The Long Boom

G. Beato, Soundbitten.com, August 1. 2003

From MIT researcher Tad Hirsch, in a press release announcing the creation of the American Action Market: "The Pentagon felt that a market in terrorism futures could predict terrorism. If the market is indeed such a powerful tool, then it should be directed at the most urgent question facing the world: what will the White House do next? And the second most urgent: what is it doing right now?"

According to the project's website, you'll be able to trade contracts on such things as "the next White House lie to break into the news, "the next country the White House will threaten," "the next foreign leader to move from the CIA payroll to White House 'most wanted' list," "the lifespan of various DARPA projects, such as Total Information Awareness," and "the first White House staffer to resign in disgrace."

The market is scheduled to start running on October 1st. If this project attracts substantial media attention, I'm betting that a more patriotic version of the concept will be announced in, oh, two weeks.
- posted by ARYABHATT @ 8:26 pm