1 + 1 = 74:: Abstract maths teaches intelligence students to think beyond the obvious?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

I watched as he wrote patterns on the window. Formulas, Variables, Graphs and Models.

I watched as the problem was scoped, deconstructed, translated, interpreted, transposed, remodeled and whatever.

I watched as solutions and alternative solutions were demonstrated.

I watched as the audience gasped in amazement in witnessing the process, the outcome and the eventual euforia that ensued afterwards.

I watched it all - and yet although i did not understand the gesticulations of the symbolic number festival - i knew - i just knew that this mathematician was not nearly as smart as he thought he was.

After all, what he had just solved was a problem that thousands of other mathematicians could solve, that robots could solve much faster and that had no real application anyway.

So one day when i was teaching a class of academics how to think about the world in abstract ways I asked them to solve one simple problem. The problem was to consider how 1 + 1 might equal 74 (1 + 1= 74). Many of these students were bound for careers in computer programming, in competitive and business intelligence and others in information security.

I asked them to consider how 1 + 1 might equal 74 and not 2.

Suffice to say - not one student solved the problem.

Here is the answer and workings out.

First you take the number 74 to be an arbitrary number.

If you substract 72 from 74 you get 2, meaning 1 + 1 = 2 and not 1 + 1 =74.

So (1 + 1) is the same as (74 - 72) which = 2.

Here is an application

Say you were auditing a company and you found that there were 72 major risks inside the organisation - you could say that - 1 + 1 = 74 and unless all 72 risks were mitigated 1 + 1 would always equal 74. If all 72 risks were mitigated you could then say that the organisation really added up and therefore the calculation 1 + 1 would then evaulate as expected (1+1= 2).

Mathematics is an interesting language, but you don't always need to take language so literately. Sometimes you need to bend language in ways in which it was never intended.

In any case, in the world of intelligence - students need to learn how to think beyond the obvious. That was the whole point of the exercise.

Build your own language - don't just accept the language of others?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

Janey went through school and ended up with a Masters degree in Marketing. Janey became a marketer. Janey knew who she was. She was a marketer.

Tony went through school and ended up with a BA degree in Politics. Tony became a politician. Tony knew who he was. He was a politician.

Paul went through school and ended up with a MA degree in Law. Paul became a lawyer. Paul knew who he was. He was a lawyer.

Percy didn't go through school, but ended up with the will to find out who he really was.

Percy rejected the language of others, in favour of developing his own language.

Because of this, Percy was rejected - time and time again.

But Percy's will survived the test of being a misfit. Of wanting to be a misfit, yet also wanting to find a place to belong.

One day Percy awoke to realise that he did have a place on the shelf - albeit a new place - and he knew that he would now be accepted for what he truly was.

Whatsmore Percy had carved his own unique place in the sand - rather than to simply validate himself against the status quo.

The benefits of a poor education - and a strong will to find your own language.

Smart Integrity: Theorists unleash counter-systems-resiliency strategies

Brand Security Expert reveals::

As discussed on the Kent's Imperative blog, under the article "Systems of systems analysis, with zombies", we would like to draw your attention to a very important and often overlooked (perhaps less sexy) area of security intelligence, that is "systems resiliance and counter strategies". Many of us in the security business are concentrated on digging up the next exploit or security vulnerability or publishing the next exciting revelation to consider, where the real art lies in taking your knowhow and employing it in creative ways to build systems encorporating what we call "smart integrity".

Smart integrity is where the security strategist and intelligence operatives expertise really comes in to play.

Visualise this. If the world was going to come against you, how would you prepare a defense? How would you prepare to counter their reconnaisance efforts? How would you prepare for a billion lines of attack? When, how and where would you consider deploying intelligence resources?

When they do attack, how will your troop formations be styled? What strategies will you use to counter the attack? Are there other ways of manipulating the outcome, such as political, diplomatic or economic incentives you can use? Do you understand the enemies motivational characteristics, their weak points and the potential conflict points of the enemy and their allies? Do you know how to calculate and weigh the likely outcome of your moves relative to your enemy? Whatif, whatif, whatif!!!!

Smart Integrity is all about security posture management, tactical warfare and strategic communications and intelligence deployment. It is about mapping the intellect and tradecraft of the best military brains in the world, into the body of technology, to produce hydra-headed gatekeeper features which when attacked - shape-shift in formation, whilst they bite the head off the opposition, who perplexed by this smart integrity begin to atrophy, until they are nothing more than a shadow of what they were when they arrived on the battlefield.

Dumb integrity ready to be out-fought by smart integrity!

Analysis of Analysis:: Transparent Frameworks or Stupid Subversive Political Survival Games?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::

Mr Robot once got fired when he dared to enquire why the commercial organisation he was working for at the time had no formal framework for managing the analysis process. Mr Robot was not as naive as you might think because he knew his days were numbered anyway and thought such a request might put a final shot across their bows and enable them to hemorrhage much more information than they had already. As you might expect, the management team eventually closed ranks on him and he was soundly, constructively and publicly ejected.

Mr Robot knew that the analysis function in the business was highly politicized and guarded greedly by a small group of analysts - who were effectively holding the CEO to ransom. Without market, business and competitive analysis input, it was evident that this CEO would effectively be running the organisation blind. Whilst the desire of the CEO was to have a formal, open and transparent analysis communication process, the sensitive nature of the balance of power required the CEO to manage her business in an entirely inefficient and risky manner - in order to make a few select business analysts feel safer in their jobs.

This lack of introspection and transparency effectively choked the potential for innovation in the business and destroyed its ability to scale - beyond the capabilities of a few insecure, yet powerful middle managers.

When Mr Robot left the company, he spent some time designing a formal framework for "business analysis: communications process and performance measurement" and for introducing elements of opennest, honesty and transparency into the process.

Whatsmore this "analysis of analysis" template can be applied at almost no expense.

Except for the obvious cost of getting rid of a few of your most disagreeable middle managers - of course.

The Recipe for turning Human Beings into Killer Robots

Brand Killer Robots reveal:::

Take one loving, caring human being

Place it in solitary confinement

Rid it of its need for human senses

For touch, for taste, for sight, for smell, for hearing

Rid it of its need for human desire

For love, for compassion, for sex

Rid it of its sense of direction, its spirit, its will to live

Then with one large hammer, smash it

At first, just ever so slightly

Then let it recover a little

Whilst it looks like it will get up again

Smash its legs from underneath it

Then repeat this exercise until it can no longer support itself

Then set to work rebuilding the human - "Into a Killer Robot"

Start by reworking the skeletal systems

Then move on to building the nervous systems

The muscle systems and finally integrate the hardware into what's left of the brain matter

Plug your laptop into its head and upload the program marked "Target = Competitive Brands".

Pull the console up and activate the killer.exe program

Pass the program the target variables

Executive the program............

running.....

running.....

running.....

...................

......Saatchi brand.....reported deactivated

......Coca cola brand.reported deactivated

......Rebok brand...... reported deactivated

:\killer.exe process complete

Return to Killer Robot inactive state and await next assignment