Real Life/SecondLife IT Security Video
Whoa, is this dorky.
Comments
pointfree • June 13, 2007 9:06 AM
Did they have trouble finding people under 60 to make the video?
Rich • June 13, 2007 9:32 AM
The real tragedy is all those struggling actors out there waiting tables who could certainly have done a better job. The stuffy delivery just makes it hard to concentrate on the message.
Jurgen • June 13, 2007 9:48 AM
… and the message is WRONG. The walls in the clip only help when closing the gates isn’t a problem. But the castle owner only ‘lives’ (read: the CEO only gets his (…) stock options) when trade is conducted, which is completely dependent on as little walls as possible or at least open gates. When doing business is your goal, walls will be decommissioned… Never mind the fall-out when doing business if the alternative is to die anyway. Sound risk management, anyone?
Brian • June 13, 2007 9:55 AM
Yep, Walls are nice if you don’t want anything going in or out.
That’s basically like me turning off my internet access at home and shutting down my home network. And never loading any new software onto my home PCs.
BunBun • June 13, 2007 10:12 AM
“No it wasn’t!” – “Yes it was!” – “No it wasn’t” – “Yes it was!”
Urgh. That script writer should be sacked.
We Are DEVO • June 13, 2007 10:15 AM
Ah, you just gotta love the continued fostering of the corporate feudal state.
amateurThespian • June 13, 2007 10:27 AM
Yes, even an extremely amateur thespian like me could have done it better. I do like how ‘Munch’ delivers the line:
“.. and medievel town’s folk were often revolting”
in such a deadpan way. But the whole thing was deadpan so unless the whole clip was very clued-in self mockery I expect the level of humour was unintended.
Either way it made my day.
Zwack • June 13, 2007 10:40 AM
@BunBun
Not knowing the nationality of the script writer I would guess that they may be British.
British Pantomime (nothing like American pantomime) has a tradition of interactive exchanges along those lines.
“Oh no they don’t!”
“Oh yes they do!”
And so on. If it was written by a Brit then this might just be an attempt to involve the audience, and get a certain level of interaction from them.
Of course I can’t see the clip while at work, so I’m just guessing.
Z.
george • June 13, 2007 10:42 AM
It’s not so dorky as painful. Like nails on a chalk board – it was so bad the hair on my neck is standing up.
Roy • June 13, 2007 10:52 AM
I’m all for shooting in the face anyone in ‘post-production’ who adds stupid music to anything where people are talking.
The medieval music was annoying and served no purpose.
FooDooHackedYou • June 13, 2007 12:10 PM
WoW. i can’t bear…to…watch…it…
were those minimum wage contractors that did the acting?
MSB • June 13, 2007 1:06 PM
I think some of the commentators here are too harsh on the video and the actors in it. As I’ve said, the video communicates effectively; it certainly is no worse than the average (small-budget) educational videos I’ve seen.
@Jurgen
The message is not wrong. Having a wall doesn’t mean that the entire perimeter needs to be closed. It is not necessary to open the entire perimeter to provide the needed access into and out of the city. A wall by itself cannot stop all possible attacks, but it does defend against many, or at least make them more difficult and less effective. It also tends to slow down the attackers so that the defenders can have time to assess the situation and dispatch troops in response. A perimeter wall with monitored and defended access points represents a trade-off between convenience and an overall increase in security — the same kind of trade-offs that are made in IT security.
Ted McGinley • June 13, 2007 1:36 PM
That really hurt, Bruce: What do you have against us?
X the Unknown • June 13, 2007 4:45 PM
@MSB: “A wall by itself cannot stop all possible attacks, but it does defend against many, or at least make them more difficult and less effective. It also tends to slow down the attackers so that the defenders can have time to assess the situation and dispatch troops in response.”
Especially when you don’t have a standing army (most medieval areas didn’t – nobody could aford to have that many non-productive drains on the food-supply). You’d have to call up and arm the millitia, out of everybody who fled behind the walls at the first signs of an invasion.
Walls with doors (gates) were pretty darned common, and probably good for trade. If you could protect your city from marauders who wanted to prey on all that lucrative trade, but weren’t one of the very few cities rich-enough to be able to afford a standing army, walls and a few city guards is a pretty good trade-off.
pointfree • June 13, 2007 5:16 PM
re British actors – its a shame really, it could almost have been a somewhat pythonesque comedy sequence, but alas, it didn’t make the grade there either …
Rich Bryant • June 16, 2007 6:00 AM
@BunBun: You forget. Pantomime is supposed to be a) funny and b) for kids aged under 10 years.
I think this is probably just crap.
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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
MSB • June 13, 2007 9:04 AM
The video may be dorky, but it communicates effectively. (The content lacks technical depth, but that may or may not be an issue depending on the purpose of the video).