[LINK] Speculation

[Adam Todd]

At 12:47 7/02/03 +1100, Howard Lowndes wrote:
>Is it worth some speculation in this forum about a possible (ney probable)
>war with Iraq, and even more worrying a war with North Korea, and the
>effect on the Internet and on broader communications in general.
>
>Could the US commandeer communications satellites in order to control
>information flow.  Could they commandeer major Internet hubs or is the
>Internet robust enough to work around such blocks.

I'm more concerned about possible EMP weapons being used.  We've invested 
so much of our life style in technology.  I've made two films now on a 
totally digital format and should EMP destroy the electronics in cameras 
and decks, what are the chances that in a future we'd even rebuild the 
technology using the same specs and standards?  What's worse is, most are 
proprietary and documents might be sparce, or even held by companies at 
ransom values to rebuild their lots empires.

Much of my last three years of family history is in digital format, not 
35mm film.  Will I loose all of this?

I guess the good thing is I know enough to rebuild the basic operations of 
hard drives, and extract data from them using very primitive means, it will 
of course take time, putting together an IDE device using valves could be 
an interesting proposition in a post war environment.  :)

Once gaining access to the data, being able to extract it and recreate 
software isn't all that hard.    We all know how to code to JPEG formats, 
assuming you have the specs printed.  I've archived many formats on paper, 
specs of devices, chip specs and other things, just in case it's ever needed.

But back to the question of the Internet.  I think we'll find most of the 
Internet will remain in tact.  Unless the global objective is to segregate 
Europa, Oceana and the Americas into three fighting factions (ala 1984) 
then global comms will be important for moral and social strength.

To weaken a population, you target communications, roads, water and food 
supplies.  No so easy to do in Australia, but not impossible 
either.  Sometimes our sparsity and diversity is to our benefit.

GPS might be interesting, no doubt the USA has already started to scramble 
the bulk of GPS satellite data, not using GPS I'm unsure.  They normally 
randomly shift it a few points so you can't get an accurate pin point, but 
still be generally usable for other purposes.  Better to be within 10 km's 
rather than not at all.

We might see a breakage of Korean traffic, although it seems most wont' be 
too unhappy as SPAM will no doubt drop off considerable.

I think we should be more concerned about biological and destructive 
weapons more than technology damage.  We can rebuild technology to a 
degree, we can't rebuild lives.

There is already speculation starting to float that something is in the air 
around Sydney now, as so many people are spontaneously coming down with flu 
like symptoms that are long enduring and slowly increasing in 
effect.  Could this be a biological weapon that we've not been told of 
yet?  Odd that dozens of people should come down at the same thing at 
exactly the same time, rather than slightly staggered or manifesting.

I'm watching to find out what the "mysterious bag" found at North Sydney 
rail way is about.  Seems it was a bit of a crisis last night.