Unasked questions. IN ITS TOUGH QUESTIONING of Richard Clarke and Condoleezza Rice, the 9/11 commission has already shown itself to be more resolute than some skeptics predicted. Many Americans now realize that multiple warnings of an Al Qaeda attack on American soil crossed the desks of Bush administration officials in the months leading up to… Continue reading Unasked questions
Author: Vince Kimball
Hack the Planet
An evil idea: It's possible to kick anyone off an 802.11 access point by forging a disassociate message (even if you don't control the AP). How long will it be until hotspots start kicking users off competing hotspots (especially free ones) to get more business? [Hack the Planet]
Burning Tanks
Burning Tanks. The front page of today's Boston Globe has a picture of an American tank, burning in an Iraqi street. Tanks don't get killed by fanatic children who just grabbed a rifle or a bottle. What's going on here? The press seems adrift, unsure what script we're in. We thought we were in Fighting… Continue reading Burning Tanks
WiFi Bump
WiFi Bump. I just spent a cranky hour trying to figure out why my WiFi network would appear, then vanish, then flicker back, and then vanish again, every few seconds. The airports looked happy — and busy. And I could see other networks in the vicinity (including a new network, another neighbor no doubt). But… Continue reading WiFi Bump
The lost art of user interface programming
The lost art of user interface programming. There's been some interesting discussion about how user interface programming is hard. See Sarah Allen , Eric Burke and HMK for a start. This is an important topic, and it points to an underlying problem for the industry — that UI programming has become something of a lost… Continue reading The lost art of user interface programming
Decentralized organizations
Decentralized organizations. From Phil Wolff comes this spectacular assessment of what it takes for volunteer groups to be effective in political campaigns: I’ve been rationalizing the 30-50 hours a week of grassroots campaigning I’ve been investing in the local Kerry campaign since last summer. Changing the world is great, and we’re doing that. My takeaway… Continue reading Decentralized organizations
The Common Sense of a Giant
The Common Sense of a Giant. In a soon-to-be-published biography and remembrance of the late Marvin Bower, the high priest of McKinsey & Co., there's a wonderful memo that should be tacked on the wall of every leader everywhere. Bower writes of admiring “first-class brains” and “good citizens in communities” but also of despising and… Continue reading The Common Sense of a Giant
A Taxonomy for Knowledge Management
A Taxonomy for Knowledge Management. The Kaieteur Institute for Knowledge Management has developed an interesting model that might be the start of a solid taxonomy for knowledge management. Considering digital knowledge exchanges and their knowledge business models, the institute has compiled a list of knowledge markets — organized based on their characteristics. Knowledge auctions Knowledge… Continue reading A Taxonomy for Knowledge Management
Longhorn getting its horns cut?
Longhorn getting its horns cut?. BusinessWeek: How Microsoft is clipping Longhorn. Ahh, lots of stuff here. And my IM is going crazy as people all over the world react to this news and ask me for more information. Everyone wants to know “is WinFS really getting cut?” Answer: no and yes. The past three months… Continue reading Longhorn getting its horns cut?
Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says
Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says. President Bush was told on Aug. 6, 2001, that supporters of Osama bin Laden planned an attack within the U.S. and wanted to hijack airplanes. By Eric Lichtblau and David E. Sanger. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]