NSA, The Technology Future, and Where It Is

cowmix writes "It was weird watching 60 Minutes II last week when the head of the NSA was complaining that his organization was totally behind in technology. Further, he told of stories of the organization's horrible inefficiencies and even went into how at the first of January 2000 all the computers in the NSA were down for three days. The thing that really shocked me was seeing pictures of the inside of one of the NSA headquarters and also SEEING people decoding telephone conversations. I didn't know what to make of it."

Comments

An easy solution

[Anonymous Coward]

*sigh*

If only they'd been using *nix Beowulf clusters, eh?

What the heck is an "encoded" conversation.

[Red Moose]

What, lots of nudges and winks during it? Lots of metaphors? Double-entendres?

How about someone tells me where I can get something to ENCODE my telephone conversations. I tried it today manually and it's a real bitch to keep saying "Dot-dot-dash-dash-dash". I got sick of that, and then tried ROT-13 in conversation but that was even worse, so I just went back to speaking English.

Surely the terrorists are foreign and so speak foreign languages? Maybe stop employing geeks and get some linguists? It's like, why don't airplane hijackers just get the on the right goddamn plane in the first place like the rest of the people who can READ THE GODDAMN FLIGHT INFORMATION SCREENS.

Disinformation

[YIAAL]

They just want you to think that they're horribly behind the times. They're actually already using quantum decryption, and laughing at your puny 256-bit PGP keys.

Re:Propaganda

[rbeattie]

It's a plot! The NSA goes on 60 minutes to complain about their technology KNOWING that someone would post a link on /. and now they are watching posts for signs of "dangerous hackers."

Don't think for a minute the NSA isn't watching you NOW.

Then again maybe the NSA is a typical government agency that promotes mismanagement and ineptitude. Think about your local DMV only with encryption.

Or maybe I'm a NSA mole trying to put you off the scent of the real scheme... (Never ending, isn't it...)

Oh, woe are us...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Oh, yes, we at the NSA are sooo behinf the times (Dammit, bob, hide those E10K's under your desk! the reporters are coming! Yes, you'll have to pretend to fare with "crappy" 1.4Ghz dual Athlons..) and, as such, we should.. um.. get more funding. Oh yeah, and we suck, and our computers crash all the time, so people don't *need* to encrypt their stuff, because we couldn't read it anyways, right? Ha ha ha... Oh, and the reaon we're suddenly saying all of this is that.. uh.. times change, and the NSA must go public. Yeah, that's it! Coming soon to NASDAQ: ticker NSA!"

did i hear... decrypt?

[sydneyfong]

the NSA is violating the DMCA, that's why they ain't got no $$$ ;-)

on the other hand, gimme a SSL port to my phone.