[kwlug-disc] OT: CIGI talk on surveillance

Wed Feb 21 12:31:39 EST 2018

Well, ironic that this conversation came up today, given the news of this
morning, but my Dad was a broadcaster all of his life, so he had a natural
talent for speaking to crowds.  He once said to me that if you want to
become a good public speaker, watch some tapes of Billy Graham; the man had
a very strong presence in front of any crowd.  Learn to handle yourself in
front of crowds like Rev. Graham and you will be a much better speaker.

Obviously we deal with different topics and content, of course, but public
speaking is very much about how you present yourself to your audience.

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 at 12:13 doug moen <doug at moens.org> wrote:

> Mikalai said: When I was infront of that mic, the first two seconds I
> felt a rush. Make it the rush. I consciously said to my brain "Thank you
> for mobilizing me. Yet, infront of me is not a tiger, and it isn't boxing.
> I need blood in language regions."
>
> YES I have had this exact experience.
>
> What fixed me was presenting a tech paper in front of an auditorium of
> 200+ people at a Usenix convention. Yes, I was paralyzed and unable to
> speak for what seemed like 10 seconds (probably shorter). Fortunately, I
> had memorized my talk word-for-word the previous day, practicing in my
> hotel room. Once I got my mouth moving, the speech came out fine. And since
> then, I have not had a problem with public speaking.
>
> On 21 February 2018 at 11:46, Mikalai Birukou via kwlug-disc <
> kwlug-disc at kwlug.org> wrote:
>
>> Let me make a few remarks here:
>>
>> 1) @chamunks, you sounded well, with only light infliction in voice
>> closer to the end. Even though you might've felt from the *inside* that
>> your stressing out was obvious to everyone. Your speaking was great. And,
>> yey to speaking out in public!
>>
>> 1.1) When I was infront of that mic, the first two seconds I felt a rush.
>> Make it the rush. I consciously said to my brain "Thank you for mobilizing
>> me. Yet, infront of me is not a tiger, and it isn't boxing. I need blood in
>> language regions." This *reappraisal* of *internal state* switched off the
>> distraction and let me talk. Yes, closer to the end of my remark I had a
>> difficulty to find that English word. Of cause, some blood did drain from
>> my bilingual neo-cortex. Duh! :)
>>
>> 1.2) While reading (1.1), you may think WTF he is talking about. It is
>> the same sort of reaction that a person, who doesn't know vim's internals
>> or vim's approach, would say to the talk about "Ctrl- what? You do this in
>> a mere text editor?". Yes, nobody gave us a manual for our brain. Its even
>> worse than vim without -h. So, is there a manual for brain, or a good -h?
>>
>> 1.3) David Rock's dense talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeJSXfXep4M
>>
>> 1.4) If the beginning of the 20-th century was a revolutionary time in
>> physics, beginning of this, 21-st, century brings the similar level of
>> correctness and usefulness to psychology. David Rock articulates modern
>> findings in an actionable form, tailored specifically to tech audience. Do
>> apply, and do test what he preaches. Do cross-reference with other
>> research, like you would do it in physics.
>>
>> 1.5) I selflessly recommend David Rock and his book, to all tech folks.
>> Cause from my millage it works. It describes brain correct enough for my
>> brain to be able to adjust behavioral patterns.
>>
>> 1.6) Note that when you adjust a line of code, program changes
>> *immediately*. Does neural net algorithm output (behavior?) changes
>> *immediately* on showing one learning input? No! By extension, don't expect
>> it from your brain either! Repetition and noticing little signs of progress
>> do work.
>>
>> 1.7) Last fall, there was a security-talking event in Accelerator Center,
>> organized by C3RM. The last talk was by ... , you guessed it, by a
>> psychologist! After her talk, mentioning SCARF (watch David's talk)
>> lightened her up, and on my "why schools don't teach a modicum of brain
>> literacy", she said that at least a school with her child is starting to do
>> something in this literacy area. There is hope. Yet, our generation should
>> pick up brain literacy after classes, just like older generations had to
>> pick up computer literacy after classes.
>>
>> 2) It seems to me that this CIGI event, having been centered around the
>> book, was too fear-spreading onto non-geeky public. It would be analogous
>> to talking about car fatalities without mentioning that seat belts can be
>> added to cars, airbags, and that may be cable brakes are not enough for
>> 200mph monsters, and hydraulics better be used. Remarks from Magnetic
>> Forensics guy, coupled with Trudeau socks, were not for honest tech
>> discussion, but rather influenced by some internal context of what brought
>> all speakers onto the podium last night. And the tone was 100% apologetic,
>> pro-surveillance, both corporate and militarized.
>>
>> 2.1) May I humbly suggest buying David Rock's book? It will be more
>> useful :) .
>>
>>
>> On 2018-02-21 12:36 AM, Chamunks wrote:
>>
>> That was fun.  I don't think my question was too adversarial.  I was
>> stressing out apparently quite a bit but I think it landed well.
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 20, 2018 at 4:47 AM Paul Nijjar via kwlug-disc <
>> kwlug-disc at kwlug.org> wrote:
>>
>>> This is moderately off-topic but seems relevant to the group.
>>> Unfortunately I got the word out very late; the event is Tuesday
>>> evening.
>>>
>>>
>>> https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/look-whos-watching-surveillance-treachery-and-trust-online-registration-42212797614
>>>
>>> It will be interesting to see what the perspective of the Magnet
>>> Forensics representative will be.
>>>
>>> - Paul
>>> --
>>> http://pnijjar.freeshell.org
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
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