Last night’s dream: I was on a TV game show where I had to search for Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and other ’90s rappers dressed in furry animal costumes, hiding in a basement. When I found one, they’d try to convince me to let them go. Nas said he was a nuclear scientist on the run from the Iranian government.
Too much Harvard, not enough Harlem.
– Clarence Avant, the “Godfather of Black Music,” via Bobby Kotick
I’m a big fan of harm reduction. Passkeys are better than passwords. Nuclear power is better than coal or LNG. Vaping is better (maybe?) than smoking.
Harm reduction isn’t perfect. It’s often not even good enough. But it’s better then the status quo, and that’s important.
Yes, moral hazard and risk homeostasis exist. We should always work toward improving things; adopting a better solution isn’t an excuse for complacency.
But better is still better. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Incremental improvement is real improvement. Embrace it!
Periodic reminder: we still don’t have a comprehensive threat model for social software. We need one!
Of everything I want as a social software developer, a real threat model might be at the top of the list. It would help so much.
It’s an age-old cliche that hip-hop and rap music are crude about sex and love, at best, but the exceptions always manage to surprise me. Back in the day, artists like LL Cool J were out here spitting bars straight out of romance novels. Take 1995’s Hey Lover:
I touched you gently with my hands
We talked about traveling to distant lands
Escaping all the madness out here in the world
Becoming my wife, no longer my girl
Then, you let your dress fall down to the floor
I kissed you softly and you yearned for more
We experienced pleasure unparalleled
Into an ocean of love, we both fell
Swimming in the timeless currents of pure bliss
Fantasies interchanging with each kiss
Undying passion unites our souls
Together we swim until the point of no control