See http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=84656&cid=7389 142 for an earlier (and tragically underrated) post relating to a good fiction novel that describes what it might be like if a really nasty solar flare and CME were pointed right at the earth.
IT in most companies has become so isolated from the business that it's no wonder they feel marginalized...THEY ARE. Back in the day, I was working in the military as a mathematician, and since I was the youngest in my office (who had been using computers since 7th grade), I was THE IT department. Hardware/software orders, installation, troubleshooting, network installations (in a heterogenous environment (UNIX, Win 3.1, DOS, Mac)). Sure, I was busy, but I was part of the business and was valued for the direct support I gave and because I knew the needs of my office. Nowadays, I call a central help desk (are they even in the same city?) and have to go through the Tier 1, Tier 2,..., Tier K (K=some large number) to get the problem fixed (which I often know how to do, but don't have the adminstrative access to do).
What is needed is more IT trained people directly involved in the day-to-day work in local sites and offices. Then the real issues will be known by IT and real problems can be solved.
You do realize that the US military sends classified material via FedEx every day. It typically gets double packaged (two layers of wrapping) with markings and barriers to indicate if it has been tampered with. I used to get info in similar format as these tapes on a weekly basis that way when I was on active duty.
This just goes to show you that accounting, while a valuable discipline for business and government, is not mathematics. As a mathematician that has worked in government, education, and industry, I am still befuddled by "accounting". Some examples are the use of the Black-Sholes formula for stock option pricing to determine Employee stock option value, when the underlying mathematical system assumptions for the B-S formula to be appropriate do not hold.
Some other accounting favorites...
Accounting vs. Math/Statistics
Accounting Variance = Mathematical Difference
Accounting Volatility = Mathematical Variance
Whatever accounting is...it is not math, I am convinced.
The military has been using flash memory drives for years. I was involved with a project about 4 years ago to put together a flight data collection system (digital, voice, and video) using flash memory only. At the time, the estimated cost was ~$5000/Gig, with limited storage capacity (16 GByte), so it looks like the cost has already dropped significantly. (I left that job before the system design was finished.)
You forgot Point 0:
Wear rubber soled shoes instead of going barefoot when you stick your feet through the hole in the floorboard to get yourself moving. (Learned from watching Fred Flinstone get off the block a few times).
Seriously, why would anyone put up with having to do all this? Run the AC only when necessary...uh, right, that would be ALL the time the temperature is above the mid 80s, or anytime my wife is in the car and has her hair fixed up.
Don't forget the general framework of the scientific method.
A. Generate a hypothesis
B. Observe nature
C. Use the observations to determine the evidence AGAINST the hypothesis.
If there IS EVIDENCE AGAINST the hypothesis, you reject it and develop a new or refined hypothesis.
Otherwise, we state there is no evidence to reject the hypothesis.
The formal scientific method (initially developed by Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and Rene Descartes (1596-1650)) can only DISPROVE a scientific theory.
For instance:
A. Newtonian Mechanics describes the motion of planets
B. Observe the motion of the planets
C. Compare the observed motion to the theoretical predictions: In this case, they didn't match up, which required a new theory --> Special Relativity.
Note that it is probably true that the theory of relativity is FALSE...but useful. Just as Newtonian mechanics is false, but useful in most situations.
"All models (theories) are wrong...but some are useful" (somebody famous said this)
Provisions like this amount to nothing more than statistical suicide (or murder)...that is, by taking resources through regulation (to pay for the new devices) to prevent some deaths, you actually prevent those resources being applied to other more likely and more serious threats. The benefit to society would then be generally lower (less benefit for a given cost).
And just remember who will really pay...the consumer will pay through higher prices, less choice, and less freedom.
Oh yeah...don't drive drunk. I work with a lot of young men and women in the local prison system, many of whom have had problems with alcohol. It's just not worth it.
For an interesting fictional examination of what might happen if a large solar flare/geomagnetic storm hit the earth, check out the book _Solar Flare_ by Larry Burkett (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-f orm/ref=s_sf_b_as/102-9230622-0456917). Unfortunately it is out of print, but you might be able to find a used copy somewhere. Note that this book has a distinctively Christian theme, but the technological discussion of the impact on the power grid and electronics is pretty accurate, I think.
The HPLJ4L rocks (for home use). I bought one of these from a clearance shelf at Best Buy in 1994-5. It was an impulse buy, and I had hell to pay with my wife when I brought it home, but it has been a great printer. It prints slow (4ppm), and has limited memory, but it is rare I need more speed or capability than what it gives. Have purchased at most (can't remember for sure) 4 cartridges for it.
One of the nicest features of this printer is it's size. It is under 14"x14", and is only about 9" tall. It fits on a small shelf in my computer cabinet.
When this baby dies, (hopefully will last another decade), I will probably invest in a higher end office laserjet, hoping for another decade or two of use and satisfaction.
Check out http://www.drms.dla.mil/newsales/ for information on US Dept of Defense surplus sales. In my former life in the military, I used to go to the surplus warehouse regularly to look for electronics. You could get a pallet of ~3 year old PCs for under $100 sometimes, and if you open these babies up, sometimes you will find some nice upgrade parts in them (large, newer harddrives, memory, etc...).
One time I bid on a sale lot of office equipment ( I wanted a couple of filing cabinets). I won the bid for under $150...but then I realized I needed a full sized UHaul to move all the stuff. Had to have my own surplus sale after I got all that stuff (mostly desks and cabinets) to my house.
One interesting question is, "who owns the security code?" I would say that I own the security code, since it is protecting MY property in MY garage. Now, it might be a real DMCA case if a criminal were using one of these remote openers to try to break into my house.
This was one of my all time favorite arcade games. The best version was the one that had a "cockpit" that you went into, so you had a slightly more immersive feel to it. It was fun, playable from the first time you played, and gave a nice adrenaline kick.
Of course, this was in the days when arcade games only cost a quarter, and you didn't need to read 3 books and subscribe to a magazine to figure out the tricks...
I left the military a year ago, and I was always a big proponent of free software, particulary Linux and free clones of mathematical software (e.g. R, SciLab, etc...). Using free software for stand alone "research" purposes was never a big deal, but once you hooked that computer up to a network, it was like you had committed high treason.
The biggest hurdle to overcome in the DoD is getting an established base of network administrators who are WILLING to invest the TIME and EFFORT into following the DoD procedures for ensuring software functionality and security. Like most IT shops, DoD IT is underfunded and overtasked, and can barely keep up with the minimum requirments they have.
What will probably shift the balance in the future is when someone who used Linux in graduate school (most military officers DO go to graduate school at some point in their career) gets promoted to high enough position and says, "Do it!"
Slashdot Mirror
So basically, what you are saying is that Dr. Brilliant can't seem to hold a job...
See http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=84656&cid=7389 142 for an earlier (and tragically underrated) post relating to a good fiction novel that describes what it might be like if a really nasty solar flare and CME were pointed right at the earth.
What is needed is more IT trained people directly involved in the day-to-day work in local sites and offices. Then the real issues will be known by IT and real problems can be solved.
Just my $.02.
You do realize that the US military sends classified material via FedEx every day. It typically gets double packaged (two layers of wrapping) with markings and barriers to indicate if it has been tampered with. I used to get info in similar format as these tapes on a weekly basis that way when I was on active duty.
Some other accounting favorites...
Accounting vs. Math/Statistics
Accounting Variance = Mathematical Difference
Accounting Volatility = Mathematical Variance
Whatever accounting is...it is not math, I am convinced.
The military has been using flash memory drives for years. I was involved with a project about 4 years ago to put together a flight data collection system (digital, voice, and video) using flash memory only. At the time, the estimated cost was ~$5000/Gig, with limited storage capacity (16 GByte), so it looks like the cost has already dropped significantly. (I left that job before the system design was finished.)
Seriously, why would anyone put up with having to do all this? Run the AC only when necessary...uh, right, that would be ALL the time the temperature is above the mid 80s, or anytime my wife is in the car and has her hair fixed up.
Don't forget the general framework of the scientific method. A. Generate a hypothesis B. Observe nature C. Use the observations to determine the evidence AGAINST the hypothesis. If there IS EVIDENCE AGAINST the hypothesis, you reject it and develop a new or refined hypothesis. Otherwise, we state there is no evidence to reject the hypothesis. The formal scientific method (initially developed by Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and Rene Descartes (1596-1650)) can only DISPROVE a scientific theory. For instance: A. Newtonian Mechanics describes the motion of planets B. Observe the motion of the planets C. Compare the observed motion to the theoretical predictions: In this case, they didn't match up, which required a new theory --> Special Relativity. Note that it is probably true that the theory of relativity is FALSE...but useful. Just as Newtonian mechanics is false, but useful in most situations. "All models (theories) are wrong...but some are useful" (somebody famous said this)
Provisions like this amount to nothing more than statistical suicide (or murder)...that is, by taking resources through regulation (to pay for the new devices) to prevent some deaths, you actually prevent those resources being applied to other more likely and more serious threats. The benefit to society would then be generally lower (less benefit for a given cost). And just remember who will really pay...the consumer will pay through higher prices, less choice, and less freedom. Oh yeah...don't drive drunk. I work with a lot of young men and women in the local prison system, many of whom have had problems with alcohol. It's just not worth it.
For an interesting fictional examination of what might happen if a large solar flare/geomagnetic storm hit the earth, check out the book _Solar Flare_ by Larry Burkett (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-f orm/ref=s_sf_b_as/102-9230622-0456917). Unfortunately it is out of print, but you might be able to find a used copy somewhere. Note that this book has a distinctively Christian theme, but the technological discussion of the impact on the power grid and electronics is pretty accurate, I think.
The HPLJ4L rocks (for home use). I bought one of these from a clearance shelf at Best Buy in 1994-5. It was an impulse buy, and I had hell to pay with my wife when I brought it home, but it has been a great printer. It prints slow (4ppm), and has limited memory, but it is rare I need more speed or capability than what it gives. Have purchased at most (can't remember for sure) 4 cartridges for it. One of the nicest features of this printer is it's size. It is under 14"x14", and is only about 9" tall. It fits on a small shelf in my computer cabinet. When this baby dies, (hopefully will last another decade), I will probably invest in a higher end office laserjet, hoping for another decade or two of use and satisfaction.
Check out http://www.drms.dla.mil/newsales/ for information on US Dept of Defense surplus sales. In my former life in the military, I used to go to the surplus warehouse regularly to look for electronics. You could get a pallet of ~3 year old PCs for under $100 sometimes, and if you open these babies up, sometimes you will find some nice upgrade parts in them (large, newer harddrives, memory, etc...). One time I bid on a sale lot of office equipment ( I wanted a couple of filing cabinets). I won the bid for under $150...but then I realized I needed a full sized UHaul to move all the stuff. Had to have my own surplus sale after I got all that stuff (mostly desks and cabinets) to my house.
One interesting question is, "who owns the security code?" I would say that I own the security code, since it is protecting MY property in MY garage. Now, it might be a real DMCA case if a criminal were using one of these remote openers to try to break into my house.
This was one of my all time favorite arcade games. The best version was the one that had a "cockpit" that you went into, so you had a slightly more immersive feel to it. It was fun, playable from the first time you played, and gave a nice adrenaline kick. Of course, this was in the days when arcade games only cost a quarter, and you didn't need to read 3 books and subscribe to a magazine to figure out the tricks...
I left the military a year ago, and I was always a big proponent of free software, particulary Linux and free clones of mathematical software (e.g. R, SciLab, etc...). Using free software for stand alone "research" purposes was never a big deal, but once you hooked that computer up to a network, it was like you had committed high treason. The biggest hurdle to overcome in the DoD is getting an established base of network administrators who are WILLING to invest the TIME and EFFORT into following the DoD procedures for ensuring software functionality and security. Like most IT shops, DoD IT is underfunded and overtasked, and can barely keep up with the minimum requirments they have. What will probably shift the balance in the future is when someone who used Linux in graduate school (most military officers DO go to graduate school at some point in their career) gets promoted to high enough position and says, "Do it!"