Recent FBI reports of a dozen physical attacks on the Internet backbone near Sacramento, CA highlight the sad state of physical cyber security and policies to cope with threats to the Internet. Sacramento is an intermediary in the Internet backbone carrying east-west traffic; it connects Chicago and San Francisco hubs, and ultimately links the West Coast with the remainder of the U.S. and Europe. No wonder the bad guys physically cut the fiber optic cable near Sacramento—it is a critical link in the most highly traveled cables in the U.S. Continue reading Why Physical Cyber Security is Broken
Category Archives: Technology
The Future of Tech is Regulation
Most technologists believe the future of the planet lies in technology. The Internet overcomes injustice, renewable energy defeats global climate change, democracy wins over anarchy, and computers equal higher standards of living around the globe. The future of humanity depends on successful deployment of technology. But the future of technology is government regulation—NOT unbridled technology. Continue reading The Future of Tech is Regulation
Why Can’t Programmers Be More Like Ants? Or a Lesson in Stigmergy
In the good old days before the Internet vanquished time and distance, software developer teams were autocratic organizations Continue reading Why Can’t Programmers Be More Like Ants? Or a Lesson in Stigmergy
Why We Don’t Know Know-How
A recent, popular Internet video of Destin Sandlin riding a bike with reverse steering led me to reflect on our tendency to equate knowledge with things that computers do. If we could formulate a “science of learning,” we would be able to design algorithms that help people learn faster and much more reliably. As Destin struggles to understand why he cannot ride the bike, he reveals how our common sense is blind to embodied knowledge. Continue reading Why We Don’t Know Know-How