making the fight a game

just read this article about good guys bringing down a bot-net. i was struck by this section:

In 2009, Stewart outlined a proposal to create volunteer groups dedicated to making botnets unprofitable to run. But few security professionals could commit to such a time-consuming volunteer activity.

"It takes time and resources and money to do this day after day," Stewart says. Other, under-the-radar strikes at various botnets and criminal organizations have occurred, he says, but these laudable efforts are "not going to stop the business model of the spammer."

Mushtaq, Stewart, and other security pros agree that federal law enforcement needs to step in with full-time coordination efforts.

i have no idea what's involved task-wise for these suggested volunteer groups, but i wonder if, much like what google has done for image tagging or what recaptcha is doing for ocr, some kind of gameplay could be designed to do whatever tasks are necessary for this. i feel this is a highly unexplored/untapped source of problem-solving power: using one necessary or game-like task to solve another.

Assume everyone has A.D.D

hahaha - love it! just came across this article on the 11 laws of story-telling (via stu maschwitz's twitter feed) and what's the 1st rule?

1. Assume everyone has A.D.D.

There has never been a greater truism in Hollywood. While I am guilty of playing dime store psychologist, one does not need a PhD in Clinical Psychology to conclude that audiences (that means us) tend to have short attention spans.

yes & yess!

number 2 is brilliant advice as well. especially this part:

When you are finished with your script, give the first ten pages to a group of friends or family you trust. Then ask each of them one simple question: “Do you want to read more?” If the overwhelming response is in the affirmative, you are on the right road to writing a memorable screenplay.

now i need to read the rest of the article. carry on.