(updated Nov. 2021)
 
 
READING QUESTIONS

Leonardo to the Internet:
Technology and Culture from the Renaissance to the Present
Thomas J. Misa
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022; 3rd edition

Chapter 9. Paths to Insecurity (2001-2010)

How can 20th century skyscrapers serve as metaphors for risky technologies in the 21st century? 
 
 
How do technological systems such as energy, information, transportation enable positive cultural development -- what dangers are there in depending on them?

 
Trace the links between corn-based ethanol, US-style automobiles, and global insecurity.  Hint: what is corn used for?
 

Why is the Internet inherently insecure?  Will IPv6 improve Internet security?


How do computers and the Internet create insecurity in these vital systems:
air-traffic control
 electricity grids
 cyberwarfare



Compare the two (rival) regimes for shipping-container security: what are the benefits and liabilities of: [a] risk-based sample screening; [b] 100% screening.


Could the RAND plan for enhancing security in global shipping be extended to other high-risk systems such as information and energy systems?


Evaluate the "risk society" thesis of Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens.
 




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