Absolute Security
Purchase on Amazon ($ 19.99) here.
[ 174 pages, 6*9 inch paperback. ISBN: 978-1523408061 ]
Absolute Security
Outlined is a new philosophy of Absolute Security for digital information sharing; and developed is the fundamental theory of ‘socially secure communication’. The subject at hand is the safe transfer of meaning between individual human beings – using networked computers. Clarified are terms, concepts and principles related to the secure communication of private ideas / thoughts / concepts / datum(s) – and in a format easily digestible by non-technical people.
Contents
Why Security is All About Copies
Aetiology of a Secure Network
Building Actor Coherent Defences
Primary Network Design
Encryption Theory
The Beholder’s Share
Bigger Brain versus Stealth
Security and Privacy: The Big Picture
Theory of Absolute Security
Real Life Scenarios
Review by Bill Montgomery – CEO Connect In Private Corp.
ABSOLUTE SECURITY: THEORY and PRINCIPLES of SOCIALLY SECURE COMMUNICATION should be considered required reading for anyone focused on secure and private communication. In this book, Alan Radley makes sense of the complexities which ordinarily restrict this topic to IT people only. What’s more, Alan’s no-nonsense approach and fearless honesty, is refreshing. I recommend this to everyone who is interested in making certain that their communication is more private, secure and resilient. – Bill Montgomery (23/01/2016)
Review by Vic Hyder – Chief Strategy Officer – Silent Circle (Commander U.S. Navy, retired) – Founding Member – Silent Circle (Blackphone).
Excellent read! Succinct and accurate on a subject that normally wanders into tangential discussions confusing and diffusing the goal. Radley breaks down today’s hottest topic in a way that provides reference to students as well as guidance to the more learned. Absolute Security will give you an optimistic understanding that, even in an ever-increasing world of digital surveillance and criminal threats, “… absolute security is eminently achievable.
Thank you again for the opportunity to pre-read Absolute Security. I found it spot on and a fine addition to the body of work on cyber security but specifically to the discussion of privacy within communications. We created Silent Circle in 2012, with Phil Zimmermann, Jon Callas, and Mike Janke to provide a simple yet absolutely secure solution to this increasingly difficult problem. Your breakdown of what is required to achieve absolute security is reflective of the efforts we have made over the past few years. I see this short book as a reference document for students studying cyber security as well as an excellent read for CTOs, CSOs, CISOs, and CEOs laboring over how to analyze their needs for increased security. Absolute Security allows you to hit the highlights or dive deeper into the subject with your many charts, diagrams, and glossary of terms. Well done. – Vic Hyder (29/01/2016)
Review by Professor Richard Benham – Professor in Residence, UK National Cyber Skills Centre, Visiting Professor of Cyber Security Management, University of Gloucestershire, University of Staffordshire and Coventry Business School.
As cyber education evolves to meet the pace of change in our digital world so does the need for good reference books. Absolute Security is a timely and spot on publication that I shall be recommending to my students; well done Dr Radley. – Richard Benham (1/2/2016)<
Review by Christian Rogan – Vice President, Business Development, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Absolute Security: Theory and Principles of Socially Secure Communication; this book is a very concise body of work, that belies its length for the practical application of useful data in a highly complex area. Beyond its obvious sage advice with working diagrams and imparted wisdom I particularly like the implied moral assertion that the state undermining best IT security practice is to the detriment of all. Further this should be required reading for anyone providing third party services whereby their security claims cannot be held up without transparency. Ignore this work at your peril. – Christian Rogan (3/2/2016)
Review by Professor John Walker – Hexforensics (Digital Expert Witness) – Visiting Professor at Nottingham Trent University.
This is a unique piece of work which correctly recognises the socio-economic implications of modern day embracement, and dependency on technology, and the ever present interface between man-and-machine. The book provides the reader with an accurate and objective view of the life-cycle of the exposures and vulnerabilities which are associated with the technological shadow cast over all individuals, and organisations. As an Expert Witness in the discipline of Digital, this publication also provides very useful descriptions in ‘people-speak’ and includes very accurate definitions of the complex, transposed into understandable terminology. This is an excellent read, and deserves a place on every security professional’s bookshelf who is seeking a balanced and objective of the current, and futuristic Cyber Security Landscape. – Professor John Walker (4/2/2016)
Review by Vitali Kremez – CISSP (A), CEH, CFE, CNDA, C-CPA – Cybercrime Investigative Analyst, New York District Attorney’s Office.
In “Absolute Security: Theory and Principles of Socially Secure Communications”, Dr. Radley exhibited an extraordinary passion for cybersecurity and privacy in the mold of the principles that conform to secure and just society. In a world full of privacy breaches, Radley timely develops a framework that delves into complexity of technical and human-centric factors that affect our perception of privacy and cybersecurity. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in making our cyber world more secure. – Vitali Kremez (6/2/2016)
Review by Michael Lester – MSEE, MBA, CIPP/US, CISM – Chief Information Security Officer, Magenic.
It is not very often that one is exposed to a work that is truly ground breaking in a field, but “Absolute Security” is one of those works. Rather than expounding on the implementation of security as many do, Dr. Alan Radley astutely asks (and then suggests an answer for) the rather naive, yet deceptively complex question “What is security?”, or more precisely “How does one characterize a communication system that provides secure (private) data transfer?
As Dr. Radley examines this question, the reader becomes aware that the answer is much more elusive than one first assumes. As Dr. Radley builds a working compendium of definitions needed to examine the issue, the reader becomes more and more aware that the current vernacular is insufficient for discussing secure communication at a philosophical level, and if we cannot agree on what it means to be secure or private in thought, how can we accomplish it in act? It is here, laying the foundation of formal definition of socially secure communication, that Dr. Radley’s work “Absolute Security” is groundbreaking and will no doubt be referenced by many works to come. – Michael Lester (23/2/2016)
Review by Arno Brok – Chief Executive Officer, Australian Information Security Association.
For someone with over 20 years in IT Security and almost 40 years in ICT it is invigorating to read a book that introduces terminologies that would resonate with the academic world and is not burdened with technical jargon. Reading Absolute Security also raises optimism that as an industry we have a chance in the imbalanced battle against cyber criminals. This also means that the statement ‘there is no such thing as 100% secure’ might be proven wrong. An excellent read and would definitely recommend this to our AISA members as a read to get a different perspective on security. – Arno Brok (21/3/2016)
Review by Pantazis Kourtis – Member of the Board of Directors at London Chapter at ISACA.
Absolute Security is a brilliant book! Did it make me wiser? I say it did, however, it depends on the angle you are reading it from, your expectations and probably your background. You cannot suspect what is coming when you start reading. Definitely a very interesting approach on Information Security. One thing is for certain, this piece of work is not for the light-hearted. – Pantazis Kourtis(21/3/2016)
Self As Computer
Purchase on Amazon ($ 25) here.
[400 pages, 8*10 inch paperback, 1000 illustrations. ISBN: 1499171609 ]
Self as Computer
In Self as Computer, Alan Radley looks at the computer not as a tool, or as a bicycle-for-the-mind, but simply as self. He argues that humans are becoming so enmeshed with the computer, in terms of how we think, act and communicate; that soon it may no longer be possible to identify where the self ends, and the computer begins, and vice-versa. Predicted by some, are marvellous benefits for technology; in terms of enhancements to our social, creative and personal lives.
But already clear, is that not all of the associated problems lie in the realm of speculation. One example, is that the Internet is moving ever further away from the free and open system as foreseen by its original designers; whereby citizens are routinely censored, hacked and/or spied upon. Other questions arise; such as who builds today’s systems, and in what sense(s) are they useful, humane or democratic?
Explored are human-friendly designs for the computers of tomorrow, whereby the wishes, plans and actions of society may be aligned to benefit all.
Contents
Emerging Self-Computer
Hyper-Media / Hyper-Thoughts
Augmented / Virtual Realities
Cyborgs, Robots and Automata
Surveillance / Hacking / Privacy
Artificial / Simulated Intelligence
Natural + Machine-Implanted Thoughts
World-Brain + Freedom of Thought / Action
3D User Interfaces / Wearables + Smart-Things
Mechanised-Dystopia / Technopia + Techno-rights
Ethical, Moral and Spiritual dimension(s) of Computers
Self-as-Computer (400 pages) is available from Amazon; and has 1000 illustrations.
REVIEWS for Self as Computer
Review by Dr Kim Veltman
This is a bold and important book. It is a new attempt to develop the idea of a World Brain: to offer theoretical rationales, practical criteria and guidelines for the creation of a Universal Library entailing nothing less than a reorganisation of all knowledge. Traditional visions (The Library of Babel, The Universal Library) were mainly updated versions of the Library of Alexandria. Radley’s vision is about much more: the creation of contextualised ideas, circuits of thoughts. Outlined are techno- rights, which make visible the thoughts, opinions, insights of everyman, and thus transform the vision of freedom of thought as outlined in the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. The utilitarian goal is a new Internet: a technopia that will benefit the whole of humanity, rather than specific companies, interest groups and individuals.
This is not, as its title could suggest, simply another techno-optimist book by a scientist promising that computers offer a simple panacea to everything. On the contrary, it traces how early visions of networked knowledge (e.g. Otlet, Engelbart, Nelson) were narrowed into an Internet and World Wide Web which, although popular, preclude a systematic access to thoughts, ideas, knowledge as foreseen in this vision. It is often said: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This book explores an implicit corollary. If the system has too many broken links, then we need to start again from scratch and build a new system. This entails creating a new mechanical device. But the larger vision is that this device will improve human thinking methods.
Part of the narrowing that has occurred in the past half century has been driven by the computer science community, especially the AI faction, whose claims concerning artificial intelligence, machine thinking, autonomous computing, continue to inspire visions of mechanical intelligence competing with and/or replacing human intelligence (transhumanism, post-humanism, cf. the predicted Singularity). Radley offers a radically different vision where man remains the master and computers are the tools, servants of man-made visions. To establish this, three chapters are devoted to the self, ideas and thinking, offering a telescoped history of Western philosophy from Plato and Aristotle to the present. Two chapters outline the limitations of current computers and machines. Further chapters outline emerging potentials of user interfaces, cyberspace, virtual reality and robots.
The central vision is of a World Brain, with circuits of thoughts leading to a city of thoughts and ultimately technopia. The author acknowledges that these are linked with dreams of utopia, but is also careful to outline competing dystopian visions. The margins are lined with c. 1,000 illustrations, which offer a visual account of these utopian and dystopian possibilities: ranging from comic strip cartoons and historical diagrams to numerous illustrations of patented devices. It ends with a Universal Declaration of Human- Techno Rights, a Technopian Manifesto and 10 Commandments for humans to computers. The media are filled with articles about how computers are revolutionising the world. Radley’s book suggests that the real revolution has yet to begin. It catalogues numerous dangers, but ultimately it is a paean of hope in and for human freedom.
Zen Of Dumbbell Training
How To Use a Dumbbell For Health, Strength, Figure and Therapy
Alan Radley has written a comprehensive book on the zen of dumbbell training. Developed is a thoughtful approach to dumbbell practice, with emphasis on natural movement patterns, deep concentration and technically informed practice. You will learn how to spice-up your routine with ~50 “lost” exercises; including shoulder, body and triceps circles and various pressing, curling, squatting and bending moves.
Both men and women can use the Zen of Dumbbell Training to attain their fitness goals. The how and why of dumbbell training is explained in greater detail than ever before, and laid-out is a well-defined path to physical perfection.
Contains ~ 1200 illustrations; visit: http://www.alanradley.com
Purchase on Amazon here.
Review by David Gentle
“Zen of Dumbbell Training is truly a visual delight and written by an author with a lifetime love of physical culture and knowledge beyond belief. Dr Alan Radley writes an exhaustive treatise on the delights and benefits of one of the most ancient forms of physical training apparatus, the dumbbell. Every area of the body is covered in depth with the appropriate suggestions for dumbbell exercises to improve health, flexibility and strength. Never in a life time of reading Physical Culture manuals have I ever seen a book so beautifully illustrated with works of sheer art. I guarantee this book will become a classic. You have only yourself to blame if you do not purchase a copy while they are still available, don’t lose this treasure.”
-David Gentle (Author of over 2000 articles on physical culture and bodybuilding; and sub-editor of Health and Strength magazine)
The Illustrated History Of Physical Culture
1001 Dumbbell Exercises – Volumes 1-3
RADLEY BOOKS 