From George Smith, today's question is, how many times can we use the hackneyed phrase, "Wake Up Call" before someone finally says, "crying wolf?"

http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~crypt/other/cant.htm

When analyzing "wake-up call" literature, some professional consulting organizations, like the ITAA, are more equal than others. That is, even more stupid and stupefying in its members' reliance upon boilerplate sloganeering.

For instance, in mid-October, the organization published a survey entitled, "Keeping the Faith: Government Information Security in the Internet Age."

ITAA president Harris Miller's canned publicity, which accompanied the report and was republished in multiple sources nationwide, was as follows:

"This survey is a wake-up call for both government and industry. . . . the American people expect that when it comes to their information security and privacy, we had better grow up fast."

Earlier, in May, the ITAA's Miller had told a hastily convened House of Representatives subcommittee, the same people Vinton Cerf visited "wake-up call" wisdom upon in February: "[the] Love Bug was just one more wake-up call that corporations, governments, educational institutions and individuals must collaborate to get out in front of the next intrusion, virus or threat."

And in August 1999, before the House Subcommittee on Technology, addressing the Millenium Bug and miscellaneous information security concerns, the profound Miller was seen uttering for the record:

"Year 2000 is the wake-up call."

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001

Answers

But give the ITAA some pluses for doing 2 things in 1999. Ramping down on Y2k FUD and getting rid of your buddy, Saint Leon of hogslop.

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2001