Entries from January 2010 ↓

This morning, there was a posting at AnnArbor.com that had the general “we are at war, toughen up” sort of tone that we’ve seen in the years since 9/11. I want to see less of that in the media, because it’s giving the wrong impression about the situation. Rather than going by that feeling that we are less safe, it’s better to turn to statistics and realize that we are, in fact, probably as safe as we want to be. Here is the comment that I posted at AnnArbor.com, reposted here because of the interesting links and what they represent:

I can certainly agree with your call for people to report suspicious activity, though “normal people” have been known to report suspicious activity around completely normal other people, where trained security people would not. Thanks for that video link, because that can help to improve the kinds of things that those of us not trained in security can spot!

I’d like to highlight some alternative views of the overall situation that tend to get ignored in the media around events like this one. For example, air travel in the 2000s is the safest it’s been since the 1960s and is incredibly safe:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/01/skies-are-as-friendly-as-ever-911-al.html

Put another way, “The chances of being hurt by someone who got past airport security, even without things like the full-body scanners being deployed after this latest panic, are smaller than dying in your dentist’s office from an anaesthesia error.”

http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2010/01/big_numbers_and_air_travel.php

Another way to look at the Christmas Day incident is that security actually worked:

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/01/christmas_bombe.html

Reality is unpredictable and it’s impossible (and undesirable!) to get to 100% secure:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/opinion/01brooks.html?emc=eta1

I think it pays to focus on the things that truly make us more secure, rather than the security theater we are subjected to every time we fly. Bruce Schneier: “Only two things have made flying safer [since 9/11]: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers.”

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/12/separating_expl.html

I sincerely hope we can see more of *that* kind of discussion in the media.

The second half of 2009 was beyond busy for me, for a variety of reasons. I expect 2010 to be a little better. It occurs to me, however, that sneaking a small bit of writing into each day is not difficult and is healthy. It appears that many people even equate writing with thinking. Writing is a chance to really clarify your thinking on a topic. I’ve started blog posts in the past where I’d begin writing the blog post and eventually stop after I realized that I didn’t agree with the direction the post was taking.

In the past, I’ve posted random links on my blog (primarily Blue Sky On Mars, the blog I’ve had since 2001). I’m actually quite happy that there’s no need to post tidbits on my blog any more. I have Twitter for that, and my delicious bookmarks automatically get posted on twitter.

For those of you reading this blog and Blue Sky On Mars, you can expect to see more writing from me here in 2010 than in 2009, and I hope you enjoy it.