Resistance is futile.
In the novel Looking Backward From 2000 to 1887 by Edward Bellamy. Who wrote that book in 1887; predicted that utopia would come from business
concentration.

That is rather than the war between
communism and capitalism that really happened, he predicted unrestrained capitalism would result inevitably in one big mother company that employed everyone.

That is business unrestrained would bring corporate international/multinational socialism

Governments would fade away as would wars.

Ahh Business Intelligence -- once considered an oxymoron, is now worth billions of dollars.

If any of you are wondering what exactly it is. Think of this scenerio. You have vast sources of data, oh, say telephone calls made on the nation's networks. You don't know what this data is "saying" (listen very very carefully)... so you get some of this data mining software, just suck up huge amounts of data (calls, recordings, faxes, credit card calls, international calls, domestic calls, cell phone calls, PC browsing, mobile internet, etc etc.)

Huge sucking sounds --- like a stoner taking a hit of a huge water bong -- all the smoke comes rising up through the water, cleansed of any particulates. Then the corporation (and the government that is working with them, and granting them immunity) takes this hit. Fills its lungs, sits back, and its mind is racing.

Using Business Intelligence software it is analysing this huge stream of data, trying to make sense of it, looking for terrorists, but also making a note of your credit card spending habits, phone banking, who you are calling, who is calling you, phone sex lines, etc. etc.

Then after a few minutes, a huge exhale spits out all of the information. And lo and behold, the whole universe makes sense (lots of pretty colors, and things are spinning a bit), but the universe is made intelligible.

Business intelligence, a way to know what you are doing and going to do, before you even do it.

In the hands of corporations trying to sell you Coco Puffs its powerful, in the hands of government, its telecom collaborators, and certain foreign intelligence agencies, its the single greatest instance of identity theft in the history of the world.

The phone company, once again, reaching out and hitting you upside your head.

$5billon bucks? You bet your ass its $5 billion bucks...

Don't count on the business world to "regenerate itself". We are entering the era of corporate power.