The Guardian offers an interesting look at the recent Metallica hoax as an example of viral marketing's growing power. Hoaxes, spoofs, cool stuff, and snappy satire are the stuff the net thrives on, and marketeers are trying to figure out how to harness it.

An even more fascinating look at policy analysis in the Bush administration, from a historical perspective. In the 1970s, "Team B" was a cold war intelligence group brought in to provide a devil's advocate counterpoint to the CIA's analysis. Composed of outsiders with little experience in analysis and intelligence gathering work, Team B quickly drifted towards dire predictions of the USSR's growing might based on sketchy data and presuppositions. Their influence was huge, leading to the arms buildup in the 80's. Decades later, the CIA's more conservative analysis was proved resoundingly correct. A key member of that "Team B" was none other than Paul Wolfowitz, the architect of Bush's military doctrine. Fast forward a few decades. the Office of Strategic Plans, is established to provide a 'counterpoint' to the CIA and other traditional intelligence channels in the wake of 9/11. Sound familiar? The same outsiders, the same dire predictions, but this time they have a direct line to the White House and they're cutting out the CI's more conservative analysis. Read the article, check out a few others on the web, and try googling a bit. It's definitely interesting... and a little unsettling.

From The Independent... Have you heard about the infamous No-Fly-List? That secret, secret document with the names of suspected terrorists in the US? The one that keeps innocent civilians with the same names from taking innocent flights to visit relatives? Are you jealous of their cool, anti-establishment luck? No problem! It's even easier to get onto the just as secret "Selectee" list. You'll be peered at suspiciously, perhaps strip-searched, and certainly mistrusted. How can you join? No one's really sure -- the government won't release the criteria, but individuals as innocuous as civil rights lawyers and peaceful antiwar protesters have all made the list! Sounds kind of spooky when you think about it, doesn't it?