Scott FrancisAsking “what if?” for a living, trying to think and act long-term (emerging tech security) • opinions mine, not guaranteed correct • rarely an expert, often an enthusiast • Internet ops since the 20th century • eternally curious • loved beyond comprehension; learning to relax • be kind • celebrate beauty • fear not • keep hope alive • SoCal 🌊
Scott FrancisGratitude is the antidote to so much of what we struggle with as people, but it does not come naturally to most of us. I have found that the intentional practice of explicitly acknowledging and recounting the things I am thankful for has profound health benefits (mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical) that I experience nowhere else.
https://infosec.exchange/@darkuncle/111455819559532422
Scott FrancisShort-term thinking is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The systems under which we operate (in America especially) encourage, incentivize, and reward the quarterly returns mentality, and we see this in particular during times of chaos and uncertainty.
This means that it requires not just intentionality, but significant effort to swim against that current and think and act long-term - but the outcomes that have always benefitted individuals, organizations, societies, and civilizations arise out of long-term goals and effort pursued jointly.
When you're just trying to keep the lights on and food on the table, it can seem impossible to think beyond the current day or week - but I encourage you to think about what you value for yourself and those you care about, and try to set aside time to at least contemplate this, talk to others about it, and "do as you can, not as you can’t” towards those things you value.
If you're a leader who isn't under that kind of existential pressure, you can help by acting in a way that makes it a little safer for others to pursue things for reasons beyond their immediate economic impact. You can model what thoughtful, long-term perspective looks like, and you can advocate for this mentality and these priorities with other leaders.
Broad societal progress is just that: broad. Don't let dysfunctional leadership in one area keep you from doing what you can - what we all can - to continue to advance towards a better life for everyone.
Scott Franciswas watching The Hobbit last week, and this quote from Gandalf seemed particularly relevant right now:
“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
Scott FrancisMy dad used to quote this, and I couldn’t remember the entirety, and then randomly ran across this screenshot in my photos from like 13 years ago. Miss you, Dad. ❤
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Scott FrancisLife is too short to spend it being miserable, or anxious, or angry, because of what someone else did or said. Don’t grant people that kind of control over you.
Scott FrancisGratitude is the antidote to so much of what we struggle with as people, but it does not come naturally to most of us. I have found that the intentional practice of explicitly acknowledging and recounting the things I am thankful for has profound health benefits (mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical) that I experience nowhere else.
https://infosec.exchange/@darkuncle/111455819559532422
Scott FrancisIf your position on something is not nuanced, I have to wonder how well you really understand it
(Even the above statement! Which has exceptions!)
Scott FrancisI need a radio station that’s just Fatboy Slim, The Propellerheads, The Crystal Method, Hybrid, Apollo 440, Dirty Vegas, The Chemical Brothers, and Underworld.
(Add your relevant suggestion below.)
Scott FrancisThis from @bert_hubert@eupolicy.social about a year ago was quite thoughtful; I particularly liked the insight that the energy landscape we want/need in 15 years may look very different indeed from what we have today. Building for “all the energy I want, whenever I want it” is expensive and inefficient; demand shifting and prediction might significantly change the way we architect energy generation and usage. https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/nuclear-no-yes-maybe-but-not-like-this/
Scott FrancisTo ask an LLM "why?” is to fundamentally misunderstand what LLMs are: they are not (contrary to the nomenclature) intelligent, do not have any self-awareness or ability to learn, adapt, and change, and generate responses based on statistical likelihoods in training data -- not based on awareness or understanding or cognition.
https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/115017545924003756
Scott Francis"Even without requesting ID, why is an AI combing through every single video I watch?" Gerfdas posited. "As an adult, I should be able to watch what I want within the law—and if the viewer is a child, that responsibility belongs to their parents, not a corporation."
...
"To a lot of people, this feels like mass surveillance and censorship under the banner of 'protecting kids,'" Gerfdas told Ars. "People want a free, open Internet without having their activities constantly tracked or filtered."
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/50k-youtubers-rage-against-ai-spying-that-could-expose-identities/
Scott Francis"Beware the Four Horsemen of the Information Apocalypse: terrorists, drug dealers, kidnappers, and child pornographers. Seems like you can scare any public into allowing the government to do anything with those four.” -- Bruce Schneier
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/12/scaring_people_.html
Scott Francis"Even without requesting ID, why is an AI combing through every single video I watch?" Gerfdas posited. "As an adult, I should be able to watch what I want within the law—and if the viewer is a child, that responsibility belongs to their parents, not a corporation."
...
"To a lot of people, this feels like mass surveillance and censorship under the banner of 'protecting kids,'" Gerfdas told Ars. "People want a free, open Internet without having their activities constantly tracked or filtered."
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/50k-youtubers-rage-against-ai-spying-that-could-expose-identities/
Scott FrancisOne of the challenges about getting more senior in your career is that you're still able to do the stuff you always did, but you increasingly have to say "no" to those things as you take on new responsibilities and skills. Letting go of what you used to be the expert on can be hard sometimes.
Scott FrancisZuma Beach, Tower 8, golden hour. Life is good. ❤️
Scott Francis#TIL that aerodynamic horsepower increases with the cube of velocity, which is why the efficiency hit between 60 and 70 mph is noticeably less than between 70 and 80 mph https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15108689/drag-queens-aerodynamics-compared-comparison-test/