Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Fine Art of Media Obfuscation to Discredit Critics

A hospital bed



Summary: Recollection of what I and others have witnessed over the years in hospitals and various facilities that help save lives; the common theme seems to be Microsoft failing in catastrophic ways, causing systems to completely perish and collapse, thus costing many people their lives (a topic that media rarely even touches; it is too busy trying to poke fun or misrepresent critics of the status quo)

RECENTLY we published a number of key articles about how media had been misplacing blame after severe and sometimes complete (meaning full stack, comprehensive and wide-ranging -- from back end to front end) Microsoft Windows cracks in hospitals. It's nothing that a reboot can fix (systems down, data like medical records copied by rogue actors, typically with data loss too; the last element makes it akin to actual theft because the originals too were gone or locked out of reach for days if not weeks). This is no laughing matter; many people die due to that every day (several aspects to it; it can be broken down into pertinent but overlapping categories of harm). Based on media reports, some of which we collated before, this happens quite routinely. Even setting aside only the publicly-reported incidents (a subset of the whole and limited to one language), we're probably dealing here with thousands of hospitals. Thousands. Many millions of patients. Actual lives at stake. Families, friends...



Hospitals typically belittle the impact in their face-saving, damage-limiting moves and carefully-crafted statements, assisted by PR-esque operatives in local media. Things are, we're often told, far worse than media leads people to believe. The press coverage, in that regard, does more harm than good. It's misinforming the public. Moreover, the real culprits aren't being held accountable. They're painted as ignorant victims. In the same way a Microsoft co-founder, a longtime 'class bully', closely associating with known sexual predators is just a "mistake" and "I'm really, really sorry..." (or regret)

"We recently noticed a growing number of wacky claims about Bill Gates."The media sure knows how to use particular words, Googlebomb the Web, and avoid the mention of particular words. This is their art, the fine art of what they sometimes call "professional journalism" but is actually spin for media owners and barons who 'rent' such media space. It's one of many rogue elements in the media and it's quite likely why Richard Stallman is no longer at MIT and the FSF (we wrote a lot about that last year). It certainly helped distract from what Bill Gates had done at MIT -- as revealed just days prior to the "War on Stallman" (based on misrepresentation of things he had said... not even privately). Some people have called it "Free software 9/11"; that's not to say that Stallman is above criticism; but he certainly -- like almost everyone out there -- has something that can be massively condemned to cause a Web storm, blackmail organisations into kicking him out and so on. People who believe they're robust to such media frenzies are deluding themselves. Libel too can be made up to suit objectives; only to be admitted as such after the "mission" was "accomplished"... (too late for justice, retraction and redemption)

But this article isn't about Stallman. It's mostly about the media. It's about how media deals -- if at all -- with the impact of Windows on people's health and well-being. We have a lot left to say in future parts, which we work on meticulously to ensure accuracy. We have supporting evidence.

We recently noticed a growing number of wacky claims about Bill Gates. We don't want to reproduce them here. Yesterday someone even linked to Techrights in Twitter, claiming that Bill Gates was female.

"Then there's all that "QAnon" nonsense, which we responded to several times lately."Some rather baseless and usually nutty claims aren't a new thing; it's not limited to Gates either. There are many people online who also claim that Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama are secretly male. That doesn't mean it merits any attention. We'd rather write nothing about Bill Gates than deal with utter nonsense; we prefer to focus on the real issues rather than write anything which later turns out to be less than accurate, including some of the Coronavirus "conspiracy theories". We don't have time for that. The old articles which we published are read a lot these days. These are actually accurate, but they're often misinterpreted by those with an agenda, looking to sell their "conspiracy theories" (e.g. so-called "plandemic").

Then there's all that "QAnon" nonsense, which we responded to several times lately. These people do a lot of damage by false association. They serve to make 'caricatures' of legitimate critics and good, facts-based research with hard evidence. Some people have joked that those idiots exist for a purpose and that purpose is to distract and discredit.

There are protests around the world at the moment against Bill Gates (links omitted; journalism about this has been shoddy and patronising). The media obviously mischaracterises these or uses these to collectively mischaracterise critics of Gates. They're spun as reckless people who are a hazard to public health and safety. That's not at all what they are however... and there's an element of partisanship to it ("either you're with Bill or with anti-vaccination people").

"...some 'genius' decided to replace GNU/Linux on our supercomputers with some experimental and rapidly-failing Windows thing (which Microsoft advertised heavily at the time).""Reassuring" is what an associate of ours called the protests, but he worries about how media frames these, sometimes collectively (we saw people who attend these; they're no "k00ks"). "Note the parallels in tactics used to promote 5G these days. The debate has been ignored and the media's attention has shifted to the chaos created by disinformation and crackpottery spread via Facebook by groups paid for by various interests. One example there is that the impact on weather radar is abandoned in favor of how stupid it is to think that radio waves cause virus outbreaks. That's some serious propaganda kung fu there. Bill's team has been using saturate, diffuse, and confuse tactics against all media, not just what they bribe, for many years now. Lately it is many orders of magnitude worse though. I am concerned that there's a reason for that, otherwise they would not spend the money. tldr; they make heavy use of this fallacy..."

This takes us back to the role of Windows in hospitals -- often a fatal/lethal role. The media is happy to speak about a great number of COVID-19 casualties to push particular agenda of particular companies (there are some who profit from online shopping). Where were those journalists when people with cancer had scans and critical operations canceled due to Windows issues? Or when thousands of people per day, in one single hospital, could not receive treatment because their medical records could not be retrieved? Or, as I've seen at work, research into medical symptoms was interrupted by Microsoft vandalism...

A long time ago, more than 15 years ago, I volunteered to do some MRI scans for a colleague's research. I was sent home after the machine had 'crashed' (Windows); suffice to say, that machine was out of service for the rest of that day. My understanding is that these machines have since then been switched to Linux. I saw a lot of things and heard a lot of things as a student in a medical faculty. And since I'm no longer there I can safely speak about some of these things though I lack paper/digital notes of those things.

"We were forced by a crazy, Microsoft-connected journalist turned failed store owner, turned medical administrator for the clinic," told me a person once upon a time, to move to "everything Microsoft". The person "brought in some real assholes who installed performance-killing spyware on FDA approved systems against the vendor's recommendation. Their sloppiness and refusal to remove the spyware got them kicked out, and ultimately doomed the administrator, but not before [the administrator] fired my wonderful Free software-aware IT person and caused an insurmountable rift between the doctors that nearly ruined the practice."

"The IT successors," continued this person, "chosen by the crazy administrator, eliminated our Free software infrastructure and put everything on Microsoft IIS. They claimed it was required by the medical records system they put in place, but they could have set up a dummy server for that crap."

I'll always remember how, way back around 2005 when I was a doctoral student, some 'genius' decided to replace GNU/Linux on our supercomputers with some experimental and rapidly-failing Windows thing (which Microsoft advertised heavily at the time). It caused an uproar, resignations, and was technically a failure, of course. I personally raised concerns too (which is risky when you're merely a student), wrote about it in my personal blog at the time (it predates this site), and saw it bringing medical research we were doing to a standstill.

Microsoft just wanted to use us as an experiment; "marketing..."

I don't suppose the press ever told the world that catastrophic story. Nobody would pay for such a story to be written; neither the Gates Foundation nor Microsoft...

Recent Techrights' Posts

"Use Wayland" Isn't a Bugfix for X (X11 is Still Necessary)
They tell us X is "dead" and we must all be herded into Wayland ASAP
The New Head of OSI is an "Hey Hi" (AI) Obsessed Person
when Bryant says "AI" that doesn't mean AI
"Governments, local authorities, schools and hospitals can lead by example by procuring only Free Software"
Crossposted from Tux Machines
Cindy Cohn Leaving the Electronic Frontier Foundation While Its Co-founder John Gilmore, Whom She Apparently Helped Oust, Will Celebrate 40 Years of the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
EFF has been busy hoarding GAFAM money, whereas the latter is where all the real activism is done
"Google is Googlebombing KDE's Project Banana"
So is Google googlebombing KDE's Project Banana? You decide.
Some Very Large IRC Networks Are Growing
IRC will turn 38 next year
 
Slopwatch: Google News is Slop, Google News is Plagiarism, Google News is Dying
Google is off the rails
Links 16/09/2025: "The Censorship Alarm Is Ringing in the Wrong Direction" and ASRock Does Microsoft E.E.E. on GNU/Linux
Links for the day
Serious "Breach of Confidentiality of Personal Data" in Europe's Second-Largest Institution, the EPO
Yes, the same EPO that routinely uses "data protection" and "GDPR" as a pretext for hiding or covering up its corruption and white-collar crimes (it even uses that as an excuse for refusing to obey courts' orders)
Adrienne Rockenhaus Says Her Husband Was Arrested for Running Tor and Denied Basic Rights in the United States
the US seems to be getting "russified" in its approach towards Tor
This is What Happens When Microsoft Canonical Lets Decisions on Ubuntu be Made by a Youngster From the British Army (Where He Did Mass Surveillance)
"Is Ubuntu Compromised?"
Back Doored Windows Giving GNU/Linux a Hard Time (Under the Guise of 'Security')
Is this complication intentional? Most likely, yes
Links 16/09/2025: Science, Security, and Conflicts
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/09/2025: Command-line Options in POSIX Shell and Introducing Acre 0.9
Links for the day
Microsoft 'Secure' Boot Versus Dual Boot With GNU/Linux
they're meant to assume everything is OK
Links 16/09/2025: While Oracle Pretends to be Rich It's Firing About 70 MySQL Workers, "Oracle's Revenge" (Faking Demand With "AI")
Links for the day
Microsoft Has Just Published a New Web Page About "Secure Boot Update Process" (Microsoft Also Admits Issues; PCs Can Stop Booting)
Why was this page issued and published only hours ago?
Microsoft Lunduke: I Spread Hate and Then I Receive Hate
Cry us a river, Microsoft Lunduke
"Disable Secure Boot and Fast Boot. Wipe and Start Over."
At least they didn't say, buy a new computer...
The Oracle Ponzi Scheme
Oracle isn't doing well, but it's nowadays fashionable to say "clown" and "hey hi" to prop up one's stock, even based on nothing at all
Taking Out the Battery, Opening Up Your Computer, Just Like a "Normie" Would
At this stage, any person who still says "enable Secure Boot" is misguided or persuaded by companies that sell rootkits
Slopwatch: Serial Sloppers and Slopfarms Still Infesting Google News (Fake 'Articles' About "Linux" Spreading FUD)
searching for "Linux" today yields a lot of FUD
The Reach of Techrights Has Broadened
We nowadays cover a broader range of issues
Complicating Things for No Actual Benefit, Just Added Risk and More Difficulties Adding GNU/Linux and BSDs
Watch what it's like for people who wish to use BSDs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 15, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 15, 2025
Links 16/09/2025: Autumn Party, RPG Planet, and Optical ROOPHLOCH
Links for the day
Geminispace Growing at Pace of Over 10% Per Year
Contrary to what some pessimists try to claim
Linux Mint Forums Today: Disable 'Secure Boot', It Doesn't Improve Security, It's Just a Microsoft Obstacle to GNU/Linux Users
They also mention MOK
What Ruben Amorim and Stefano Maffulli Have in Common
Censors Wikipedia and Social Control Media
Microsoft Won't Cooperate in Trying to Tackle EPO Corruption (Microsoft Profits From This Corruption)
Use something like BigBlueButton, Jami, Ring, and Jitsi instead
Solved Less Than an Hour Ago: Trying to Escape Windows, 'Secure Boot' Gets in the Way
'Secure Boot' wasn't meant to even exist in the first place
Stefano Maffulli, Executive Director of the Open Source Initiative, Resigns or Gets Removed (We'll Continue Covering OSI Scandals)
A dozen mentions of "AI", not much about "Open Source"
Andy Has Just Nailed It (Regarding Complexity and Failure, a la UEFI)
The users no longer own or control what they buy
Compatibility Support Module (CSM) Versus GNU/Linux Simplicity
what Andy recently called "solutionism"
Links 15/09/2025: "Postal Traffic to US Down by Over 80%" and 'Smart' Spinozacampus Laundry Room Goes AWOL
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/09/2025: Dungeon Hustle and Deleting Oneself From the Net
Links for the day
Breach of EPO's Duty of Care or Cigna Reimbursement Issues
This is the sort of thing that motivated Luigi Mangione to assassinate a CEO
Ask Ubuntu About "Secure Boot" Violation and Laptops That Don't Boot GNU/Linux
Does anyone still believe that "Secure Boot" has anything at all to do with security?
We Are Sad to Hear the Story of Jonathan Riddell, Champion of KDE and GNU/Linux on Desktops/Laptops
I have enormous respect for Jonathan and everything he has done
Talking About the Problem vs Talking to the Problem
Wanting an audience is never a good excuse for compromising one's values and principles
Focusing on Patents
The reason we cover the EPO so much is that it's close to home
"Secure Boot Violation": The 'Joys' of Fake Security Gone Wrong
Not everyone reboots every day
Links 15/09/2025: Russia Invades Romanian Airspace, Penske Media Sues Google Over LLM Slop
Links for the day
Links 15/09/2025: Bitcoin ATMs Scam and "Conservative Cryptography" (Backdoors Fantasies)
Links for the day
EPO Imitates Microsoft: "Three Days or More Per Week" Inside the Office to Get a Desk to Work on; "the Office Breaches Its Promise Towards Staff and Acts in Breach of Its Duty of Care"
The EPO serves no actual function in Europe
Links 15/09/2025: Political Affairs, Censorship, and Copyrights
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/09/2025: Music Genres, Invisible Networks, and Akademy 2025
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 14, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 14, 2025
Satya's Plan B: Try to Hide the Massive Extent/Scale/Scope of Microsoft Layoffs
fewer people buy Microsoft
Red Hat News About De Facto Mass Layoffs (Bluewashing) Gone From Reddit (Censored by Gatekeepers), Still Online in The Register
With RTOs, PIPs, relocation etc. expect IBM to "shed off" many Red Hatters
UEFI "Secure Boot Doesn’t Play Nice at the Moment"
UEFI "Secure Boot" does not improve security. It's an artificial obstacle in service of monopoly.
Gemini Links 14/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH, Music, and Reddit
Links for the day
If You Want to "make your 'Windows PC' lean, mean, and fast" You Will Install GNU/Linux or Some BSD
That kind of article says a lot about IDG
Slopwatch: Google News Infested With Slop (About Half of the Results for "Linux" Today)
This is the sort of junk one finds when looking for "Linux" in Google News these days
Links 14/09/2025: Ricky Hatton Dies and McDonald's Declares War on Tipping Culture
Links for the day
Links 14/09/2025: Disasters for CEOs Obsessed With Slop and Slop Companies School Like Fish
Links for the day
"Bad Shim Signature" (Microsoft 'Secure' Boot)
"Fresh install not booting"
What Microsoft Garrett and Microsoft Lunduke Have in Common
Similar tactics, different "wings"
Links 14/09/2025: US "Economy Sagging", "Michigan Economy Wobbles From Tariffs"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 14/09/2025: Minimalist Snippet Manager and Omarchy Linux
Links for the day
The Face of the Digital Far Right: Microsoft Lunduke
Microsoft Lunduke is an online extremist that belongs to and panders to the far right
20 Years Later and Academia Isn't the Same
"I never dreamed of being a professor"
'Cancel Culture' by the Right: Microsoft Lunduke Contacts People's Employers Trying to Get Them Fired
Microsoft Lunduke panders to extremists online
"Bad Shim Signature"; So 'Secure' That It Overrides Users' Preferences and Turns Itself Back on (Coercive Measure)
This was a few hours ago
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 13, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 13, 2025