Would You Like the Bad News First, Or the Bad News First?

I'm pretty certain that, since 9/11, most Americans have thought the country would be hit by another terrorist attack. Frankly, after that horrendous day, I really thought that the country was just gonna' start getting hit left and right - mass transit, malls, more planes, etc. You name it, those miserable SOB's were gonna' try it.

Nearly 9 years later (I cannot believe it has been that long), I'm somewhat surprised that America hasn't been hit again. Hence, the bad news and the bad news.

I just read this article, compliments of CNN.com, which states that another terrorist attack in America in the next three to six months is "certain."

F*ck*ng fantastic.

But here's the other bad news. It looks like America gets to worry not only about planes being blown up mid-air or radicals strapping bombs to themselves and blowing up crowds, but also gets to add cyber terrorism to the list.

I'm going to be perfectly frank with you. Cyber terrorism scares the SH*T out of me. Not that the violent, horrible stuff and all the killing isn't scary - it absolutely is. And I hate it. And I wish there was a way to get get rid of the bad guys for good. But while violent attacks by air, land, or sea generally affect a few areas, the threat of cyber terrorism affects not only the entire United States of America, but all allies, and pretty much the world.

I like that we live in an age where we can blog, Tweet, use Facebook, pay our bills online, etc. But the fact that some hacker with dial-up in a third world country has the potential to launch some sort of computer virus which takes down all communications, all power grids, or really any sort of infrastructure anywhere, is absolutely mind boggling.

Take this under consideration: have you ever driven to work during rush hour when the program that automates traffic signals is down? People are backed up for miles, honking, cutting each other off - it's just chaotic. Could you just imagine if that happened on a large scale? Or worse, if it happened on a large scale in conjunction with a horrible attack when people are trying to evacuate an area or region?

This quote from Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, should make people poop their pants:

"Sensitive information is stolen daily from both government and private sector networks, undermining confidence in our information systems, and in the very information these systems were intended to convey," Blair wrote. "We often find persistent, unauthorized, and at times, unattributable presences on exploited networks, the hallmark of an unknown adversary intending to do far more than merely demonstrate skill or mock a vulnerability."

Man ... I really hope that we have a few good hackers locked up in some prison somewhere that, if the time comes, can help any country that's being cyber attacked get back up and running.

And pardon me while I go clean myself up.

- The Incident

There's An App for that, Kinda'. And One More Thing, It Requires Training ...

One of the things that falls under the heading of "Things that piss me off a lot" is terrorism - in any form. Freaking people out and blowing things up all in the name of a religion or a belief is wrong. I would ask those who don't agree with me to consult the God or higher authority in which they believe ... pretty sure you'll find that terrorism is a big no-no on the list of things you're not supposed to do.

Now, when I read this story on BBC.com (http://tinyurl.com/yggzjrx), I got a little upset. The device in question (AED-651), is a tool that is allegedly supposed to be able to detect TNT in IEDs, bombs, and other such devices (so not REALLY an app, but you smell what I'm stepping in with the reference in the title of this post). This instrument has the support of Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani who claims the AED-651 has detected 16,000 bombs. There are a few problems, however. One of which is that the device only REALLY works if the person using it to find bombs has been properly trained. Apparently a lot of people using this thing haven't had such training. The other issue is that, in inquiries and tests by both the BBC and Cambridge University's Computer Laboratory, the device contained "nothing but the type of anti-theft tag used to prevent stealing in high street stores." Dr. Markus Kuhn of Cambridge University informed the BBC that it was "impossible" for the AED-651 to "detect anything at all." He also went on to comment that it had "absolutely nothing to do with the detection of TNT."

This begs many questions, the predominant one being, WTF?

The schmuck selling this thing under the guise that it's going to detect bombs when a dude at Cambridge U says it might be able to tell you if someone shoplifts a high end item from the local Target store is just plain wrong. You shouldn't be able to mess around with people's sense of safety like that - I'd go out on a limb and say his actions have some terrorist features themselves.

But even IF the thing worked, I think this story points out the bigger underlying issue with the war on terrorism. We can have all the freakin' technology in the world, but if we don't have the right people TRAINED on how to use said technology, then we're no better off than we were before. We need to train people on the technology and also what to look for. Case in point: I heard the other week on NPR that a flight attendant on Richard "Shoe Bomber" Reid's flight actually stopped him before he boarded the plain because she got a little uneasy when seeing him. But when he responded to her questions in a perfect English accent, she let him board the plane. Maybe if we invested a little bit of money in training people on what to look for and how to use all of this wonderful technology we have available to us, we might just be a little better off.

- The Incident