Anyone who knows me very well is aware that I listen to a lot of talk radio. (Some might say too much!) Public Radio is my preferred source of news, however, I do listen to some of the right and left-wing talking heads.
On Saturdays, my local Clear-Channel affiliate (WTVN), has a four hour
block of open phones. The callers are
98% Christian Conservatives, and a great deal of them are as articulate as a
rock. In fact, it may be worth
dedicating an entire post to this microcosm of the talk radio community, but this has little to do with my point.
While listening to the radio two weeks ago, one astute listener brought to my attention The Cybersecurity Act of 2009. Her accusations were that:
Der Fuehrer, Herr Obama, mochte 'Free Speech' und
'Democracy' zu toten. Er Hasst
I have decided in this maiden voyage of ATFTF, to describe
in some detail this 52 page piece of legislation.
(Little did I realize how difficult this would be...)
This relatively short bill, only 23 sections in its 52
pages, lays out legal framework to allow the government to begin
making its computer networks more secure from the threat of cyberterrorism. Included in this legislation is the power to regulate protect private enterprises, such as small and medium business.
It does this by, among other things, setting up a Cybersecurity Panel (Sec. 3) to advise the President, mandating the creation of both Cybersecurity standards (Sec. 6) and licensing procedures for Cybersecurity professionals (Sec. 7), creating Cybersecurity Centers (Sec. 5) to assist with creating and enforcing the new standards, regulating the Domain Name Addressing System (Sec. 8 and 9), and funding Cybersecurity research and education (Sec 11, 12, and 13).
After reading a majority of the bill, I found the section that had our radio caller friend and a good part of the Internet in an uproar.
The President--
(2) may declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network;
(6) may order the disconnection
of any Federal Government or
Giving the President these powers does not seem so scary at first glance. However, a good point has been made:
What
constitutes a Cybersecurity Emergency?
Furthermore, what assurances do American citizens have that this authority
will not be used limit Freedom of Speech?
Arguments have been made that this authority should be given to Congress much like a Declaration of War. I might agree with this statement if our fine members in the Legislative Branch were not constantly engaged in partisan bickering, the sole source of which is the selfish propagation their own career.
Drawing from that theme of checks and balances, I would suggest that the Supreme Court be incharge of supervising the President's use of this power. Those dudes (and dudettes) have their act together.
I also have some concerns about the Cybersecurity Centers:
5(b) The purpose of the Centers is to enhance the cybersecurity of small and medium sized businesses
However, lets be fair to this subject. The government is in dire need of beefing up the security their networks. I do not like the idea of some 14 year-old hacker from across the ocean obtaining plans for F-22's. That may be a bit of a stretch, but America does need to protect its infrastructure. So lets do it responsibly.
Furthermore, there are parts of this bill that I am particularly fond of, specifically Sections 11 through 13, which creates incentives, such as grants and scholarships, for research in this field.
My favorite of these is Sec. 13. Cybersecurity competition and challenge. Legislation that empowers:
13(A) The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology ... (to) establish Cybersecurity competitions and challenges with cash prizes.
13(B) targeting the following groups: (1) High school students (2) Undergraduate students (3) Graduate students and (4) Academic and research institutions.
Awesome! The idea of creating a game out of hacking for high schooler's could really motivate teenagers to put down their XBoxes and PSPs and actively thinking about their future. If we would have had this legislation in the '90s, I might have pursued a career in software development as opposed to hardware. I hope Congress will seriously pursue this idea regardless of the fate of this bill.
There was an era in my life were I wanted to be sound engineer. My dream was to sit Front of House and push faders for Radiohead, but I would have been happy just to the Restraint DJ Sound Tech. I even began an internship at a local venue and worked as an electronics tech for the Athletics Department.
Reading Fresh's post made me think about how much I enjoy electronic music. My preference had always been techno and trance. I prefer the faster beats to the more complacent pulse of house music, not that it does not have its place.
My passion for it is something I have carried with me from my adolescence. I too liked the idea of being a DJ, but never had the money to throw down on a pair of decks. And you would have never caught me spinning plastic. I had too much pride and was way to arrogant to play anything that was not wrapped in cardboard. For me, it was Technics SL-1200's or nothing else.
I do most of my listening while studying or working. It serves as a great distraction, and I think the tempo (and the coffee) elevates my blood pressure enough to keep me going late into the night.
Exercising is another time when I rock the oot-tis
oot-tis oot-tis (image a bass drum -oot followed by a high hat -tis). Lately, I have gotten sick of listening to
Orbital, Underworld, Crystal Method, and The Chemical Brothers while I am
struggling to get my second wind. I really need something new.
The solution presented itself when I was listening to my favorite site for streaming digital music. I happened upon a place to download free DJ sets (www.livesets.us). Finally, a source of free music without any associated guilt.
Drawing from the theme of Techno, this blog now has its format. It will be focused on technology, and any music or politics that I choose to associate with it.
Hope you enjoy it!