On Thu, Mar 18, 2004 at 11:48:45AM -0600, Earl Keyser ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > I think you folks miss the point. > > My VISA card doesn't have any bells and whistles to turn on or off -just > a PIN to remember. My car is serviced by my mechanic. I don't know > what's under the hood except where to put washer fluid. To ask me to > make my own Visa card or tune my engine is an impossibility. My Dad is > an MD - but he can't set the time on the VCR. > > Until the whole paradigm changes, we will live in an insecure world. > Most home users are clueless - they want to remain that way. It's up to > our industry (PC makers, OS makers, techies and researchers to build a > better, safer mousetrap. > > Railing at the "clueless lusers" is both stupid and counter-productive.
What you describe regarding you and your mechanic is "blind trust". You are trusting his abilities as a mechanic based on you preception of him as a person. OTOH, I learned the theory behind the design of the various systems that comprise an automobile and got some hands on experience rebuilding engines in high school auto shop. While I do not pretend to have the working skills and knowledge to actually diagnose and repair a modern auto I do have domain-specific knowledge which allows me to make informed judgements of my mechanic's abilities by engaging him in conversation regarding mechanics. Likewise I have some interest in biology and expect the MD to explain sufficiently so that I can fit what she is saying into my knowledge-base without conflict. Knowing proper food handling I can make reasonable judgement regarding a restaurant and chances of food poisoning. Just as "folk physics" and "folk psychology" can lead to erroneous conclusions so too can limited knowledge-based judgements. However, willful ignorance is simply a "kick me" sign hung on one's forehead to a malicious social engineering attack. Willful ignorance is "both stupid and counter-productive". Demands for protection of the "clueless lusers" is merely shifting the burden from those too f*****g lazy to be curious to the rest of us. "Making something safe for idiots means only idiots will use it." (It also makes it much more costly.) -- Chief Gadgeteer Elegant Innovations _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
