Tag: disruption

Low standards

The compliance check-box approach is an atrocious thing for and to many things and reasons, but has been induced by the very growth of the industry. Since all margin calls at all controls and controls objectives achievement have been whipped out — and no-one dares to or has the experience for margins calls anymore. How low can your standards of professionalism dive.

Sic transit gloria mundi; the trade once was a veritable gentleman’s (M/F/~) affair, for one put up one’s honour and good name (and standing including life, liberty, welfare and happiness) for the value of the second opinion over the full width of the (opinion about subject matter) playing field.
But one’s good name is no more. Men are no longer honorable, virtue isn’t a thing anymore; pluto reigns, in particular at 1600 Penn Ave — the demise of humanity. In the coming years, the standards will follow; having deteriorated from standards to hold Men to, to straight jackets most easily escaped from by surreptitiously gaming the system, making the system the mockery of men. I repeat myself.

But ideals, values, virtue and all things principle-based will resurface; if only trivially since the now resurgent risk-management approach would not work otherwise. The value is already returning to the dare of the expert to call it not to fold on details.
Hence, new standards will emerge. Pure-principles lists, no nitty-gritty stuff. To be audited on, by knowledgeable advisors that can relate sample controls / -frameworks to the principles and back. The 27k1/2 divide, but strengthened, widened.

About the latter; the renewed gap between principles and samples, will also allow auditors more flex when determining their audit approach as in next week’s post ;-|

By the way, the Dutch may read a bit on the same issue, au fond, and some pointers to solutions, if they’d work (put hypothetically for a reason), in this here piece, released after my draft of the above.

Oh, and:
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[A winery, of course; Douro valley]

17 views

Just a tip: 2017 will be all about Augmented Reality. Maybe not VR, or is that a mere intermediate-phase subset. But AR.

When M$ adds some capabilities to WW10 (the platform, or binary),the ground swell (or is it an undercurrent, undertow?) is sure to grow.

So, Be Prepared, to see innovation in business software after the years of stale(mate) in ‘ERP’; no more database-system-usersystem stacking, but a mountain of data with lean and mean engines at/on the top now extended with AR to doddle around — and maybe … do something useful. All of business IT will dwindle in significance, so much less users as simple one-screwturn assembly line workers (to be (sic) replaced by robots anyway), but something-large-and-vague and payful, agile top users in the cloud atop. Top users only, be best and bright (self-declared), the shiny, überemployees, the stars. Huh. How’d they get there, be experienced enough, not be hindered by any wisdom … ? How they’d get so blinkered, conceited, presumptuous etc.? How’d they not get caught in the emperor’s new clothes?

I’ve been instructed (not) to be more positive, to not apply debit where debit is absolutely due… So, how can we turn today’s silo’d work into creative, innovative, flexible functions of tomorrow [and the day after; best wishes ;-] ..?

Plus:
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[Your yacht may be a piece of art, but still…; Zuid-As Amsterdam (it was)]

Oh… Yes but still, now it’s true:

[Edited to add:

]

Cyberprevention

Just a signal, of a new movement. Which isn’t.

  • For one, the -prevention — doomed from the [ word Go | – part ]. Which becomes less and less valid. Yes, some deterrent actions may help, but one better focus on the fact of future break-ins… And act accordingly — much more efficient for almost all. Take the 1st graph of this, and weep / go / the rest of it, too.
  • For two, ‘cyber’ … #ditchcyber nails it, in the Manifesto.

Yes that’ll be all for today, including:
5a3dfc86-471d-49dd-b133-7a262a6d5ae5-medium
[So, you can #ditchcyber, too]

Oops, there it is! (now you don’t, see it)

Suddenly, there it is, almost as if it’s something new … Malware using stego, as if it might still surprise anyone whereas of course there already was this, and this, and this and this.

What next? Even smarter ad blockers ..? Will not work, as the latter are only in use with the smarter part of the bunch. And smarter ad blockers will be installed by even fewer, as the pay-off is less visible (timely enough).

No, what’s next is first an armageddon [Warning: cultural notion; propose to use the more profound Ragnarök] — of which the result hopefully … is that ads will be marginalised. A great many a socmed platform (looking at you, $FB and other (sic) unicorns) may (signifying possibility and hope) go asunder as ads are their value period

Then, hopefully, Yggdrasil will grow again. E.g., with truly egalitarian platforms; truly global (though that aspect may not have been sunk in the great flood) and free, meaning that also, the trolls can be captured and ring-fenced and not destroy some or many or the platforms / -ideas.

How philosophical one can get in dreams/dreaming, how far off today is the better-than-today’s-should-have-been.

Plus:
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[All sorts of meta-info (‘nothing to protect here just move on’/ Í can see you but you can’t see me’ et al); Segovia or what was it]

The CyberDarwins

As we’re nearing the end of the year (Western calendar, others not spoiling the party — learning point), we draw towards the ‘people being stupid with fireworks’ scenes that are oh so similar to ‘people managing systems’ situation. The former, focusing on the most beautiful display and/or the loudest Bang, the latter the same if you think of it.
The former, with latent recognition of ‘safety’ also re bystanders and collateral injuries possibly grave or life-, liberty- and happiness-threatening. The latter, with a desperate few considering ‘security’ and ‘privacy’, a even fewer thinking of collateral damage and implicit injuries and infractions to life, liberty and happiness — if you think that’s overrated, have you ID stolen.

The former has the Darwin Awards, for those that improve the gene pool by taking themselves out of it.
The latter, none such yet.

That’s where I aim:
Shouldn’t we instate the CyberDarwin Awards (acknowledging #ditchcyber), for the most egregious (i.e., outrageous, glaring, flarant) mindlessness in information security in the widest sense that fly in the face of basic common decent thinking?
So that by their occurence, the candidates volunteer to be taken out of the connected environment which, being their oxygen, improves what’s left (the most).

I have no idea how to pull this off; there should be some sort of portal where candidates may be proposed and results be displayed for common laughter but who will build and maintain such a thing before it can become a success, advertisers will flock in droves to sponsor for ads, and I take over again to reap all the financial benefits… #helpappreciated

And:
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[This has zero relevance. Toronto]

Free standards

… How on earth is it possible that a great many dinosaurs still ‘issue’ standards — this, triggered by this — that are fully payd by tax money and still one would have to pay for a simple PDF download? What about the law; would one have to pay to know that, too??

Morons.

Apologies for the faint of complexity that might have been taken aback by my, of all decent people, use of that word that has some strength attached in its sparse use against common decency. But you get my drift.
And:
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[Not paying for their undeserved study trip (a lie, too); Curaçao]

Is quantum computing replacing Turing Machines ..?

About scientists, and quacks.

… stayed as guests in the Ehrenfest home, they were no doubt amused by their host’s pet parrot, which had been trained to say, “But, gentlemen, that is not physics.”

But gentlemen, let’s discuss quantum computing. How can that, and its current state and moreover, its current systemic and systematic (sic the diference) difficulties be explained by taking note of actual ‘computer’ science (theoretical computing), sparse as it is, in the form of the theories surrounding Turing Machines..?
As the latter were proven mathematically (logically) to rule…. All that ever can compute anything, can be represented as a Turing Machine; logically, they’re all (can be made/translated! into) equivalent, computationally.

So, how could one arrive at “Drop all knowledge you had about computing” in the same way as “In this area, gravity no longer exists” …?
I’m really curious.

Plus:
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[Yes gravity’s at work here ..! Barça]

Errors of Your / Machine Learning

Any progress on the front of Machine Learning, i.e., the comparison with how/what humans learn from various teaching formats, and how machines are better at rote learning et al, and how does the perfection of machines learning facts, reflect on what is data processing, what is intelligence, and what is wisdom ..? Where the latter is the area in which of course re retreat ever more, but without the foundation of a life long of learning and experience ..?

[Intermission: Anyone out there still holding on to the ‘you only learn from experience, which is making errors and surviving’? What was so many years of school all about; you’re still no further with calculus than 1+1 equals something more than one — the max you can learn from ‘ experience’ … How did you ‘experience’ History, Science ..? Apparently, there’s quite a base of facts to learn, even (or more?? contra The Shallows) in times of Google. Or, you’ll be the doofus that can not (sic) learn to be intelligent nor wise, and will make any and all rookie mistakes in all situations everywhere, over and over again.
Seems like the base of learning, grows steadily — exponentially…]

Notwithstanding the road (path) to wisdom is through experience … which would ever less be available when machines start to take over the simple, the foundations (qua operationality of work-as-labour), and then the next stage, etc. (since none will be experienced enough to succeed pensionados that still have that subsequent level of understanding). Leaving the abstract thinkers ever more loose in the sky. Hey that’s what’s happening with accountancy, if the industry doesn’t move fast. And will happen everywhere.

But back to the main point: Has Watson-class learning (AlphaGo/Deepmind/Brain (sic), … no not Siri you m.r.n) learned us anything about learning, and/or have we changed learning since machines took over parts of rote learning? Have we changed our view on learing, intelligence, wisdom?

To the disappointed, apologies go; nothing here on how machine learning could lead to the unethics of Computer Says No… Too much of a mer à boire qua research — see here.

Plus:
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[Steep, to enlightenment; Girona]

Rejoice, you the Puzzled

Unless you were doing stuff on Nocial Media (see tomorrow — never mind, I’m not one for linear Time), you may have missed or noticed (same) the release of a facsimile of one of the most veritable puzzles of the ages (Western world), in this here thing, which is posted here. Yeah, that’s how hyperlinks work, I kno, I kno.

So, now you the puzzlers AKA crytographers around the globe, may swoop down in even larger numbers than before, to crack the thing. Or, probably, not. And you knew about this whole thing.

Question: (Why | _ ) hasn’t already some Watson-class frigate AI tool (literally certainly not figuratively) been set loose on this ..? Lack of purpose? Of would it be a good ‘Turing test’ of sorts, if we test the capabilitites (learning/analysis time ..!?) of any AI tool, by the time it would take to make mincemeat out of the Manuscript — Duh-tch for tearing apart. Any attempt after the first successful, would need to be instructed not to find the solution out there on the ‘net, obviously (?) …

One may hope, may one not? And:
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[Found it! This is what the Manu is about!!]

SecPoll

Finally, a competition where you can win, too, seriously.

Yes you can, I’m serious. And you win something serious…
The deal:
Your top-3 predictions, in comments, about what new ‘cyber’security stuff (#ditchcyber) will happen in 2017.
In return, if you’re the top predictor (NO.), to celebrate you’ve best found ’17’s bubbles of the year you’ll receive a perfect bottle of ’17 bubbles.
The things you describe can be of any sort, related to information security in the widest sense. Something-cloud, something-privacy, something-Docker, something- Layer 7 or 8 firewalls, something-systemic-breachlike, whatever, it’s up to you. However:

Some terms and conditions [subject to updating when needed..! My call and prerogative]:

  • No editing your predictions after entering them;
  • Three apiece;
  • None should not be around per second half of December 2016;
  • All should be measurable, and measurably the largest over 2017, suggestions for measurement/metrics should be attached.

I’ll be awaiting your wisdom / totally random stuff with:
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[Who would’ve predicted the success, and beauty, of this/these, eh? DC]

Maverisk / Étoiles du Nord