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| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
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The Hard Work of Transforming the FBI |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
10:41 am EDT, Jun 2, 2002 |
The sweeping changes announced by the FBI director, Robert Mueller, last week constitute one of the most far-reaching organizational transformations in the long history of the bureau, which began in 1908. Unfortunately, creating new units, hiring new people and announcing a new focus on fighting terrorism are destined to fail unless Mr. Mueller can also transform the insular culture of the agency. A former Inspector General of the Justice Department speaks out on transformation. Basically, the FBI is broken ... a failing industrial age behemoth in its twilight at the dawn of the information age. The Hard Work of Transforming the FBI |
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Wary of Risk, Slow to Adapt, FBI Stumbles in Terror War |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
10:00 am EDT, Jun 2, 2002 |
Mr. Mueller is now trying to force the FBI to shed its traditional case-oriented approach to its job. In its place, he hopes to build what amounts to a new agency, a Federal Bureau of Prevention whose central mission is to collect, analyze and act on information that will help prevent attacks. But it is uncertain whether Mr. Mueller, or anyone, can reorganize an institution whose agents have been trained to solve crimes. ... "Problems have become legendary ... Hopefully it will change, but the agents around the country are demoralized. It could take years to fix." ... "The FBI is the greatest in the world at investigating a crime after it happened, but it is not equipped to prevent crimes." Wary of Risk, Slow to Adapt, FBI Stumbles in Terror War |
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Edge 102: 'New technology = New perceptions' |
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| Topic: Technology |
11:01 pm EDT, Jun 1, 2002 |
In this issue: "Twelve Flowers", by Katinka Matson, with an introduction By Kevin Kelly A set of exquisitely detailed, photorealistic, colorful images of flowers. It's about the technique. "Beyond Computation: A Talk with Rodney Brooks" (With RealVideo) Preview: Maybe there's something beyond computation in the sense that we don't understand and we can't describe what's going on inside living systems using computation only. When we build computational models of living systems -- such as a self-evolving system or an artificial immunology system -- they're not as robust or rich as real living systems. Maybe we're missing something, but what could that something be? "A Mutual, Joint-Stock World In All Meridians", by James O'Donnell Edge 102: 'New technology = New perceptions' |
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Lost in Translation at the FBI |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
11:37 am EDT, Jun 1, 2002 |
In announcing his restructuring of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert S. Mueller III, its director, stressed the importance of upgrading the FBI's intelligence capabilities by recruiting "the right people with the right experience." If my own experience with the agency is any guide, that should include an urgent recruiting drive for people with the right Arabic language skills. No need to worry that the FBI you've come to know and love will disappear overnight. Apparently the FBI believes they can "prevent" terrorism just by reading the newspaper. It will take years of bureaucracy to implement meaningful changes. Unfortunately, we can't afford to wait that long to achieve even limited improvements. What will happen? People are apparently quite insistent on remaking the FBI in a new image. Will they be content to wait the years it will take for that image to come into focus? Lost in Translation at the FBI |
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Optimoz -- Gestures for Mozilla |
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| Topic: Software Development |
9:21 am EDT, Jun 1, 2002 |
From Dagmar: Just when you thought you were safe from mac users with one-button mice (when every right-thinking person in America knows that all mice should have at least two buttons on them, and a wheel) there is now gesture support for Mozilla 1.0. This is too cool ... Optimoz -- Gestures for Mozilla |
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TextArc | An Alternate Way To View Text |
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| Topic: Technology |
8:21 am EDT, Jun 1, 2002 |
A TextArc is a visual represention of a text -- the entire text (twice!) on a single page. Some funny combination of an index, concordance, and summary, it uses the viewer's eye to help uncover meaning. I recommend that you try the Alice in Wonderland example. Follow the White Rabbit! TextArc | An Alternate Way To View Text |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
7:38 am EDT, Jun 1, 2002 |
Amid all the questions about possible intelligence failures at the CIA and FBI related to Sept. 11, one spy group -- the National Security Agency (NSA) -- has largely escaped the public spotlight. But a congressional joint intelligence committee, which will examine those questions in closed hearings beginning Tuesday, will give particular attention to missed opportunities at the secretive NSA -- the largest of all such agencies and the one specifically created to warn America of surprise attack at home. James Bamford on why the NSA is to blame for 9/11. He wants to expand the NSA's human resources and give them new technical capabilities in order to avoid future "intelligence failures." Too Much, Not Enough |
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For HBO's Well-Made 'The Wire,' Crime Pays |
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| Topic: Movies |
7:15 am EDT, May 31, 2002 |
HBO is an Energizer Bunny whose assembly line of first-rate series keeps going and going. Joining "Six Feet Under," "Sex and the City," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Sopranos" is "The Wire," a scorching look at the drug trade in a Baltimore housing project through the eyes of mid-level dealers and police. "The Wire" has virtues galore. Its first five episodes rank with TV's elite crime-busting hours at their best ... Pay-cable channels, which are supported by subscriptions instead of advertising, often have detractors in their largest broadcast competitors. The latter aging titans pout and whine on cue, for example, when HBO embarrasses them by annually earning Emmys and other big awards far out of proportion to its relatively slim audience base. ... All in all, "The Wire" is more evidence that TV's best crime shows are in their own golden age. From a cop on "The Wire", on fighting drugs: "You can't even call it a war. Wars end." This article is both a review of HBO's new series and a study of the dynamics between the pay and advertiser-supported ("free") programming. Worth the read. For HBO's Well-Made 'The Wire,' Crime Pays |
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An Erosion of Civil Liberties |
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| Topic: Surveillance |
7:10 am EDT, May 31, 2002 |
Attorney General John Ashcroft has a gift for making the most draconian policy changes sound seductively innocuous. He was at it again yesterday, describing new domestic spying powers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as nothing more than the authority to surf the Internet or attend a public gathering. That is profoundly misleading. In reality Mr. Ashcroft, in the name of fighting terrorism, was giving F.B.I. agents nearly unbridled power to poke into the affairs of anyone in the United States, even when there is no evidence of illegal activity. The New York Times is clearly unhappy with recent changes at the FBI. But they seem to be narrowly focused on the negative privacy implications, while not assessing the likelihood that these changes will prove (in)effective in "preventing" future acts, or that they will disrupt the FBI's responsibilities with regard to law enforcement. An Erosion of Civil Liberties |
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