09-03-2024, 10:44 AM
This post was last modified 09-03-2024, 10:47 AM by FlyingClayDisk.
Hmmmmmm....
Lot's of comments spinning around inside the ol' hamster wheel 'upstairs' on this one.
1. This is yet another example of society's growing dependence on technology which isn't necessarily required, but winds up becoming a necessity by virtue of its very existence. Put a different way, it's technology which we didn't ask for, which seemed harmless enough, so we allowed it into our lives without realizing the potential downsides. These types of things can have two broad categories of negative outcomes. One of them is technological, and the other is human. I need only cite one example...cash registers. Yeah, there's a million other examples, but everyone will 'get' this one. When was the last time you saw anyone able to count back change in a cash sale??? People just can't do it anymore, some because they're lazy, but even more because they don't actually know how. That last one is an example of negative human outcomes. So now, when the power goes off, merchants are instantly paralyzed...for no logical reason...other than the fact no one can count. Again, there's a billion other examples (i.e. ATM machines, computerized-everything, etc.) Seems harmless enough, convenient even, until it becomes absolutely mission critical (when it doesn't need to be) and brings modern society to its collective knees when it doesn't work.
2. As small form factor computers become more and more powerful, and corporations become more and more greedy, how long will it be before they start consolidating more and more systems under the hood of a single CPU? Fortunately, in the Mazda example of the OP, the radio CPU was air-gapped from the ignition system, but what happens when someone decides to try to save a buck and combine the two? "Bad Ju-Ju" is the answer.
3. In today's age, information is power. Information has always been power, but today it's at a premium because of all the complicated electronics running things. The "bad guys" of the world realize this, and have every intention of taking advantage of it. We see it almost weekly anymore with reports of Denial of Service attacks. Just look at what happened with the massive Kronos timekeeping system hack of 2021. Fully 3.5 years, YEARS, later there are still countless businesses who have still not recovered. Entire Cities were crippled by this ransom-ware attack, and Cities like Baltimore, Denver and others, are still struggling with it. This, after paying billions of dollars in ransom money. So, what's society's solution? Answer: Put even more electronic devices out there! (Note: Probably the wrong answer). The recent Crowdstrike meltdown is another example. It wasn't a hack, but rather a botched patch from Microsoft. Regardless, it bricked millions upon millions of computers to the point they wouldn't even boot up...AT ALL! And, to fix it, every single piece of hardware (i.e. computer) running Microsoft had to be touched; the fix could not be rolled out remotely, so a person had to go to every single computer in an enterprise running Crowdstrike and load a file physically on the machine. Our enterprise is around 38,000 machines, so that was hundreds of people for several days going around and loading a tiny little file on every single computer to fix a bricked box. Knees...meet floor!
4. Now let's look at the source. A radio station in this case. We already live in an environment full to the gills with regulation; we don't need and don't want more...regulation, right? But at the same time, we are now being bombarded with electronic data from more directions than ever before. Networks, Bluetooth, radio, WiFi, microwave, HDTV, and the list goes on. Every day some new technology emerges, and our mentality is "wireless everything is better". So, with this ever increasing bombardment from all directions, how can we possibly expect LESS and not more regulation when things like the Mazda incident can happen? Sure, it was just a car radio and some collateral features...this time. BUT...
What will it be next time?
5. Lastly, and then there's Artificial Intelligence (AI). We've already seen how it can run amok. Why? Because it has to draw its information from somewhere, and this 'somewhere' is the Interwebz, which is the single largest repository of data on planet Earth...but not all of it is correct / right. In fact, as we all know, much of the Internet is straight-up wrong (misinformation, biased information, etc.). When we throw AI into this big ol' bucket of goo, well, then we could (and likely will) wind up with a mess which humans are not even capable of fixing because computers are doing the thinking for us. What then?
Pull the plug???
I honestly don't think pulling the plug is an option anymore for large segments of society today. For those people I feel truly sorry. On...your...knees!
The Mazda incident is just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Just the tip of the iceberg.
Lot's of comments spinning around inside the ol' hamster wheel 'upstairs' on this one.
1. This is yet another example of society's growing dependence on technology which isn't necessarily required, but winds up becoming a necessity by virtue of its very existence. Put a different way, it's technology which we didn't ask for, which seemed harmless enough, so we allowed it into our lives without realizing the potential downsides. These types of things can have two broad categories of negative outcomes. One of them is technological, and the other is human. I need only cite one example...cash registers. Yeah, there's a million other examples, but everyone will 'get' this one. When was the last time you saw anyone able to count back change in a cash sale??? People just can't do it anymore, some because they're lazy, but even more because they don't actually know how. That last one is an example of negative human outcomes. So now, when the power goes off, merchants are instantly paralyzed...for no logical reason...other than the fact no one can count. Again, there's a billion other examples (i.e. ATM machines, computerized-everything, etc.) Seems harmless enough, convenient even, until it becomes absolutely mission critical (when it doesn't need to be) and brings modern society to its collective knees when it doesn't work.
2. As small form factor computers become more and more powerful, and corporations become more and more greedy, how long will it be before they start consolidating more and more systems under the hood of a single CPU? Fortunately, in the Mazda example of the OP, the radio CPU was air-gapped from the ignition system, but what happens when someone decides to try to save a buck and combine the two? "Bad Ju-Ju" is the answer.
3. In today's age, information is power. Information has always been power, but today it's at a premium because of all the complicated electronics running things. The "bad guys" of the world realize this, and have every intention of taking advantage of it. We see it almost weekly anymore with reports of Denial of Service attacks. Just look at what happened with the massive Kronos timekeeping system hack of 2021. Fully 3.5 years, YEARS, later there are still countless businesses who have still not recovered. Entire Cities were crippled by this ransom-ware attack, and Cities like Baltimore, Denver and others, are still struggling with it. This, after paying billions of dollars in ransom money. So, what's society's solution? Answer: Put even more electronic devices out there! (Note: Probably the wrong answer). The recent Crowdstrike meltdown is another example. It wasn't a hack, but rather a botched patch from Microsoft. Regardless, it bricked millions upon millions of computers to the point they wouldn't even boot up...AT ALL! And, to fix it, every single piece of hardware (i.e. computer) running Microsoft had to be touched; the fix could not be rolled out remotely, so a person had to go to every single computer in an enterprise running Crowdstrike and load a file physically on the machine. Our enterprise is around 38,000 machines, so that was hundreds of people for several days going around and loading a tiny little file on every single computer to fix a bricked box. Knees...meet floor!
4. Now let's look at the source. A radio station in this case. We already live in an environment full to the gills with regulation; we don't need and don't want more...regulation, right? But at the same time, we are now being bombarded with electronic data from more directions than ever before. Networks, Bluetooth, radio, WiFi, microwave, HDTV, and the list goes on. Every day some new technology emerges, and our mentality is "wireless everything is better". So, with this ever increasing bombardment from all directions, how can we possibly expect LESS and not more regulation when things like the Mazda incident can happen? Sure, it was just a car radio and some collateral features...this time. BUT...
What will it be next time?
5. Lastly, and then there's Artificial Intelligence (AI). We've already seen how it can run amok. Why? Because it has to draw its information from somewhere, and this 'somewhere' is the Interwebz, which is the single largest repository of data on planet Earth...but not all of it is correct / right. In fact, as we all know, much of the Internet is straight-up wrong (misinformation, biased information, etc.). When we throw AI into this big ol' bucket of goo, well, then we could (and likely will) wind up with a mess which humans are not even capable of fixing because computers are doing the thinking for us. What then?
Pull the plug???
I honestly don't think pulling the plug is an option anymore for large segments of society today. For those people I feel truly sorry. On...your...knees!
The Mazda incident is just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Just the tip of the iceberg.
