Warning Signs for Tomorrow
October 23rd, 2006 | by jg3 |
While the world of network security and physical security don’t perfectly correspond, there are some rather interesting analogues between the two. As technology pushes forward in areas like agriculture (for one handy example) we begin to see interesting problems appear and new dangers previously only thought of in comic books and science fiction. We need to begin to consider now, today, what the warning signs for tomorrow’s world should look like. Without careful consideration we risk icon-space collisoins where a warning symbol in one region or population or hieroglyphic dialect could be an invitation in another.
Notice: the linked article makes use of the word decohere. nice.
And this reminds me of this article I saw a couple of months ago about the problem of building a “keep out” sign for a site where nuclear waste was to be buried and, hopefully, left undisturbed for 10,000 years.
Filed under: images, Real Life, SecurityRight now, these DOE sites are usually protected with “keep out” signs, chain-link fences, and guards. However, there’s no guarantee that any of those measures will be feasible more than a few decades from now.
2 Responses to “Warning Signs for Tomorrow”
By beleza99 on Oct 26, 2006 | Reply
Woo, make login, comment like crazy. The problem of the 10,000 year warning sign is a popular one, and in fact it was a question on a scholarship exam I took before college. Was also a discussion topic and maybe I wrote a final exam question on it last semester?? An architect in class tells the story that folks were in a conference round-tabling on this very topic, and the American Indians at the table kept snickering. Finally someone was like, dude, what gives? And the AI contingent said, “Whatever man, we won’t need signs 10,000 years from now telling people to keep away from the nuclear waste storage site.” “Why?” “Duh, we’ll just tell them.” Different time scales.
My favorites from the link above were the memetic hazard and the existential threat.
Speaking of existential crises, visit looks impending 1st or 2nd weekend of nov. Might have to make it a one-day.