Last week, I posted a short memorial of Ross Anderson. The Communications of the ACM asked me to expand it. Here’s the longer version.
EDITED TO ADD (4/11): Two weeks before he passed away, Ross gave an 80-minute interview where he told his life story.
Daniel Popescu • April 10, 2024 11:00 PM
Clive said it better than me: I have been living and working in Ireland for a long time now, and all my friends and family are back home in Romania. Every time we meet( not very often), it’s the little stories, funny or sad, that bring us back together. Thanks Bruce.
jelo 117 • April 11, 2024 12:59 AM
it would be interesting to learn more about Ross Anderson’s work on classical models for quantum mechanics.
Daniel • April 11, 2024 1:27 AM
Upon starting my first security role 10 years ago my manager bought me Security Engineering. I used to commute daily on public transport with the mammoth book on my lap! Reading through and soaking it up. I emailed Ross once back then to ask his advice on something, and he replied promptly and helpfully, I felt honoured. His humanity shone through his work. Sad to hear of his passing, one of the good ones.
Erdem Memisyazici • April 11, 2024 2:22 PM
I like his paper titled, “Chat Control or Child Protection?” One of the few smart people not afraid to write (therefore make their own lives more difficult) on the topic that all rules should go out the window because children.
The concept reminds me of Turkey where you have freedom of speech by law but you can’t insult the president.
You can’t have such contradictions left to the discretion of those with power for those without.
Rest in peace kind sir.
Himanshu Karnatak • April 21, 2024 2:19 PM
I don’t know Ross. At least the way many from his family, friends, colleagues, students, or even aquaintances would. My interaction with Ross was courtesy of one of the WEIS organized online in years 2020 and 2021.
I remembered him ever since, especially our discussion on bagpipes. And followed his work whenever I got the chance. It was inspiring and relieving to know that people like him were driving the field of Information Security. I had hoped to learn from him in person, someday.
Will forever remain grateful for his work and brave stances for advocating technology for growth than greed.
Saddened to hear of his departure.
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Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.
Clive Robinson • April 10, 2024 1:12 PM
@ Bruce,
It is never easy writing a memorial.
What to put in what to leave out, the reality is a lifetime of work and interaction can never be squeezed into a small space or even encyclopedic sized volumes.
Not that long ago a friend who I’d gone to school with who I later worked with off and on, as well as sharing a social life in the entertainment and other sectors all of his adult life.
I was chatting to his Mum just a month ago and I pulled up from memory a story of how an oil-drum, some bags of pilfered fertilizer, and a shot gun cartridge and mechanical contrivance gave rise to what the Victorians would have called an “infernal machine” and a new “duck pond” in a farmer’s field. I thought she knew about it, but it was news to her, as was how the pair of us gave rise to a story about poltergeists by using tennis rackets and thumb sized pebbles.
As I said to her “there are a lot more stories where those came from”. And she has promised to ‘grill me’ when we next meet up.
And that is the point to life, not the “Good and the Great” we do, most know those, but it’s the little stories that define who we were and stood as the lights that built the person into who they became.
In Native American and other cultural faiths there is a belief that you live on in the memories of others, not for your achievements, but the person you truly were.
Thus it’s the little memories, the funny stories that bring the person to life in others minds, and hold them there.