You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
Security is a huge issue in today's world. Our planet is less dangerous than it was twenty years ago, but somehow security has become bigger and more costly - both in material costs and societal, personal costs. So I think everyone should educate themselves a little bit about security to understand when trade-offs are and aren't worth it.
Schneier's book does that. He's a world-famous expert in security of all kinds - physical, digital, mathematical, societal - and it shows. This is a collection of ~100 very short (2-3pg) essays. So each essay makes one point, and makes it well. You'll learn a lot about bad security (he really rips the TSA apart) and why it's bad. You'll learn about better security policy, and why it works - also, why it often doesn't get implemented or even proposed!
Schneier's writing is very refreshing - it's clear and concise, avoiding wanky language without being boring. No, Schneier communicates all his points concisely so you can learn as much as possible. But the essays often overlap - many will make the same points, use the same examples, etc. So I found it much easier to absorb and retain what I learned, because it was constantly being reinforced. Often with a book, I decide to go back and read it again because I've forgotten a lot of the cool things I learned. Not so with this! I still remember a lot of the lessons even a month later.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in world affairs and politics, because security is one of the main motiviators for the actions of today's governments, and you will now understand how it works.
Schneier's book does that. He's a world-famous expert in security of all kinds - physical, digital, mathematical, societal - and it shows. This is a collection of ~100 very short (2-3pg) essays. So each essay makes one point, and makes it well. You'll learn a lot about bad security (he really rips the TSA apart) and why it's bad. You'll learn about better security policy, and why it works - also, why it often doesn't get implemented or even proposed!
Schneier's writing is very refreshing - it's clear and concise, avoiding wanky language without being boring. No, Schneier communicates all his points concisely so you can learn as much as possible. But the essays often overlap - many will make the same points, use the same examples, etc. So I found it much easier to absorb and retain what I learned, because it was constantly being reinforced. Often with a book, I decide to go back and read it again because I've forgotten a lot of the cool things I learned. Not so with this! I still remember a lot of the lessons even a month later.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in world affairs and politics, because security is one of the main motiviators for the actions of today's governments, and you will now understand how it works.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
If you don't know Schneier, then his books are a great introduction. But once you "get" Schneier, I recommend keeping up with him online. Otherwise you're stuck with old news in book form.
a collection of articles
not quite what i expected. given that this is a collection of newspaper articles, op-eds, magazine pieces, blog posts, etc.
this doesn’t build to a thesis. interesting nuggets to be sure, but all over the map in terms of content.
not quite what i expected. given that this is a collection of newspaper articles, op-eds, magazine pieces, blog posts, etc.
this doesn’t build to a thesis. interesting nuggets to be sure, but all over the map in terms of content.