I find this analysis spot on and, alas, probably twice as long as it needs to be, in order to gain a really wide-spread audience. What to do? Boil the critique down to a much shorter introductory piece and then expand it in a couple of mid-sized follow-up pieces. Reading long-form essays on one's computer screen -- much less on cell-phone screens, which Substack's annoying app coercion is always pushing -- are a tough sell for readers who are used to scattershot memes or short hot takes. Lorenzo, you write some very valuable observations. Give yourself the best possible presentation to attract the most readers.
Oh, and one other thing: I never quite got the "paid to show up" description's meaning for woke activists or bureaucrats. Perhaps it was spelled out in one of the links, but central phrases like that need to be clear in the basic text of the piece. Just a suggestion.
I have been doing computer security for over 30 years now. In one job I had, I was responsible for triaging security issues. On one occasion I identified several issues that struck me as particularily dangerous and scheduled them for expedited fixing. A higher up team decided that they were not as serious as I claimed and they could be fixed on a slower schedule. I appealed for two of the issues, citing specific factors that made them more dangerous - and requesting that the standards be changed to accomodate the risk enhancing factor that I had cited.
I lost.
A month or two later one of those issues was used in an attack against the company.
The big shots came down on me for allowing the vulnerability to ship.
I copied them the ruling against me, my appeal for why the issues needed to be fixed, my request for an amendment to the rule, and the ruling against my appeal and request.
That was the last I heard about the incident - but I would have been held responsible if I had not fulfilled my duties - and documented it. I did hear that they eventually changed the standard along the lines I suggested.
I was a safety officer about 50 years ago in a chemical research establishment as well as about 40 years ago at an electronic research facility. If we made mistakes a lot of people could get hurt and a lot of damage could be done. We were careful and people were told not to do some things because the risk was too high. We knew that if an event occured we would be asked why we had not prevented it.
My youngest daughter is a structural engineer with a professional engineering license. She is accountable - and knows it. My son also does security work and knows that if the shit hits the fan management will come looking for victims to blame - even though they are probably the more responsible party for emphasizing features and ease of use over security and integrity.
Here´s some diverse opinion from the right: OPPRESSION IS A VERY REAL THING. And it can be described as a constant anxiety about not having enough money to pay your bills and pay off your debt. That, by the way, now describes the condition of about 70 percent of Brazilian households currently - and it´s a wildly diverse bunch, rich, poor, black, white. Left-wing, right-wing. You can find yourself living "anxiety free" in a 700 square meter house in a gated community with the rest of your peer group, but some of them are BROKE DICK - and only if you are really paying attention will you notice the facade is starting to crack.
I find this analysis spot on and, alas, probably twice as long as it needs to be, in order to gain a really wide-spread audience. What to do? Boil the critique down to a much shorter introductory piece and then expand it in a couple of mid-sized follow-up pieces. Reading long-form essays on one's computer screen -- much less on cell-phone screens, which Substack's annoying app coercion is always pushing -- are a tough sell for readers who are used to scattershot memes or short hot takes. Lorenzo, you write some very valuable observations. Give yourself the best possible presentation to attract the most readers.
Oh, and one other thing: I never quite got the "paid to show up" description's meaning for woke activists or bureaucrats. Perhaps it was spelled out in one of the links, but central phrases like that need to be clear in the basic text of the piece. Just a suggestion.
Useful feedback, ta. I am a little over writing about wokery. But a pithy series is a good idea.
I get so fed up with these self inflated idiots.
I have been doing computer security for over 30 years now. In one job I had, I was responsible for triaging security issues. On one occasion I identified several issues that struck me as particularily dangerous and scheduled them for expedited fixing. A higher up team decided that they were not as serious as I claimed and they could be fixed on a slower schedule. I appealed for two of the issues, citing specific factors that made them more dangerous - and requesting that the standards be changed to accomodate the risk enhancing factor that I had cited.
I lost.
A month or two later one of those issues was used in an attack against the company.
The big shots came down on me for allowing the vulnerability to ship.
I copied them the ruling against me, my appeal for why the issues needed to be fixed, my request for an amendment to the rule, and the ruling against my appeal and request.
That was the last I heard about the incident - but I would have been held responsible if I had not fulfilled my duties - and documented it. I did hear that they eventually changed the standard along the lines I suggested.
I was a safety officer about 50 years ago in a chemical research establishment as well as about 40 years ago at an electronic research facility. If we made mistakes a lot of people could get hurt and a lot of damage could be done. We were careful and people were told not to do some things because the risk was too high. We knew that if an event occured we would be asked why we had not prevented it.
My youngest daughter is a structural engineer with a professional engineering license. She is accountable - and knows it. My son also does security work and knows that if the shit hits the fan management will come looking for victims to blame - even though they are probably the more responsible party for emphasizing features and ease of use over security and integrity.
This! A million times this. Patronizing lectures from hypothetical nepo babies.
Really excellent piece. Thank you.
Portand’s not Hell, the Pinot Noir is too good
Pinot Noir is Belgian for small pee pee.
Here´s some diverse opinion from the right: OPPRESSION IS A VERY REAL THING. And it can be described as a constant anxiety about not having enough money to pay your bills and pay off your debt. That, by the way, now describes the condition of about 70 percent of Brazilian households currently - and it´s a wildly diverse bunch, rich, poor, black, white. Left-wing, right-wing. You can find yourself living "anxiety free" in a 700 square meter house in a gated community with the rest of your peer group, but some of them are BROKE DICK - and only if you are really paying attention will you notice the facade is starting to crack.