Using hackers as a national resource
September 14, 2011
Misha Glenny's TED talk entitled "Hire the Hackers" was sent to me about a dozen times today. I was reminded of the excerpt below taken from my 1995 thesis. Reviewing it after all these years, it is not perfect, but does raise some important points and the central theme still rings true. Step Seven: Use Hackers as a National Resource The digital underground should be viewed as an asset to the United States. They use illegal means to satisfy their curiosity about the workings of computer technology because the system has denied them other means of accessing the digital realm they love. Harvard Law professor Laurence H. Tribe even suggests that access to technology may be a required goal of democratic society. He states: It’s true that…
Realizing the Metaverse
September 5, 2011
I've got some thoughts on virtual worlds just posted on TechGrid: "In reading the book, it really makes one wonder why we haven’t created better instances of virtual worlds in today’s technology environment. The closest thing to the OASIS of Cline’s novel is Second Life, but it still has a lot of shortcomings. It got me wondering what are some of the minimal requirements that could improve upon the virtual world we already have that would make it more valuable in a social and business context. The goal is to make it the type of environment a virtual worker would be logged into in conducting their daily business (coding, writing blog posts, etc). Here are some ideas…" Source: Realizing the Metaverse — TechGrid
It always amazes me…
July 13, 2011
to discover which posts are the most popular on this site. The 24 Ringtone is the top post by far along with the 23 Devices my iPhone has replaced, followed by complaints about SpamHaus and DirecTV. My prediction essays get a fair bit of traffic, but nothing compared to the four posts above. Even after all these years, I still get email from people asking to help them with their SpamHaus issues.
The impact of emergent technology
December 7, 2010
From an interview with William Gibson: "One of the things that’s unknowable is how humanity will use any new technology. No one imagines that we’d wind up with a world that looks like this on the basis of the technology that’s emerged in the last hundred years. Emergent technology is the most powerful single driver of change in the world, and it has been forever. Technology trumps politics. Technology trumps religion. It just does. And that’s why we are where we are now. It seems so self-evident to me that I can never go to that Technology: threat or menace? position. Okay, well, if we don’t do this, what are we going to do? This is not only what we do, it’s literally who we are as a species. We’ve become something other than what our…
MacBook Air – the Missing Sync
October 20, 2010
I'm excited to take a look at the new MacBook Air laptops that Apple released today. Excellent form factor with decent performance might make them the ultimate travel machines. It seems clear that these devices are targeted at folks who already have a computer, but want a portable computer for when they are out and about. Thinking about how this model applies to me, the MacBook Air is a perfect device, with one significant shortcoming. I want it to sync with iTunes on my desktop. It occurs to me that managing my media library on these devices is a huge hinderance. I have a Mac Pro desktop that stores by massive music library and makes it available over my home network to any connected device. However, when I am on the road, none of…
‘Stuxnet’ Worm Far More Sophisticated Than Previously Thought
September 15, 2010
Interesting revelation. One major red flag associated with this worm was the fact that folks were claiming it got distributed widely via removable media. Turns out that might not be the case... "As first reported on July 15 by KrebsOnSecurity.com, Stuxnet uses a vulnerability in the way Windows handles shortcut files to spread to new systems. Experts say the worm was designed from the bottom up to attack so-called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, or those used to manage complex industrial networks, such as systems at power plants and chemical manufacturing facilities. The worm was originally thought to spread mainly through the use of removable drives, such as USB sticks. But roughly two weeks after news of…
Please support Pedaling for Patriots!
September 11, 2010
Over the past few months, it has been an honor to work with Rob and Kim Richer on their dream to ride their bikes (pedaling kind) from coast to coast to raise awareness and money for the CIA Officers Memorial Fund. They started their ride today and are documenting everything on the website Pedaling For Patriots. If you can make a donation to this great cause, please do. In the least, please spread the word to your friends and colleagues by linking to their site on your blogs, Facebook and Twitter streams. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Snapshot in time – September 11, 2001
September 11, 2010
A few interesting screenshots from the Terrorism Research Center on September 11, 2001. Here is a message that Neal Pollard and I wrote that greeted our visitors when they first hit the terrorism.com domain. Having founded the company on the 1st anniversary of the OKC bombing we were sensitive to drawing too many conclusions too soon and were worried about the backlash against Muslim Americans. In reality, we had already drawn some of our own conclusions and were sharing them with our customers and colleagues. However, given we were the top result for "terrorism" on Google and were getting millions of visitors, we felt we had a responsibility to provide calm consistent messaging focusing energy on the rescue operations. Several months…
Furthering the Field: A Comprehensive Program for Cyber Conflict Studies
September 10, 2010
Furthering the Field: A Comprehensive Program for Cyber Conflict Studies *Revised and Updated Invitation* The Cyber Conflict Studies Association invites you a one-day conference on 21 September 2010 to review and discuss six ongoing studies in cyber conflict, with a keynote address by Richard A. Clarke. The principal investigators and authors have a broad range of international experience – from the White House to Wall Street, academics and PhDs to cyber warfare practitioners and lawyers. Please join us to hear about and participate in these on-going studies: Strategic Cyber Conflict Issues by Dr. James Mulvenon International and U.S. Legal Issues for Cyber Conflict by Eneken Tikk and Maeve Dion Cyber Conflict at the Operational Level…
iPad first impressions
April 4, 2010
This is an excellent device. Category changer like the iPhone was with smart phones. I'm typing this post on my iPad with a paired bluetooth keyboard and it is a great combination with a total weight of less than two pounds and no keyboard in the way when I don't need it on planes and trains. Lots of complaints that this is a consumption device and not a creation device. While that argument is reasonable, I think the contrarian pundits aren't thinking outside the box. If I could get Coda for iPad I'd be a happy camper....are you listening Panic Software?
Thoughts on the iPad
January 28, 2010
I'm really excited to add the iPad to my technology arsenal. Here are a few reasons why, along with some things that I hope are present in this generation and what I'd like to see in iPad 2.0 Reasons I want one now: In the past two years, there have been many times that I've wanted to travel with just my iPhone, but found the interface just a tad bit too small to handle my on-the-road computing requirements. The larger size of the iPad and support for BlueTooth keyboards means I'll be able to have the best of both worlds; a larger touch-screen interface with the ability to hook up a keyboard when I need one. It's a killer entertainment device. Listen to music, watch movies, or read books and magazines in a great form factor with a 10…
We all live in the future now…
January 3, 2010
While I'm not usually one to dwell on the significance of a new decade, 2010 seems worth reflecting on. This post covers a hodge-podge of issues keeping in tune with this blog's general charter of technology, security, and obscurity. Hopefully, there's something for everybody. When I first started working national security issues, 2010 was one of the decades we always forecasted towards for planning and wargaming purposes. It was far enough in the future to put our futurists caps on, but still close enough to be tangible. It was the future. As we enter into 2010, I can't shake this feeling that we all live in the future now. Here's why... Devost's law of exponential change Massive change becomes twice as easy every 36 months. The…
Your Movements Speak for Themselves: Space-Time Travel Data is Analytic Super-Food!
September 10, 2009
This is a must read blog post by Jeff Jonas - Mobile devices in America are generating something like 600 billion geo-spatially tagged transactions per day. Every call, text message, email and data transfer handled by your mobile device creates a transaction with your space-time coordinate (to roughly 60 meters accuracy if there are three cell towers in range), whether you have GPS or not. Got a Blackberry? Every few minutes, it sends a heartbeat, creating a transaction whether you are using the phone or not. If the device is GPS-enabled and you’re using a location-based service your location is accurate to somewhere between 10 and 30 meters. Using Wi-Fi? It is accurate below10 meters. (Jeff Jonas)
23 devices my iPhone has replaced
June 18, 2009
I started thinking about what a converged device the iPhone is and compiled this impressive list of devices I used to carry that are now replaced by my iPhone. This is an unprecedented level of convergence if you ask me. A quick informal tally shows that the iPhone is replacing $2700.00 dollars worth of equipment and several pounds worth of gear. 1) Blackberry - I used to carry a dedicated Blackberry for email in addition to my phone. Most users will just use their Blackberry as their phone, but I was never really happy with the BB form factor as a phone. The iPhone serves as both my email retrieval device and phone. 2) Phone - See above. 3) iPod - My iPhone has a built in iPod. No need for a dedicated device, though in all honesty I…
What will stick in Second Life?
April 19, 2009
It's been a while since I've posted about Second Life, but this article at Venture Beat sparked some thoughts: The media narrative about Second Life and virtual worlds is starting to get past the hype stage, past the bashing stage, and is beginning to resemble reality. VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi has covered this shift in a thorough Q&A with parent company Linden Lab’s CEO Mark Kingdon. Public misperception of Second Life and the virtual world landscape is beginning to change as we see what it means for the evolution a new global culture and economy. (Venture Beat) Given that we do seem to be moving past the hype stage in SL media coverage and the environment seems to be growing slightly again, I'm curious as to what use cases will be…