Phew! That was a pretty
daunting day of reading. I Which obviously was bad news
took the day to just read a for reality that cooler
nontechnical book by heads had not prevailed and
Schneier on security to sort as Schneier puts it we are
of get in a security mood stuck in a privacyless
after interesting absolute police state that
comversations for the past was absolutely failing and
week. This book was will ultimately fail to
published in 2014, and each protect its inmates, and the
chapter of the book collects most hopeful message he
a sequence of articles could offer was that US
schneier published from 2008 citizens had to steel
to 2014. themselves so catastrophes
at the losing-entire-cities
The table of contents scale wouldn't break their
strongly implies that that's spirit. (Because things are
the way to think about the the worst and headed worse).
book, but it is in fact
completely wrong. Here, now In that cheery light, the
I will re-chapter the book: next gaggle of chapters are
very interesting and
In section one (chapters one actually about
and two), the articles cybersecurity, being dark
collected are all but frank commentary from
responsible and uplifting the expert. I kind of wonder
thoughtfulness geared at about the first two
empowering 2008-2010 chapters. It sort of made an
regulatory actions by insidious bait and switch
lawmakers. Honestly, this from early optimism that it
was just frustrating to read was the right time we would
but turns out to have been be able to do something
important context for the 2008-2010 to... That ship
meat of the book, which is having sailed. I also can't
absolutely not centred here. shake the feeling that he
In short Schneier, who was structured the book to hide
very active on some boards its actual content from a
and watchdogs advising the political intern who was
government, felt that quested to read Schneier's
2008-2010 was exactly in book, but just skimmed the
time and the right time for first two chapters for their
useful cybersecurity policy. politician. That intern
Cloud and other things were would report nothing but
sort of new, but problems stern and hopeful policy
suitable for policy solution advice from the book, where
were well formed and a committed reader gets the
appeared able to reign in. extended epilogue.
Special attention is given
to examples of where market Honestly, the book should
optimisation is unable to have just suddenly stopped
move towards desirable at the end of chapter 6
outcomes, such as companies which was the climax of its
not getting insured for darkness. Instead it just
higher than the value of the goes on in detail about the
company (he has a clear failures of the TSA, then
grasp on this, oh my god I the failures of a few more
just don't care that much). things. I got whiplash from
each chapter going back to
I was tempted to bail as start in 2008. There is the
chapter 2 on hopeful but feeling that after getting
stern government policy that political intern to
advice was wearing me down, skim two chapters of
thinking that maybe it would responsible policy advice,
make for interesting Schneier wanted to show that
smalltalk with optfx who concurrent to that political
knows this sort of thing... guidance, he was also
But then at the end of writing candidly and cannily
chapter 2 we reach some about the problems that at
articles around 2013 that that time still appeared
wildly change the timbre of politically tractable,
the book as my section 2 gradually rolling towards
begins. This is the Schneier 2013-2014 articles in which
I was pretty sure I knew and the end times had arrived
loved. My reading is that but no rapture.
pretty much none of
Schneier's extremely
important, carefully and
advisedly crafted,
meticulous policy advice and
expert insight had made a
dent from 2008-2012, and his
writing in 2013 is bleak,
ominous and frank, no more
flowery formal sounding
stern encouragement to
policy-makers to do the
right thing...
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The article on Snowden and
the urgency of
whistleblowing was pretty
good, lots of good articles
on privacy and reasonable
privacy, treating the dark
path of hand-in-glove
commercial privacy
violations skirting laws
against government privacy
violation (I guess scm read
this before, he pointed out
to me this was happening
too). Some mathematics and
pop psych focused articles
too.
He also summarizes
deviations and weaknesses of
the official narrative on
the alleged Russian hack of
Estonia, and common
misconceptions about hackers
from China, as well as the
US centric events.
Alright! My relaxing weekend
accomplished this week I
will attack everything I
wanted to do last week, as
well as everything I need to
do this week how could this
plan go wrong.
On Wednesday I'm going to do
the first half of my show
pre-recorded, and the second
half live, so do drop into
com for 0030 UTC!