[Noisebridge-discuss] missing IBM model M keyboard from my shelf

[Andy Isaacson]

On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 12:48:02PM -0700, Jonathan Foote wrote:
> s/firewall/services that I trust the security of/

That substitution makes your sentence make no sense.  "folks who know
better than to connect a valuable resource to the internet without a
services that I trust the security of" wut?

Could you please say what you're trying to say? :)

> I don't trust the physical security at NB. Maybe that assertion is not
> true for you; it is for me and apparently others as well. Where's the
> contradiction?

Like you, I don't trust the physical security at 2169.  I don't leave my
primary laptop there beyond 5 minute "I'm going to the bathroom, hey
$PERSON_SITTING_NEXT_TO_ME could you watch my laptop which has a
password protected screensaver" breaks.  I have a small amount of
personal project supplies on my member shelf which I would be bummed to
have stolen, but if it disappears it will be an annoyance rather than an
existential crisis for me.  I have donated thousands of dollars of
equipment, supplies, and goodies to Noisebridge; I'd be very sad to have
those disappear, but again, I donated it all with the understanding that
I have no recourse if bad things do happen, and I'm at peace with that.

I also don't trust the network and computer security at 2169 (just the
same as at any other random network); my laptop is secure against
network attacks unless somebody burns a seriously 1337 zero-day on me
(for one, why would they bother?, and for two, I give myself even odds
of catching it and full-disclosureing their ass), I never type any
password on a computer that someone else administers (unless it's the
password to that computer), I never access my personal data on random
public computers, and I don't run important services or store data I
care about on computers at 2169.

Similarly, I don't trust the food safety at 2169, so I don't eat food or
drink beverages there unless I brought them in myself, or they're
commercially sealed drinks.  (I do trust the tap water for drinking, but
if I drank more than about one liter per month of 2169 tap water, I'd
get it tested for lead and metals and other contaminants.)  I make an
exception for tea, since it's really hard to fuck that up.

I'm not claiming that my choices are THE ONLY RIGHT CHOICE nor am I
claiming that EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT WRONG; every person has to take
responsibility for their own levels of risk, potential exposure to harm,
and willingness to possibly be hurt.


What I'm much more protective of is the time and energy that I and
hundreds of others have put into Noisebridge; our community, fractious
and ineffectual and annoying as it can be, is worth far more than any
material goods ...

... which is not to say that we shouldn't try to prevent the loss of
those material goods!  I'm fully in favor of taking action to reduce
loss.  But we should consider the impact of those actions on our
community before taking them.


All IMHO, of course.  Very interested to hear opinions from others, and
the discussion has been valuable already.

Thoughts?

-andy