I recently completed the Honolulu Marathon, with a time of 4:08:24. As a first marathon, it was a highly respectable time. Before running that race, I'd run 2 half marathons back in college, and had only run one training run longer than that (about 15.5 miles, a week before the marathon). Running that type of distance requires a lot of patience and determination. I hit the wall at around mile 20, and felt like I was running through deep water after that. It was all I could do just to keep running each step and not stopping.
Running is something I find easy, (as long as it is distance running, not sprint work), and I like it that I can tune the world out, and all that is left is the rythm of my feet hitting the ground, (and any accompanying music). My mind is clear, and the music from my iPod throbs through me, as my feet keep time to the major beats. Usually I like a strong beat, which is most often worship music, but a good celtic tune also works.
When I run, I can meditate on God's goodness and mercy. I am able to just relax and let Him fill me through the music and the power of His Word in the songs that play, as my body rejoices to run.
31 December 2012
27 December 2012
security vs availability in communications
In the communications world, there is always a struggle between those who believe that all information is and should be public, (many "hactivists" fall into this category), and those who think that all information should be under lock and key. And then there are those in the middle, who can appreciate the great benefits of open architectures and the resiliency of public knowledge, yet also appreciate the intricacies of information and operational security.
Furthermore, privacy in an age of swift and easy access to personal information is a constant challenge. The internet was founded with the emphasis on availability instead of security. This makes the challenge of providing information security that much harder. Furthermore, in the RF realm, it is assumed that all transmissions can and are intercepted, (though there are mitigating tools such as control of radiation beam and encryption of data which can limit the probability of intercept or compromise of confidentiality of the transmitted information).
There is a huge difference between the freedoms guaranteed to the citizens of the United States by the First Amendment to our Constitution, (of speech, of the press, of exercise of religion, and of assembly and petition) and the requirement for security of both government and privately owned information. Basically, if you have ownership rights to a piece of information, you can't be restricted in the dissemination of that information. This extends to matters of conscience and faith, which cannot be adjudicated by a civil court, because they are determined at the spiritual level and are only fully vetted postmortem. The other category of information is that which one has been given stewardship of, but not ownership. Those who have stewardship of the information that belongs to another, be it private, classified or copyrighted must honor the data owner's right to determine the audience and use of that information. That is where the Information Security industry has made its niche, as the trusted protector of the rights of individuals and organizations to determine for themselves the correct usage and dissemination of their information and knowledge. Thus, it reinforces the freedom of speech and of the press, by ensuring that the rights of the speaker or publisher are protected against compromise or corruption, and that the information that is communicated does so as the sender intends, to whom he or she intends, in the manner in which he intended, and is not corrupted or used in a manner other than he intends.
Furthermore, privacy in an age of swift and easy access to personal information is a constant challenge. The internet was founded with the emphasis on availability instead of security. This makes the challenge of providing information security that much harder. Furthermore, in the RF realm, it is assumed that all transmissions can and are intercepted, (though there are mitigating tools such as control of radiation beam and encryption of data which can limit the probability of intercept or compromise of confidentiality of the transmitted information).
There is a huge difference between the freedoms guaranteed to the citizens of the United States by the First Amendment to our Constitution, (of speech, of the press, of exercise of religion, and of assembly and petition) and the requirement for security of both government and privately owned information. Basically, if you have ownership rights to a piece of information, you can't be restricted in the dissemination of that information. This extends to matters of conscience and faith, which cannot be adjudicated by a civil court, because they are determined at the spiritual level and are only fully vetted postmortem. The other category of information is that which one has been given stewardship of, but not ownership. Those who have stewardship of the information that belongs to another, be it private, classified or copyrighted must honor the data owner's right to determine the audience and use of that information. That is where the Information Security industry has made its niche, as the trusted protector of the rights of individuals and organizations to determine for themselves the correct usage and dissemination of their information and knowledge. Thus, it reinforces the freedom of speech and of the press, by ensuring that the rights of the speaker or publisher are protected against compromise or corruption, and that the information that is communicated does so as the sender intends, to whom he or she intends, in the manner in which he intended, and is not corrupted or used in a manner other than he intends.
27 October 2012
First Blog Post
I started this blog to post musing about God, my family, life, philosophy, technology, radio, inventions, my job, martial arts, being a crunchy evangelical, debt-free sustainable living, and other thoughts and ideas...
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