Signals, Calls and Marches

Two stories stuck in my craw this past week. Now, I'm spitting them out, for your pre-masticated pleasure.

Firstly:
Tim Wilson's post at Dark Reading figures we shouldn't buy IBM security services because one of their contractors lost a storage tape with NPI on it. And that a public wireless company should not be patronized because they had a crooked options administrator. The TSA loses some employee data, so what..? We find some off-brand liquid & gel manhandler? The causality between the security products and services offered and the lapses in security and anti-fraud controls seems spurious. Does TJ Maxx not still shop continuously so I can find fabulous fashion bargains? That I'll pay cash for?

Segundo:
I can't believe the guy playing Punk'd with Google AdWords got so much press. The SANS dudes creamed themselves into a fit self-righeous suspender-snapping ecstacy in their newsletter over this DARING SOCIAL EXPERIMENT! The story was lame, proved nothing, but did allow the SANSabelters a chance to feel so superior to the l00zerz that would click on a link that says "Infect your computer." All that energy parsing stats THAT MEANT NOTHING! Dismissing your customers as ignoramuses, and pointing to practical jokes as proof is no way to run a "profession." If you must, at least do it behind closed doors.

Cause in the words of Mission of Burma:
So make sure that you are sure of everything I do
'Cause I'm not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not your academy.