2000 – Page 23 – Public Intelligence Blog

2000/04/082009/11/01

Review: The Online Deskbook–Online Magazine?s Essential Desk Reference for Online and Internet Searchers

As Good As It Gets,

April 8, 2000

Mary Ellen Bates

Mary Ellen, or MEB, is the online broker I turn to when I can't solve something in-house. Her book is a working desktop reference, covering the main commercial online services as well as major Internet channels.

2000/04/082009/11/01

Review: A World of Secrets–The Uses and Limits of Intelligence

5 Star, Intelligence (Government/Secret)

Best in class textbook for intelligence,

April 8, 2000

Walter Laqueur

I continue to regard this book as one of the best available textbooks for inspiring informed student and entry-level employee discussion about the intelligence professional and its role in supporting policy-making. The author's conclusion, and the “eleven points” he makes regarding the current status and future of intelligence, continue to be an essential contribution to the great debate.

2000/04/082009/11/01

Review: Informing Statecraft–Intelligence for a New Century

4 Star, Diplomacy, Intelligence (Government/Secret), Strategy

Informing Policy is more important than stealing secrets,

April 8, 2000

Angelo Codevilla

“It is not too gross an exaggeration that when considering any given threat, DIA will overestimate, CIA will underestimate, and INR will blame the U.S. for it.” From his opening chapter and his distinction between static, dynamic, and technical facts, on through a brilliant summary of the post-war spy on page 103 and lengthy sections on how we've gotten it wrong, how we can get it right, and what is needed in the way of reform, I found this book worthy of study. An analyst and political staffer by nature, the strength of this book rests on the premise in the title: that intelligence should be about informing policy, not about collecting secrets for secrets' sake.

2000/04/072009/11/01

Review: Hackers–Heroes of the Computer Revolution

5 Star, Asymmetric, Cyber, Hacking, Odd War, Change & Innovation, Culture, Research, Information Society, Information Technology

The Real Thing–Definitive Early Study,

April 7, 2000

Steven Levy

This is the definitive book on the early hackers, true hackers, and should be required reading for all those people, generally with good intentions, that ignorantly refer to electronic criminals and vandals as “hackers”. Steven starts his book with a “who's who” in hacking that includes Lee Felsenstein from Interval, Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, and Woz Woniak, among others, and then goes on in three parts to examine the original night hackers at MIT and other nodes of excellence, then the hardware hackers, and finally the game hackers. Hackers are a national resource, and it is only the ignorant who do not understand this.

2000/04/072009/11/01

Review: Computer-Related Risks

5 Star, Information Operations, Information Society, Information Technology

The Bible–For the Real Professionals,

April 7, 2000

Peter G. Neumann

Neumann, founder and moderator of the Internet Risk Forum, is the pope of the legitimate computer risks community. This is the bible.

2000/04/072009/11/01

Review: Masters of Deception–The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace

4 Star, Asymmetric, Cyber, Hacking, Odd War, Information Society, Information Technology

Fun But Reader Beware,

April 7, 2000

Michele Slatalla

This is a fun read, but as with the Hafner and Markoff book, reader beware. Erik Bloodaxe, one of the major characters in the book and my friend as well as a trusted security engineer, inscribed this book as follows: “Robert, Hope you enjoy this classic example of 3rd rate speculative fiction. So much for journalistic integrity, eh? /s/. I also know Phiber Optic, and tried to keep him out of jail, even offered to house him and hire him on parole, but to no avail. This is a good story that crosses over frequently into speculative reporting, but it may be better for that, capturing some of the spirit of competition that exists between very talented hackers who by and large do no harm.

2000/04/072009/11/01

Review: The Hacker Crackdown–Law And Disorder On The Electronic Frontier

5 Star, Asymmetric, Cyber, Hacking, Odd War, Culture, Research, Information Society, Information Technology, Justice (Failure, Reform), Misinformation & Propaganda

Distingushed, Accurate, Superior to Government Story,

April 7, 2000

Bruce Sterling

This is one of three books I trust on hackers and hacking (Levy and Turkle are the other two trusted authors). Bruce, a very distinguished author in WIRED and science fiction circles, went to great lengths to investigate and understand what was happening between hackers exploring corporate systems, corporate security officials that were clueless and seeking scorched earth revenge, and Secret Service investigators that were equally clueless and willing to testify erroneously to judges that the hackers had caused grave damage to national security. Bruce is a true investigative journalist with a deep understanding of both technical and cultural matters, and I consider him superior to anyone in government on the facts of the matter.

Update of 31 May 08 to add links:
The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, Twentieth Anniversary Edition
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
Information Payoff: The Transformation of Work in the Electronic Age
Collective Intelligence: Mankind's Emerging World in Cyberspace (Helix Books)
The Unfinished Revolution: Human-Centered Computers and What They Can Do For Us
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace