When we sold all our possessions I gave away in three grand sweeps nearly 15 thousand books. My home library was an eclectic mix of well read books covering hundreds of linear feet double, triple stacked. A true hoarders mess.…
Category: Book/Article Reviews
Books or articles of interest and reviews of them. If you have a book that you think may be of interest please let us know and we or one of our contributors will review the book. We reserve the right to rip to shreds any book that makes us feel that way. Or, just not do it.
Commentary: RAND Counterinsurgency Scorecard
RAND recently released the Counterinsurgency Scorecard: Afghanistan in early 2011 relative to the insurgencies of the past 30 years. I read this with considerable interest as the topic (insurgency) and methodology (Delphi study) interest me greatly. The use of experts…
Commentary: The International Strategy for Cyberspace
The following is a critique of the new policy document introduced by the Whitehouse on May 16th. All elements of the attribution policy of this blog/website apply. Though I’m critical of the document in general it is consistent with previous…
Review: Computer Capers by Thomas Whiteside
I’ve wanted for some time to increase the number of book reviews I publish and to get them up a little faster. I’ve been re-reading a bunch of my computer security books and the review for today is Computer Capers:…
How Completing a PhD is like Running an Ultra Marathon
A couple of thing you should know about me. First, I am in the process of completing my PhD and second, I have recently taken up running. I began both of these pursuits reluctantly. I began my PhD course work…
Review: How to talk about books you haven’t read by Pierre Bayard
Sometimes a book comes along that just by the title you have to read. In a rather thin book you find between the hard covers a discussion of the love of reading. The different ideas of how to read. Though…
Review: The Paideia Proposal by Mortimer Adler
This book as part of the movement that doesn’t appear to have gotten off the ground is an influential to me short story of what education could become. The book is fairly old so we can see how little effect…
Review: Blackfoot is missing by William Owen
This book is a work of fiction looking at the special operations forces working in Northern Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos near the end of the war. The author provides and excellent view into the fictional world of these actors with…
Review: Securing SCADA systems by Ronald Krutz
The author Ronald Krutz takes the reader through the various elements of cyber security as it is applied to SCADA systems. Documenting the various protocols and issues in depth the author mentions some very specific threats to cyber security that…
Review: Cyberpower and National Security edited by Franklin Kramer et. al.
“Cyberpower and National Security” edited by Fraklin D. Kramer, Stuart H. Starr, and Larry K. Wentz is a deep dive book into the substantive literature and ideas of the interaction between cyberspace, conflict, people, politics, and the diplomacy of deciding…
Threats in the Age of Obama: 100 days into a presidency
I wrote a chapter for a book called “Threats in the age of Obama” that was edited by Michael Tanji and there were many superior authors included Dan tdaxp, Christopher Albon, Matt Armstrong, Matthew Burton, Molly Cernicek, Christopher Corpora, Shane…
Book: Threats in the age of Obama
A new book is out “Threats in the age of Obama” with chapters by many fine writers. The book is a look at the national security implications and issues from some outsiders and former insiders. The book has articles on…
A round table to bring ideas forward: The Chicagoboyz examine Clausewitz
The Chicagoboyz are hosting the round table I’m looking forward to the adventure of bouncing some ideas off them. For the purposes of the round table I will be posting at Chicagoboys. I will post an abstract here and link to the Chicagoboyz post. The chancellor…
Commentary and refutation: CSIS & Securing cyberspace for the 44th presidency
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently released a report titled “Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency: A report of the CSIS commission on cybersecurity for the 44th presidency”. This report is an in depth look at policy…
White swans: Along with ducks spray painted black
When I received “The black swan: The impact of the highly improbable” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Random House, New York, 2007), I was intrigued by a view into the financial world of high finance. In the interest of saving you…