Tradeoffs

[handslive]

purplejavatroll asked me to post about the bait car videos some time back when I followed some links both from BoingBoing and also from myTelus.  The problem really is that I don't expect anyone else to think that's interesting unless there's some context.  So.

Bruce Schneier has an article up about security trade offs that's a good read.  He talks about some of these things in Beyond Fear, which is also a good read if anyone wants to borrow it and thinks high blood pressure would be a nice change.  In this context, it's worthwhile to take a look at some videos of people being caught breaking into bait cars in Vancouver.

I'd guess that a bunch of you have probably already seen something like this on TV (or that's the impression I've had from conversations heard at work).  So, basically I'm a very slow repeater.

Comments

[oldgoldalsatian.livejournal.com]

But just imagine the sheer joy, the rush you'd get, the first time you get to kill the guy's electrical system and watch him roll to a halt. To catch a thief!

Remember Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, telling his dope dealer, "It'd be worth him doin' it, to be able to catch him doin' it." Here's a proactive response to a crime problem that I could really get behind! I wonder if this program will actually reduce crime, or only increase arrests for it. Even if all it amounts to is the return of more property to rightful owners, it'll be worth the effort in my view.

I believe you and I were acquainted back when I experienced my own true crime story (looking after other people's cars) in which all that uechi-ryu back home paid off, in my continued mitochondrial manufacture of adenosine triphosphate. That was only a thrill to talk about afterwards.

[handslive.livejournal.com]

The bait car thing is fun, but you can see why LoJack works slightly better (statistics-wise). So, what you need is your own digital camera to record footage in the car. Hmmm, and a web site for LoJack owners to post footage on. :-)

[oldgoldalsatian.livejournal.com]

So then I went and looked at this guy Schneider's site and, well, isn't that cool. Someone whose approach to security policy is founded on a philosophy other than, Fuck you, I'm alright jack.

So now I'm third in line for his book at EPL. Headshake. Free time, yeah.

[handslive.livejournal.com]

I've two of his here that you might like (Beyond Fear and Secrets and Lies and you could borrow them as soon as we could get together. Which is a whole other set of problems because I'm in Vancouver Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thurdsday this week. But send me e-mail if you want me to drop them both off and we'll arrange something.