0:00:00 | Opening music and introduction by the two “half hosts” |
0:01:40 | ACC’s interview with “the most feared man in the military-industrial complex” Kill Decision author Daniel Suarez, book completed 6-7 months ago after a year of research and writing, realistic scenario of US coming under attack by autonomous drones of unknown origin, reality of “fractured high-tech military ecosystem”; Suarez’ background in commercial big data and Y2K work, previous thrillers Daemon and Freedom™ as harbingers of Google Glass, obscure real-world technologies like Gorgon Stare, “unaccountable concentrations of power” and the tendency of information to escape; guest appearance by Suarez’ cat Lucy |
0:11:50 | Pyramid of Medieval power upended by the invention of gunpowder, steady increase in the size of battles and the sway of democracy, push for drone autonomy to prevent jamming of radio control; Michael Hayden’s admission that US cyber-warfare capability is most feared around the world; insects as example of evolution through cooperation, “we’re still here” in the face of nuclear and biological weapons; scenario of pilot vs swarm of suicidal adversaries |
0:26:44 | ACC impressed with sexy female protagonist; Daemon inspired by experience marketing game weather simulator, “what else can you do if you’re dead?”, potential distraction of emacs frontend to Notepad, background in English Literature; Daemon self-publishing pipeline and discussions with WarGames producer Walter Parkes, potential film deal with Paramount |
0:39:14 | Intermission and introduction to JCD’s interview with Denim Group CEO John Dickson |
0:41:30 | “The hits just keep on coming” with NSA revelations, background in pre-internet SIGINT, 9/11 Commision recriminations acted upon differently by different agencies, Verizon & AT&T and the old wiretap model, plight of non-US businesses using hosted Exchange services, likelihood of “sources and methods” being disclosed to the Russians and Chinese, plausible deniability on both sides of the US-China economic relationships |
0:50:25 | Danger of headlong rush toward internet-connected “smart grid” and online health data, JCD’s “low-end crap” health portal, HIPAA and forthcoming HITECH regulations; Denim Group occasionally called in to address nation-state activity with little recourse available except to inform FBI, NSA revelations likely to stifle the kind of voluntary information-sharing championed by administration, JCD’s PC Magazine article on potential Department of Commerce impact, top ten list of things to ask Keith Alexander about at Black Hat conference; lame “if you’ve done nothing to wrong you have nothing to fear” rationalization and “the issue of leverage” in the David Petraeus scandal, “our ability to collect data has always outstripped our ability to analyze it”, years worth of unanalyzed drone video from Afghanistan, planning for Mumbai attacks lying unexploited in the hands of Indian intelligence, impossibility of risk-free society, “tip of the iceberg” based on incomplete information making it into the media |
1:08:26 | Utilities attracted to the smart grid notion as a means to “dampen demand”, pitfall of proliferation of IP-addressable devices, real danger of a nation-state attack |
1:12:17 | JCD’s experiences with decreasing competence levels along the local-state-federal continuum, general rule on “law enforcement guys with cowboy hats” in cybersecurity scenarios, “chasm” between public and private sectors, former Air Force working for Bank of America |
1:17:38 | Denim Group working on security at the software development level, “great question” about the realities of iPhone and Android security, brand trust driving attitudes about app security, Apple mainly protecting its own interests in the App Store |
1:21:52 | Outro: ACC’s upcoming report on his “party with the elites” |
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