Keep in mind that a cyberterror attack does not have do be something that is big and splashly to be effective.
Terrorists are political animals first and foremost. They attempt to disrupt the exisiting political order in order to substutite their own.
This means that they don't really have do something major in terms of deaths or physical destruction. All terrs have to do is disrupt. All they have to do is create enough chaos to force society to give in.
How about the economic impact of shutting down the stock exchanges for few hours? Perhaps only a few Wall Streeters would really suffer. But think of the panic.
Consider the effect of transportation and deliveries. The restock time for grocery stores in most cities is 3 days. Keep the trucks, trains and airplanes from coming in and in three days you have food riots.
Also, we need to consider how most people react. We here at Slashdot are problem-solvers. To us, figuring out complex and difficult problems is routine. Can you say that for the general public?
Phil Shapiro writes "American Library Association president Michael Gorman is not too fond of bloggers and blogging. '[The] Blog People (or their subclass who are interested in computers and the glorification of information) have a fanatical belief in the transforming power of digitization and a consequent horror of, and contempt for, heretics who do not share that belief... Given the quality of the writing in the blogs I have seen, I doubt that many of the Blog People are in the habit of sustained reading of complex texts. It is entirely possible that their intellectual needs are met by an accumulation of random facts and paragraphs.'"
First of all, let's see how well Mr. Gorman and his ilk do solving a quadratic equation.
Try this:
Given the quality of the mathematics used by your cronies, it is unlikely that many of the Gorman Gang are in the habit of sustained computation. It is entirely possible that your analytic needs are met by an accumulation of sloppy analysis and poor numbers.
Interesting, isn't it?
Blogs are not a threat. Gorman's elitism is. Expecting all people to write like Heinlan, Joyce, Homer, etc. is illogical. Furthermore, many grammatical errors do not affect meaning of the words (not a excuse for bad writing). This is because the English language is 50% redundant. You'd know this if you'd step outside your narrow view. Of course, this (50% English language redundancy) was discovered by Claude Shannon, the daddy of information theory. One of those infotech fanatics!
I wander what would happen if the Gorman Gang's math and programming skills were held to the same level as Slashdot members. I can hear it now:
Then why are you prying into my life? Because you suspect me of doing something. If you didn't, you would not be asking. So by investigating me, you automatically assume I'm guilty.
Privacy not equal to criminal activity.
Privacy protects the individual from unwarranted intrusion by the collective. I do things that are not illegal. Yet I don't want them broadcast. I don't want people knowing what I bought at the grocery store, Radio Shack, bookstore, etc because it's none of thier business.
Any why are you (gossips, clubs, agencies, etc) sooo interested in me? Do you have such a poor life that you must use me as a surrogate? Are there so few rapes, robberies and other real crimes that, you Mr. or Ms. Cop, have to agonize over traffic tickets? Or are you trying to make it appear you are doing something worthwhile? Try actually doing something worthwhile.
(2) My wireless phone company, ISP, computer store,(other private company) collects data on you. Why not let FBI, DMV, (other gov't entity) do so?
Because private companies can't arrest me, tax me, freeze my assets, (other nasty action).
Furthermore, most private companies make their $$$ by trying to please you in some way. If you have trouble seeing that, note the difference in attitude between the clerks in a gov't agency and those in a store.
Equating info collection by the two is an invalid
comparsion.
(3) Why are you so afraid of gov't?
Because of the people who are in it. Goverment brings out the worse in people. That's why the US Constition has checks and balances. Furthermore, government attracts crusader types. People like this seem unaware that blast and fragments from their bombs(figurative or literal) can harm innocents. Or that karma frequently doesn't fit dogma. Or that others have good ideas, too.
Slashdot Mirror
Terrorists are political animals first and foremost. They attempt to disrupt the exisiting political order in order to substutite their own.
This means that they don't really have do something major in terms of deaths or physical destruction. All terrs have to do is disrupt. All they have to do is create enough chaos to force society to give in.
How about the economic impact of shutting down the stock exchanges for few hours? Perhaps only a few Wall Streeters would really suffer. But think of the panic.
Consider the effect of transportation and deliveries. The restock time for grocery stores in most cities is 3 days. Keep the trucks, trains and airplanes from coming in and in three days you have food riots.
Also, we need to consider how most people react. We here at Slashdot are problem-solvers. To us, figuring out complex and difficult problems is routine. Can you say that for the general public?
Phil Shapiro writes "American Library Association president Michael Gorman is not too fond of bloggers and blogging. '[The] Blog People (or their subclass who are interested in computers and the glorification of information) have a fanatical belief in the transforming power of digitization and a consequent horror of, and contempt for, heretics who do not share that belief... Given the quality of the writing in the blogs I have seen, I doubt that many of the Blog People are in the habit of sustained reading of complex texts. It is entirely possible that their intellectual needs are met by an accumulation of random facts and paragraphs.'"
First of all, let's see how well Mr. Gorman and his ilk do solving a quadratic equation.
Try this:
Given the quality of the mathematics used by your cronies, it is unlikely that many of the Gorman Gang are in the habit of sustained computation. It is entirely possible that your analytic needs are met by an accumulation of sloppy analysis and poor numbers.
Interesting, isn't it?
Blogs are not a threat. Gorman's elitism is. Expecting all people to write like Heinlan, Joyce, Homer, etc. is illogical. Furthermore, many grammatical errors do not affect meaning of the words (not a excuse for bad writing). This is because the English language is 50% redundant. You'd know this if you'd step outside your narrow view. Of course, this (50% English language redundancy) was discovered by Claude Shannon, the daddy of information theory. One of those infotech fanatics!
I wander what would happen if the Gorman Gang's math and programming skills were held to the same level as Slashdot members. I can hear it now:
I've noticed several themes in this discussion.
(1) Why privacy if you have nothing to hide?
Then why are you prying into my life? Because you suspect me of doing something. If you didn't, you would not be asking. So by investigating me, you automatically assume I'm guilty.
Privacy not equal to criminal activity.
Privacy protects the individual from unwarranted intrusion by the collective. I do things that are not illegal. Yet I don't want them broadcast. I don't want people knowing what I bought at the grocery store, Radio Shack, bookstore, etc because it's none of thier business.
Any why are you (gossips, clubs, agencies, etc) sooo interested in me? Do you have such a poor life that you must use me as a surrogate? Are there so few rapes, robberies and other real crimes that, you Mr. or Ms. Cop, have to agonize over traffic tickets? Or are you trying to make it appear you are doing something worthwhile? Try actually doing something worthwhile.
(2) My wireless phone company, ISP, computer store ,(other private company) collects data on you. Why not let FBI, DMV, (other gov't entity) do so?
Because private companies can't arrest me, tax me, freeze my assets, (other nasty action). Furthermore, most private companies make their $$$ by trying to please you in some way. If you have trouble seeing that, note the difference in attitude between the clerks in a gov't agency and those in a store.
Equating info collection by the two is an invalid comparsion.
(3) Why are you so afraid of gov't?
Because of the people who are in it. Goverment brings out the worse in people. That's why the US Constition has checks and balances. Furthermore, government attracts crusader types. People like this seem unaware that blast and fragments from their bombs(figurative or literal) can harm innocents. Or that karma frequently doesn't fit dogma. Or that others have good ideas, too.