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But was the world burned by nuclear holocaust, or did the Y2K melt down the nuclear powerplants causing a global Chernobyl disaster? Did the ozone layer disappe

But was the world burned by nuclear holocaust, or did the Y2K melt down the nuclear powerplants causing a global Chernobyl disaster? Did the ozone layer disappear and did the acid rains kill all forests? Extrapolating from a short period to a distant catastrophe can poison your life, while usually when a problem gets bad enough, then widespread consensus forms against it and appropriate resources are allocated. * Regarding IT security: I surely wouldn't be sleepless over IT security, given my money is reasonably safe and insured. Hackers won't destroy the water supply or nuclear reactors, even if they might be able to, or at most cause some incidents before steps are taken. Terrorists have vast possibilities already, we shouldn't be so arrogant to think that IT is so special that it is especially susceptible to causing some global catastrophe. One can already buy a hacksaw and tear down power lines, no need to hack a powerplant. One can poison water reservoirs, etc. No need for Hollywood drama, where special single points of failure are protected by (lone) heroes, protecting us from the lone maniacs. Our society is vulnerable and fragile, since at least 50 years ago, and it is not being attacked because nobody really wants to attack it. I'm more concerned about the gradual decline of privacy caused by the fear-mongering situations like outlined above. (If you meant this than I misunderstood you, sry.) * - Or we die. We die someday anyway.

nonrandomstring 3y ago
> I'm more concerned about the gradual decline of privacy caused by the fear-mongering situations like outlined above. (If you meant this than I misunderstood you, sry.) Yeah I kinda did actually. :) Though I wouldn't use the term "fear mongering" about anyone's legitimate concern from their perspective. The anxiety comes from seeing that poor digital security is just (perhaps a deliberate) part of a complex situation forming. It's one that threatens to usher in precisely the fascism we fought world wars to eliminate - but via the back door "for the children". BTW I agree with your pragmatic, "well let's see about that" attitude. It's what gets me through the day too.
- fodkodrasz 3y ago
  I was into prepping for a while, but let go of the stuff, seeing the "Cassandras" being disappointed for the catastrophe taking the lives of millions does not happen. I see pessimist/alarmist people a bit more skeptically now, the more grandiose the threat they envision the more skeptical I am, as now I'm always assuming a bit of narcissism in the background. Problems exist, and we need to talk about them, to realize and eventually solve them, or be able to informedly ignore them. But the constant impending doom as portrayed by the media since ever (probably Goebbels is at fault, and his counterparts in rival empires) makes me apathetic, as a form of self-defence. fear mongering: I did not mean to tell you were fear mongering, rather I thought you might be a victim of it with your perception magnified by subjective experience. I just outlined some fear-mongering scenarios about which we are always told to be afraid of the ITSec threats. (and which are overblown in my opinion, not because of the lack of feasibility, but the lack of utility carrying them out, as the possibilities were mostly there already without IT.)

nonrandomstring 3y ago

> I'm more concerned about the gradual decline of privacy caused by the fear-mongering situations like outlined above. (If you meant this than I misunderstood you, sry.) Yeah I kinda did actually. :) Though I wouldn't use the term "fear mongering" about anyone's legitimate concern from their perspective. The anxiety comes from seeing that poor digital security is just (perhaps a deliberate) part of a complex situation forming. It's one that threatens to usher in precisely the fascism we fought world wars to eliminate - but via the back door "for the children". BTW I agree with your pragmatic, "well let's see about that" attitude. It's what gets me through the day too.

fodkodrasz 3y ago
I was into prepping for a while, but let go of the stuff, seeing the "Cassandras" being disappointed for the catastrophe taking the lives of millions does not happen. I see pessimist/alarmist people a bit more skeptically now, the more grandiose the threat they envision the more skeptical I am, as now I'm always assuming a bit of narcissism in the background. Problems exist, and we need to talk about them, to realize and eventually solve them, or be able to informedly ignore them. But the constant impending doom as portrayed by the media since ever (probably Goebbels is at fault, and his counterparts in rival empires) makes me apathetic, as a form of self-defence. fear mongering: I did not mean to tell you were fear mongering, rather I thought you might be a victim of it with your perception magnified by subjective experience. I just outlined some fear-mongering scenarios about which we are always told to be afraid of the ITSec threats. (and which are overblown in my opinion, not because of the lack of feasibility, but the lack of utility carrying them out, as the possibilities were mostly there already without IT.)