Carn1v0re?

[Fred]

On Tuesday 24 January 2006 22:20, bmcculley at rcn.com wrote:
> The worst mistake is underestimating your opponent.  How much
> would the upgrade to that $5mm software package cost to get
> the number/vowel substitution dictionary added on?
>
> Ok, I know, we need to define "cost", whether it's cost to
> develop, cost to purchase in the commercial sector, or cost to
> purchase as a black-budget government agency - simplistically,
> just increase one order of magnitude for each, right?  But
> hey, this is anti-terrorist so cost is no object, just hire
> Halliburton and they'll take care of it!

Hey, it cost *far more* to "fight" te1101ism than it does to create it. In 
fact, perhaps it is the terrorist's very aim to bankrupt the US trying to 
"fight" the paper tiger.  We don't get bent out of shape over the 41,000 
death per annum on our highways.  But blow up a couple of building and 
everyone goes frantic for years to come. The cost to do 911 and the handful 
of lives it took vs. the billions more to respond to that and the many more 
lives lost as a result. 

If I didn't know any better, I'd say the terrorists must be laughing their 
fool heads off at us. 

As far as the software is concerned, there are always legions of unsavory 
contractors willing to pull the wool over the paranoid eyes of our elected 
officials. As long as it has cool graphics, 3-letter acronyms, and smokes 
the CPU, that's all that matters. Well, at least until the merde hits the 
fan...

-Fred