide) it isn't a secret 2) if your secret love affair or one-night-stand also involves infidelity, you aren't merely keeping a secret, you're being a liar; furthermore, you are also the target of one or more interested parties. It is much easier keeping a secret, being discrete, or maintaining privacy if you keep below the radar; keeping below the radar is easier when you're unattached because there is little interest in either outcome or eventuality. http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/11/it_takes_two_to.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2006/11/it_takes_two_to.html Affairs Concealment Corruption Cover Deception Discretion Operations Patience Security Seduction Surveillance Tactics Technique Tradecraft Training Vulnerability Thu, 23 Nov 2006 22:00:03 -0500 "When war becomes literally continuous, it also ceases to be dangerous. When war is continuous there is no such thing as military necessity. Technical progress can cease and the most palpable facts can be denied or disregarded." "War" can of course be replaced by "crime" or "terrorism" domestically. It all preys on fear and insecurity. Its why a wife might allow her husband to keep guns at hand in a house bursting with children. For security. And when a public official seeths with rage and indignance on TV these days, its usually over a leak to the press that makes it impossible to deny and disregard the erosion of the perceived privacies and freedoms of the American people by its stewards, the American Federal Government (and city and state government in the case of crime and terrorism). The rage and indignance shown by the public official is not about this erosion of privacy and freedom but rather the erosion of the perception -- of being exposed.]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/12/constant_peace.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/12/constant_peace.html Security Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:27:52 -0500 true blowback of American global interventionism? The American government has always monitored its citizens in one form or another. Come on, think. Think hard! There is a cadre of very serious, very dangerous, and very patriotic Americans making sure you can sleep safely all night, every night. Since Americans fancy ourselves proud, private, and free, this has always been something artfully denied. Under duress, the powers that be call any notion of a panopticon, or domestic intelligence gathering, of spying on Americans in America by Americans to be paranoid and the rantings of conspiracy theorists. Smart Americans remember that the majority of resources spent in spycraft -- especially with regards the issue of domestistic surveillance -- is spent on protecting us naive and hopeful American citizens as to how sausage is made, what the making of sausage entails, and of what sausage is comprised. Grisly, indeed.]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/12/making_sausage.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/12/making_sausage.html Surveillance Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:31:20 -0500 "speak now, or forever hold your peace" bait you to reacting. Take your time, take a breath, take a nap. If its not your plan you're walking into be especially careful. It is impossible to be ambushed if you're not there. When you feel pressured by time or by situation, remember that you don't need to do anything. The time constraint is artificial and intentionally fashioned to coerce you to act under duress. Heroism rule one: don't be a hero. Heroism rule two: act, never react.]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/12/good_things_com.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/12/good_things_com.html Tactics Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:01:41 -0500 Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity. Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation. Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath. Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. I for one am especially vulnerable to pride. In addition to pride, most in Washington are vulnerable to lust, greed, and anger.]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/11/toppling_govern.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/11/toppling_govern.html Corruption Deception Mole Seduction Technique Vulnerability Mon, 21 Nov 2005 13:49:39 -0500 discretion. Governments can be toppled leveraging just one or more of the seven deadly sins. In this case pride.]]> http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/11/the_best_spy_is.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/11/the_best_spy_is.html Recruitment Mon, 21 Nov 2005 13:37:48 -0500 Spycraft is an entirely different craft in a world wherein everyone carries a camera phone, a video iPod, a Blackberry, and a 7 megapixel camera that is easily smaller than a pack of smokes. Not only can many of these devices capture intelligence on their very own (and the 7+ megapixel cameras are especially useful, but more on that later) but all the other devices can either convey intelligence (the iPod is actually a 512M-60G hard drive) or be rewired with bugs and mics and GPS devices. Who would ever know? All these devices short of the iPod Shuffle have enough extra space in them for a 2006 model listening device/GPS combo. And you would be none the wiser. http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/11/the_ipod_as_lis.html http://www.hillmole.com/archives/2005/11/the_ipod_as_lis.html Tradecraft Sun, 20 Nov 2005 10:33:25 -0500