The Post 9/11 Tech Boom

Day by day, it's becoming clear that one region's tragedy -- the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- is another region's opportunity. Despite much hype to the contrary, Silicon Valley is quite alive and well, as is our increasingy data-driven, tech-based economy. As Newsweek and other publications have recently pointed out, the tech crash weeded out a lot of junk and spawned some real innovation. Keep those resumes up to date. Wall Street analysts have been buzzing for months now about the new spending about to be unleashed as government, business and private citizens turn to technology to fight terrorism, improve security, shore up our business and communications infrastructure, and protect the country from a wide-ranging series of horrors from "dirty bombs" to bio-terrorism. The battlezone is going digital.

"The battlefield will not be physical so much as it will be digital," Rob Owens, a tech industry analyst at Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Ore., told the San Francisco Chronicle recently. "There will definitely be people who prosper in this new environment."

Owens and other analysts point to these factors:

• A need for more secure technologies for Net traffic, business communications, computer networks, travel and building architecture, along with the predictably more sophisticated components for new weaponry.

• A huge increase in "homeland security" spending not only by governments, but among biotech firms as the country expects and prepares for attacks potentially more lethal than those on New York and Washington.

• A boon for telecom and video conferencing companies and systems. Not only will many corporations choose to do business without sending executives on the road, but such systems are seen as increasingly vital communications backups in the event of widespread attacks on an existing communications infrastructure. By the same token, it would make sense that in stressful times people will spend more time shopping, talking, amusing themselves and doing business on the Net, as they did in the days after 9/11.

• Continuing increases in sales across the tech spectrum as individuals, businesses and governments make sure their hardware and software systems can deal with the challenges and problems of a post 9/11 world.

The media are feeding these trends. Not only are the images of 9/11 horrific and continual, but the war in Afghanistan has -- correctly or not -- enhanced the idea that technologies are our only feasible response to the profoundly changed geopolitical reality that Osama Bin-Laden created last fall. The fact that we have undermined a terrorist network and overturned a repressive government in weeks, with only a handful of American casualties, has transformed the way even Americans think of technology. This isn't a time for a tech slump, but another boom, perhaps of even greater proportions than the last one.

My grandfather has a phrase for this type of stuff

[Profane Motherfucker]

He's a wise old geezer. I love the guy. This 2145 word blather is best summed up with one of his favorite phrases: lip music.

My god, this reads like a fucking dry and tired corporate report. All gloss, 150lpi printing, svelte color, clad in delicate paper, but sorely lacking in substance. Katz, what the fuck is your deal? You have the chance to say something meaningful, and all you do is regrugitate the IHT, a 3Com year end statement, and a little of MSNBC. This is such horseshit.

Mmmm... Katz!

[[e-mail]]

Post-Columbine, now Post-9/11. What other horrors can turn into tech articles?

But tech failed us 9/11

[typical geek]

For despite all our high-tech echelon internet sniffers and high-res Keyhole satellites, we were blindsided by the low-tech Kamikaze attacks of Al Qaeda. A few people in the bazaars and suques of Afghanistan and Arabia would have been worth more than a fleet of recon satellites.

But, geeks can still prosper in this age. the CIA has a huge problem finding people willing to infiltrate Islamic terrorist organizations, what Ivy League Foggy bottomer wants to leave his blonde sorority girl wife for years of living in a dirty, cold cave, eating putrid lamb, wiping his ass his with right hand and forgoing sex, I know I wouldn't.

Fortunately, this website has a huge amount of geeky sorts who eat poorly, live in a dank, computer infested hovels and haven't gotten near pussy since they were expelled from one 20 years ago. Coupled with a decent facility for languages (just substitute Parsi or Arabic of PERL) and you can too can help the world's best country by being an incountry spy in a third world country like Pakistan, Egypt or France, please contact your local CIA recruiter.

Other businesses aided:

[Wind_Walker]

There have been tons of other businesses that have been helped by 9/11... just a few I can think of off the top of my head...

• American flag manufacturers
• Bumper stickers with "These Colors Don't Run" on it
• American flag decal producers
• Record companies who make "Tribute Albums"
• Those damn flag-on-plastic-so-you-can-fly-one-out-your-car-wi ndow things

Just a few that I've become annoyed with... er, taken notice of.

The Post 9/11 JonKatz Boom

[Anonymous Coward]

Day by day, it's becoming clear that one region's tragedy -- the 9/11 terroist attacks -- is another man's opportunity. Despite much hype to the contrary, JonKatz creativity is quite alive and well, as is our increasingly JonKatz-driven, Linux-biased website. As Slashdot trolls and otherwise valid posters have recently pointed out, JonKatz has weeded out a lot of junk and spawned some real innovation. Keep those JonKatz flames up to date. Slashdot analysts have been buzzing for months now about the new JonKatz about to be unleased as trolls, bigots, and heretics turn to JonKatz to fight terrorism, improve nerdiness, shore up our intellect, and protect Slashdot from a wide-ranging series of horrors from "real news" to bio-germisim. The masterbation is going digital.

Re:But tech failed us 9/11

[Anonymous Coward]

since they were expelled from one 20 years ago

You could not be more wrong. I'm sure there are plenty of geeks out there who:

a) have girlfriends/wives
b) own cats
or c) aren't 20.

Re:Guilty Conscience

[tenman]

You want proof? you can't handle the proof!

No, really if you want proof that they are tracking me look here [slashdot.org] or you might see why I feel this way here [fridgedoor.com]

Please don't scoff at my insane perinoia!

The Post-Katz era.

[FallLine]

Upon realizing the Jon Katz drivel is almost deterministic and could be pieced together with the most simplistic of algorithms, scientists devised a way to code Katz's job out with a 50 line perl script.

Digital Battlefield? In Afghanistan? Ha!

[waldoj]

"The battlefield will not be physical so much as it will be digital," Rob Owens, a tech industry analyst at Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Ore., told the San Francisco Chronicle recently.

"OK, Agent Smith. I want you to start by taking down Al Queda's Internet access."

"Uh...sir? There is no Internet access in Afghanistan."

"Perfect! Then disrupt their cellular telephone communications."

"Right...er...they don't have cellphones."

"Well done, Smith! Now, I want to disrupt their landline network."

"Sir, they don't have -- strictly speaking -- what you would call a 'telephone network.'"

"I do say, Agent Smith, I'm very impressed! Then let's hit their power grid. I want 98% of Afghanistan to be dark within 72 hours."

"Well, sir...uh...that's pretty much taken care of, too."

"Wonderful, wonderful, Smith. This new digital warfare is really working out! Now we'll just wait a few weeks and they'll feel like they're living in caves. Join me for golf?"

-Waldo Jaquithi

I know someone who hasn't seen Rambo III !

[crow_t_robot]

Obviously, you haven't seen Rambo III. How could the russians compete with Rambo? He was totally kicking their asses even when that Hind helicopter came out and was blowing shit away, Rambo was just like, "Suck on this you Commie-Pinkos!", and then BOOM!
Also, how do you expect a country that can't even feed and clothe it's own people to take over another country? Yeah, that's right, the country plain fell apart remember? I run into John Rambo at the coffee shop every now and then and he told me that he hasn't received one "Thank You" card for all that work. Ingrates!

Re:A quintessentially American solution to securit

[Takeel]

There is always a remarkable trickle-down effect within private enterprise that occurs when massive, targeted government spending pours forth.

Wow!!! I had no idea that Ronald Reagan reads and posts to Slashdot!