Differing takes on Cyber Warfare
Jeff Car argues there is more state control (in say Russia and China) over hackers than John alludes to in his latest brief.
Think of cyberhacker managment as akin to managing the Awakening. The manager is the weaker party and acts accordingly. Money acts as a force multiplier.
The opposite is a top down hierachy – something like The Surge.
(Quick note while on a plane.)
Email Problems
Apparently my spam catcher went into overdrive. I should have caught up, but if I haven’t responded to you yet, please let me know.
Thanks.
Flash Mobs as Social Engineering
Flash mobs I’d like to see:
- Cloverfield’s monster-esque sound (an array of subwoofer-enhanced trendy cars should be able to provide this) reverberates through a closed off downtown area (just prior to nightlife taking off). This is immediately followed by a mad 100+ screaming participant mob rush through the sealed off area with furtive looks behind the crowd.
- Participants dress up as if on a dinner cruise, then use fake blood and tear up clothing as if on the Titanic. Act as such as they all come out onto a public beach populated with nonparticipants.
Of course, the more interesting version is in Moldova.
Brewster McCracken for Austin
My pick for the upcoming (May) election for Austin’s Mayor is Brewster McCracken. Back when I was interning at then-Mayor Will Wynn’s office (in 2004) I met Brewster a couple times. Very nice, and very smart guy.
Here’s why he’s the right choice: He’s thinking about resiliency. Not just short-run economic boosts (every mayor/candidate is scrambling for that) but a sustained tech ecosystem. He wants to layout the groundwork and build on that grid. (Pecan Street Project.)
When times get tougher (and they likely will to a degree that most people do not expect) you want someone who is open to new ideas and has a strong focus on neighborhoods.
In contrast, of his two opponents, Leffingwell doesn’t have a framework (more than simply trying to hold the city together, which may be a good plan B) and Strayhorn is a cartoon caricature of legacy thinking and dynastic entitlement.
Ossification + Economic Shaping
Interesting article by Richard Florida, who wrote “The World is Spiky,” on reshaping America during/after this crash. There’s a lot to unpack here, but some initial notes:
- Increased ownership of expensive homes led to the country ossifying to a level that is unconducive to innovation, or economy activity in general.
- Renting, facilitated by a soft landing for foreclosures, would counter this rigidity and also boost economic productivity.
There are some fun opportunities here for the right student of economics (a very soft subject that also ossified, causing much confusion for a lot of society): Take some GIS software, feed economic indicators into it, and then play out multiple scenarios, visually, and write them up.