Welcome to Argleton, which doesn't exist

by | Nov 6, 2009

How strange to find life imitating Philip K. Dick in such a precise fashion. The town of Argleton, England exists only on Google Maps, and, just exactly like PKD's protagonist in the story "The Commuter" going to find a non-place, someone goes to find Argleton, revealing only empty fields. Online, the town has businesses, addresses and all of the attributes of any municipality.Of course, much more happens in the story. I guess we'll have to stay tuned to see if similar events unfold for this gentleman, as excerpted from the Telegraph UK:

Roy Bayfield, head of corporate marketing at what would be Argleton's closest university, Edge Hill, in Ormskirk, was so intrigued by the mystery that he walked to the where the internet indicated was the centre of Argleton to check that there was definitely nothing there. …

"I started to weave this amazing fantasy about the place, an alternative universe, a Narnia-like world. I was really fascinated by the appearance of a non-existent place that the internet had the power to make real and give a semi-existence."

When Mr Bayfield reached Argleton – which appears on Google Maps between Aughton and Aughton Park – he found just acres of green, empty fields.

Of course, this being the contemporary world and not PKD's paranoid reality, the town of Argleton will probably turn out to be some ad exec's plan to invade our consciousness for a video game or a bad movie. I mean, the dude who went to find it is himself a "head of corporate marketing," which gives the story a certain suspicious air.

ADDITIONAL:

Two other interesting matters. First up, further proof that deregulation of business tends to create higher profits. Which is just great, unless (or perhaps until) the method of achieving them is deception at the expense of your personal health. A little balance seems in order.

Consumer Reports’ latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of Bisphenol A (BPA). The results are reported in the December 2009 issue and also available online. … In addition, BPA was found in some products labeled as “organic” and some cans that claimed to be “BPA-free.”

Second, a fascinating look at dramatic editing to change the entire meaning of something. This is about an Al Gore hit from last spring, but it resurfaced as conventional wisdom in a New York Times piece by John Broder today. Here's the full rundown (a short excerpt wouldn't help in this case), from this very interesting blog post:

On the May 1 edition of The O’Reilly Factor, during a segment suggesting that former Vice President Al Gore has profited from his advocacy of renewable energy and climate change mitigation, guest host Laura Ingraham presented clips of Gore’s April 24 congressional testimony that had been edited to remove his statements that he donates the money he makes from his climate-related work to a non-profit organization.

Introducing the segment, Ingraham stated: “It seems that being green does pay big time — just ask Al Gore. Mr. Global Warming was worth about $2 million or so when he left office in 2001, but after eight years of tirelessly working to save the world, the planet, he’s now reportedly — get this — worth a whopping $100 million. His financial windfall came up at last week’s Capitol Hill hearing.” Ingraham then aired the following selectively edited clips from Gore’s testimony:

REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): Is the legislation that we are discussing here today, is that something that you are going to personally benefit from?

GORE: If you believe that the reason I have been working on this issue for 30 years is because of greed, you don’t know me.

GORE: I’ve been willing to put my money where my mouth is. Do you think there’s something wrong with being active in business in this country?

BLACKBURN: I am simply asking for clarification –

GORE: I’m proud of it.

BLACKBURN: — of the relationship.

GORE: I’m proud of it.

The full exchange from the hearing is included below, with the parts Ingraham provided in italics, and Gore’s relevant responses — which were omitted from the O’Reilly Factor segment — in bold:

BLACKBURN: So you’re a partner in Kleiner Perkins. OK. Now, they have invested about a billion dollars in 40 companies that are going to benefit from cap-and-trade legislation. So is the legislation that we are discussing here today, is that something that you are going to personally benefit from?

GORE: I believe that the transition to a green economy is good for our economy and good for all of us, and I have invested in it. But every penny that I have made, I have put right into a nonprofit, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to spread awareness of why we have to take on this challenge.

And Congresswoman, if you’re — if you believe that the reason I have been working on this issue for 30 years is because of greed, you don’t know me.

BLACKBURN: Sir, I’m not making accusations, I’m asking questions that have been asked of me and individuals — constituents that were seeking a point of clarity, so I am asking you for that point of — point of clarity.

GORE: I understand exactly what you’re doing, Congresswoman. Everybody here does.

BLACKBURN: And, well — you know, are you willing to divest yourself of any profit? Does all of it go to a not-for-profit that is an educational not-for-profit –

GORE: Every penny that I have made –

BLACKBURN: Every penny –

GORE: – has gone to it. Every penny from the movie, from the book, from any investments in renewable energy. I’ve been willing to put my money where my mouth is. Do you think there’s something wrong with being active in business in this country?

BLACKBURN: I am simply asking for clarification –

GORE: I’m proud of it.

BLACKBURN: – of the relationship.

GORE: I’m proud of it.