See Something, Say Something. . .

"What can I do" is the question people might ask.  I say might, because many go through life in a state of normalcy bias, without seeing much of what is seen or unseen.  But the question remains.  See Something, Say Something simply did not apply in this San Bernardino action. Why? Societal castration?  Perhaps, more likely cognitive dissonance resulting from normalcy bias.

From our friends at WikiPedia:
"People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation."

Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance focuses on how humans strive for internal consistency. An individual who experiences inconsistency (dissonance) tends to become psychologically uncomfortable, and is motivated to try to reduce this dissonance—as well as actively avoid situations and information likely to increase it

See Something, and then subconsciously say no I didn't see that.  In that state there is nothing that person can do.  Is there?

Jihad is agile

Yes it is, and that is why it is succeeding.  A lovely thought isn't it?  John Robb wrote about it earlier in the year with a post titled "The Open Jihad" over at Global Guerrillas.  I know, I know, it is a linking, but this is important information o learn, know and act upon.

Does any of this sound familiar?.

1. tinkering with tactics, strategies, and technologies that can be used to advance the team;s goal.
2. testing the efficacy of these innovations by using them in production.
3. copying the innovations that work. 

Read John Robb's post, then compare the methods described to your development process.

Paris and America.

So many things have been said about Paris and the attack on November 13th.  Most have been disappointing.  The thing of it is we should not be looking for "Them" to be sneaking in during the dead of night, "Them" are already here and have been for quite some time now.

Guns Sales Boom in Osterreich?

So, it appears that gun sales are on the uptick in Austria.  According to this article translated courtesy of the evil alphabet empire.   Interesting.  The key reason in this quote "The most common reason for the upgrade: fear of refugees and before dawn burglars."

Monday, Monday.

It is a rainy Monday afternoon here in Oregon.  Nice!

I spotted this in my morning reading.  I was aware of the case from an earlier EFF post, that the ancestry.com owned database had been used and Mr. Usry had been fingered by the long arm of the law. . . What I was NOT aware of is this: He was cleared by his DNA. . .after 33 days under suspicion.

Read the article, and the EFF link.  I think this is an insidious use of technology, that of course has gone awry.  How could this not have?  Think of the Stanford Experiment?  What do you think should be done?

Personal Kaizen

Great post from the Art of Manliness, Get 1% Better Every Day: The Kaizen Way to Self-Improvement. Now it should be a great big Duh moment for me, Mr. Kaizen, Kanban. . .but a dull impact somewhere on the backside is necessary now and again.

So, do a little something everyday.  "Try to do just 1% better than the day before. Start small and make your increases gradual. Avoid the temptation to get impatient and start rushing forward and taking bigger leaps. Take it slow, steady, and consistent."  Good stuff.

What can you do?  I have a list or three, starting with walking, and blogging.  Expect posts from me more and more frequently.

Enjoy your Friday!

ISIS is here?

Interesting read from the Investor's Business Daily, "ISIS Organizing Small Armies Inside America."  Another headline from the London Daily Mail, always sensationalist.

I see it as quite plausible, therefore a risk to be managed.  What do you think?

Privacy, in the Internet of Things?

From the standpoint of simplicity, simply admit upfront there IoT is not private. There is no privacy there. Period. Starting from that as a baseline, you will be able to manage in small bites which will add a slight fog to the data you cannot help but exude. . .

https://hbr.org/2015/02/managing-privacy-in-the-internet-of-things

Agile and Management?

Steve Denning wrote had a two part article titled "Why Do Managers Hate Agile?" and "More On Why Managers Hate Agile" over at Forbes.

The Red Queen's Trap

Great reminder from John Robb.  Terrorism as a Red Queen's race.  Well said.  He originally posted about it in 2009.  It is truth, more so for the French now and the remainder of the EU.  Good source link at the bottom of the current post.  Read them both.

What Americans are Afraid of. . .

Interesting.  More fear yet less crime.  It turns out that what Americans truly have to fear. . .is fear itself.  Truth is truth.  More evidence supporting the plan to disconnect your TV from the outside and take all news, Left, Right, Middle as tabloid sensationalist with a primary goal of titillation for higher commercial rates.

"What we found when we asked a series of questions pertaining to fears of various crimes is that a majority of Americans not only fear crimes such as, child abduction, gang violence, sexual assaults and others; but they also believe these crimes (and others) have increased over the past 20 years," said Dr. Edward Day who led this portion of the research and analysis. "When we looked at statistical data from police and FBI records, it showed crime has actually decreased in America in the past 20 years. Criminologists often get angry responses when we try to tell people the crime rate has gone down."

H/T to Bruce Schneier.