Links for 9 May 2008
Preventing Terrorist Attacks: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom, a new policy memo by Erik J. Dahl at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs [.pdf]. Dahl suggests that intelligence gathering needs to shift from the tactical to “on-the-ground” local and domestic intel, striking a balance between civil liberties and national security. He also thinks that the current focus on bureaucratic restructuring is “misplaced”.
Purpleslog is grappling with the definition of war.
Apparently, the Taliban are employing “Fearful Asymmetry“, says The Economist:
A shift to “asymmetric” warfare would be understandable. The attack in Kabul fits in with that evolving strategy. Such “spectaculars” require little in the way of logistical support, but they mould public opinion.
Obviously conflating two issues here, but interesting that they should pick up on the propaganda of the deed aspect of the National Day attacks.
Light Speed, a slightly desperate article in the new Digital Journalist by Ron Steinman, who is clearly fighting against the tide:
Because of light speed in the digital age no one has time to breathe, thus to think clearly. No time to reflect. No time to pause and make a judgment. No time to process the overwhelming amount of information that dominates our lives. But that will not stop the light speeders among us, especially during the political campaign. It only matters how fast something moves onto our computer screens and into our hand-held devices, not what the facts are, not even if any of the thoughts make sense. Once there is a decision to respond, what is new dominates momentarily until the process starts anew. We quickly forget the immediate past. The significance of most everything evaporates. The relentless flow of statements and statistics is all that matters. Sadly, the truth pales in comparison to the speed with which we receive fresh data. Some might argue that is nothing less than life in cyberspace. Get used to it, they say. Sorry. I cannot. We deserve something better and that means we need more time to think. Speed, once a blessing, is now a curse. We need an extra second to make decisions. It should be a requirement. We should fight for that additional time no matter how slight. In our rush to beat the clock it is as if we are sleep deprived, never again to experience a restful moment in lives that are moving at the speed of light in a matrix from which there is no escape.
Human memory: memory chip could mean we never forget, Telegraph.co.uk – ‘Making our memories more accurate and more accessible would require something else – perhaps a system modelled on Google, whose search engine combines cue-driven promptings similar to human memory with the location-addressability of computers.’
The Cell Phone Platform, Kevin Kelly at The Technium on the increasingly prevalent use of mobile phones in the developing world (as opposed to computers) and the work of ‘usability ethnographer’ Jan Chipchase.
New book: Steven R. Corman, Angela Trethewey and H.L. Goodall Jr., Weapons of Mass Persuasion: Strategic Communication to Combat Violent Extremism:
Complementing and extending scholarship in three areas – terrorism; the media, mediated representations, and propaganda in contemporary culture and the political and diplomatic environment post-9/11, this book articulates the role of human communication in the “war of ideas”. Drawing on contemporary research from a variety of disciplines, this book offers analyses and recommendations for people to make use of informed, inspired, and ethical communication to counter ideological support for terrorism and to promote more effective public diplomacy.
This is the first book to apply human communication concepts and theories-and to offer potential solutions-to the communication problems encountered by nations, communities, and individuals, and in doing so moves beyond critiques of failed U.S. communication campaigns and strategies in the “war on terror”.
Another take on the DoD Bloggers’ Roundtable on the Minerva Consortium from Savage Minds, specifically with reference to funding, anthropologist ‘pushback’ and departmental overlapping.
Michael Innes has a good selection of links and commentary on the death in Afghanistan of HTT social scientist Michael Bhatia at CTLab (see also David Betz at Kings of War).
Marc Lynch comments on the US government lay-off of Daniel Kimmage and Kathleen Ridolfo. Both are well-respected analysts of insurgent media use and are being let go due to ‘budgetary shortfalls’. Sounds short-sighted, to say the least.
Nicolas Nova draws attention to what I think used to be called ‘online disinhibition syndrome‘ while conversing with ‘artificial agents’ like chatbots. You can read a conversation I had with Jabberwacky George in 2007 here.
