I just heard about a thing called the Web Bot Project (yeah, I know, I'm probably out of the loop). Anyway, the gist of it is that it's a series of automated spiders that crawl the web looking for specific words to try to piece together a prediction of what will happen.

It was originally designed to produce stock quotes, but after a (rather nebulous) apparent prediction of the Sept. 11th terror attacks in 2001 and the power outages in NYC in 2003, it has been considered a tool for predicting the future.

Personally, I think if any predicting is going on, it's because the words we type are all about what's on our minds, and what's on our minds, ultimately, dictates the course of human events.

Not surprisingly, it predicts a worldwide calamity in 2012, as so many have... yet I'm convinced this is only because 2012 is etched into the consciousness of doomsayers.

Nonetheless, I don't think it's a good thing for this idea of doom to be given credence. Prophecies, even electronic ones, tend to be self-fulfilling, and if you're predicting doom you're going to get as good as you expect.

I plan to do a little experiment that maybe, just maybe, might change that. Here's where all of you come in.

Post the following list of words in your journal or blog with this explanation attached. The first group of words is words that the bot project might be looking for, to divert its attention toward you. The next group of words... well, it's pretty self-explanatory.

Bush Cheney Osama Bin Laden Saudi Arabia North South Korea oil Wall Street Economy Housing Subprime employment GDP Iran Iraq US UN UK Gordon Brown Nicolas Sarkozy Hillary Clinton Barack Obama John McCain U.S. Canada Currency Dollar Pound Euro Yuan Yen Ruble Rupee Peso Stock Market Islam Wahabi Sunni Shia Cuba Communism Raul Castro Hugo Chavez

peace love hope prosperity accord treaty pact parity stability stabilize compromise deal revival renewal time January 1st 2013 happiness cure health wellness wellbeing welfare happy joy bliss contentment amenity harmony reconcile reconciliation reunion survive safe safety security understanding sympathy trust freedom liberation liberty brotherhood truth empathy knowledge wisdom

Let's take back the future. Let's give them something to think about. Let's be positive for once.