Reknowned sci-fi author Bruce Sterling is speaking at SXSW (read: “South by Southwest”) in Austin. Mike Wayslik is doing a damned fine job of blogging his speech, which includes these gems on off-shoring and computer security problems:
2004 is a very cheerful year for some people – India is waking up all over right now. As a futurist, I spend a lot of time trend-spotting India. They’re making amazing progress in living standards for a billion people.
Freaking out over Indian offshoring is a short sighted point of view. If you want to keep a large number of people ignorant and backwards, try it out in your own country instead….
I spend a lot of time thinking about computer security. Under this administration, security has gotten steadily worse. Viruses, phishing, torrents of porn, pharmaceutical fraud is reaching unprecedented rates. About 1/3 of the spam online is being sent from people whose unsecured computers have been enslaved. Because it’s impossible to secure a Microsoft system. “Outlook is a flaw with a mailer attached to it.“
P.S. If you're a practicing lawyer, check out this Law Practice Assessment . After answering a few questions, you'll get detailed recommendations for improving five key areas of your practice.
