(The Big Disrupt) CIO: Why 2017 is going to look a lot like 2016 for CIO's and CISO's

As terrible years go, 2016 was terrible for CIO's and CISO's everywhere as data breaches reached record levels. 2015 was no better and many were predicting 2016 to be worse but few could have predicted Yahoo's reporting a record data leak (on top of another mammoth data leak) or the effect hacking would have on the recent US election as the fallout of both events are sure to spill well into 2017. 

There isn't, or at least there shouldn't  be any CIO and CISO looking upon 2017 with a glass half full as all the problems that has made the last five years a living hell for CIO's and CISO  still exist and in some cases, are almost certainly going to get worse.  

A combination of low transaction costs in favor of hackers, cybersecurity talent shortages and the ever expanding amount of data collected by organizations in both the public and private sector were big reasons why 2016 was the year of the hack and why 2017 will almost certainly follow suit. All these problems are compounded by both companies and governments unwilling share information about breaches with each other which would help avoid the notable trend of enterprise level companies falling victim to the same exploits. 

Hackers on the other hand frequently collaborate and share new malware and exploits which has contributed to why the market for stolen data and malware is arguably the most vibrant and dynamic market on the net. As long as this persists, we'll continue to see a steady stream of news stories that have come to define the year past.  

2016 was trying for CIO's and CISO's but it was abysmal for cybersecurity as an industry as U.S officials openly talked about intervening. While it's not exactly clear whether governments can improve the level of cybersecurity, it's quite clear something has to be done as the industry is the picture of market failure. 2017 won't be any better as calls for the government to get involved will almost certainly get louder despite cybersecurity being a growth market in the face of record year on year spikes in data breaches. 

In sum, CIO's and CISO's know the year ahead will look like the year past and are painfully aware of how little they can do about it as while they do everything in their power to secure their organization's IT infrastructure, they're fighting an enemy that has all the advantages and they know it. This is an indictment of the sorry state of cybersecurity as an industry and its inability to find solutions to combat attackers effectively and should it continue, the most dangerous thing you do all day will be switching on your computer. 

(sports) UFC: Is Ronda Rousey's MMA career over?

After falling victim to another crushing and comprehensive striking clinic this time at the hands of  UFC women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, much lip service and keyboard pressing has been donated to the question whether her career was over and the consensus was overwhelmingly yes. 

On the face, it seems a fool's errand to argue otherwise given questions about Rousey's commitment to MMA given the myriad of  opportunities available to her outside the sport and the fact that Rousey has been severely outclassed twice in her last two bouts with both Holm and Nunes exploiting Rousey's bad footwork and poor head movement which would make promoting Rousey's next fight a real tough sell for the UFC. 

However, the only  argument that has any credence is that Rousey is now part of an improving women's bantamweight division at a time when her skillset has stagnated which. No one (and I mean no one) thought Rousey could compete with Nunes on the feet as Nunes is by far the superior striker and showed as much last night as Rousey seems unable to adjust or weather the barrage of strikes thrown her way by a ferocious Nunes. 

What was worrying however is that Rousey was making the same  technical mistakes (poor head movement, poor guard, bad footwork etc) she made during her crushing defeat to Holly Holm in Australia a year ago. Many have rightly pointed the finger at her much maligned coach Edmund Taverdyan who has been accused by many, including Rousey's mother, of being a terrible coach. 

Rousey looked like she was going lose the fight from the first clean punch she took and as the fight continued, it was painfully clear that she had neither tools or ability to avoid or stop the onslaught unleashed by Nunes.When a fighter has a gaping hole in their skillset, it's the coach's job to either fill the hole with or add another skillset to their fighter's game that at offsets the downsides associated with the weakness and this clearly didn't happen within the year Taverdyan had with Rousey to make sure his charge wasn't embarrassed so publicly again. 

   

Rousey may well quit MMA but if she plans to make another comeback, she has to make it without Taverdyan or face the ignomy and ridicule of three very embarrassing losses at the highest level. There is no shortage of world class coaches who could help Rousey at the very least address weaknesses in her striking such as the brilliant Rafael Cordeiro or Mark Henry or gyms that can help her become a more complete martial artist such as Tristar in Canada headed by the much respected Firas Zahabi or the Jackson Wink Academy headed by two excellent coaches in Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn in New Mexico. 

Such a move would be a step in the right direction and would show that Rousey is looking to learn from her mistakes but given Rousey's stated premium on loyalty and propensity to take losses personally rather than learn from them, such a move looks unlikely to say the least.   

In sum, despite the industry wide consensus, Rousey can definitely comeback though her star power diminished but to so she may have to make changes, changes that elude her and leave what was once the brightest star in UFC's vast constellation a dimmer and less intriguing version of herself.

The Walking Dead Season 7 Midseason Finale Review: ‘Hearts Still Beating’

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead

Season 7 Midseason Finale

By Garrett Yoshitomi

The Walking Dead kicked off its seventh season with an episode that shook the series to its core, killing off two beloved characters (one especially beloved), and introducing Negan, our heroes' most dangerous foe, yet. Every piece of season seven promotional material promised that things were “just getting started,” implying that Negan’s reign of terror would only continue to escalate after the chaotic season premiere. But, while Negan has quickly become The Walking Dead’s most hated villain (a distinction he has surprisingly little competition for), the only thing that’s really “gotten started,” so far, has been the half-season long separation of our main cast, and the frustratingly stagnant plot that comes with it. 

(Photo Credit: AMC)

This season hasn't been all bad. There have been a couple of gems along the way- Carol and Morgan’s Kingdom episode, and last week’s coming out party for Carl, in particular, have been my favorites. But the show took way too long exploring the aftermath of the narratively impactful season premiere. We didn't get a follow-up episode with Maggie until almost a month after Glenn's head got bashed in, and right after Jesus and Carl hopped aboard a Savior supply truck, and the main storyline finally looked like it was about to take off, we were sidetracked by a quintessential Walking Dead filler episode, centered around Tara and *yawn* Heath.

So how does ‘Hearts Still Beating’ play into these season-long trends? Unfortunately, it errs more on the underwhelming side, as most of the storylines that were built up last week culminate in relatively disappointing endings. I guess if you look at things from a broader perspective, we get a pretty good setup for season 7B’s “March to War” arc, but it’s getting harder and harder to overlook The Walking Dead’s perpetual inability to deliver on these promises of delayed gratification. At some point, pretty good setups just aren’t enough, and this show will need to create storylines that are both compelling in their own right, *and* serve as useful lead-ins for future episodes. 

(Photo Credit: AMC)

Let’s start with the man of the hour, and the highlight of what’s been an otherwise uneven season. I’ve spoken at length praising Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal of Negan, and how the leader of the Saviors checks off every box as the bad guy you just love to hate. Things are no different in the mid-season finale, as he continues to creepily settle into suburban living, making life extremely uncomfortable for the Grimes family and the rest of Alexandria. After going several episodes without turning anybody’s brains into literal oatmeal, it would’ve been surprisingly easy for Negan to slowly lose his threatening aura. Sure, he did burn some dude’s face off last week, but when his victims are just “some dude,” and not a character we actually care about, it can be hard to internalize the fact that Negan is still supposed to be incredibly dangerous, rather than just a cheap one-liner in a leather jacket. However, despite this episode’s low stakes, the writers manage to keep Negan menacing, for now. But, as the winter months pass, and Glenn and Abraham’s deaths get farther and farther away in the rear-view mirror, it will be interesting to see if Negan is able to maintain this- especially once the tide starts turning against him, in favor of Rick and co.

‘Hearts Still Beating’ starts to lay the groundwork for this eventual turning tide, with a focus on the leadership emerging from the main cast. Maggie has stepped up nicely into a leadership role; at the Hilltop, and has been welcomed with open arms by its residents. It’s probably just a matter of time before she usurps Gregory as king of the Hilltop, though, it’s clear he won’t go down without a fight. Meanwhile, Rick continues to struggle with regaining the confidence he lost during his initial encounter with Negan; and yet, he still manages to inspire loyalty and trust within characters like Aaron and Olivia, who both follow and support him, despite the immediate danger it puts them in. On the flip side, Carol makes it very clear that she wants nothing to do with the Kingdom’s potential revolt against the Saviors, regardless of how valuable her murdering skills would be to their cause. Carol’s been on a pretty frustrating trajectory since the second half of last season, barely recognizable as the no-nonsense badass that made her one of the series’ most popular characters. What’s worse is that her screen time this season has been limited to an episode and change, leaving her with little opportunity to inch forward into her next arc. 

(Photo Credit: AMC)

As for the bad, the mid-season finale certainly has its fair share of disappointing and seemingly misplaced storylines, no different than what we’ve seen on a wider scale throughout season 7A. I really thought Rosita’s quest for bullets, first introduced back in episode four, had some potential as her first, and so far, only major arc. But, its conclusion is bizarre and somewhat hard to take seriously- the consequences trivial when compared to the seriousness of her actions. At the end of the day, I suppose it’s better to have Rosita do something, anything, rather than stand in the background with her hands on her hips, but I do wonder if her bullet storyline would have been better served with Michonne at the helm. Michonne’s short attempt to find Negan is, well, short. And unfulfilling. It does help her come to terms with just how powerful Negan and his forces are, but I believe this could have been similarly achieved had Michonne suffered a re-worked version of Rosita’s defeat, instead.

And so, with that The Walking Dead slides into its winter hibernation. In just a couple of short months, a little zombie groundhog will emerge from its hole, declare that the second half of season seven is right around the corner; and just like that, the gang will be thrown back into it, for another eight episodes that will hopefully ramp up more quickly than the eight that preceded them. If there’s any hope for a faster paced end to the season, it’s season six. After a winter run of episodes that were bogged down by Glenn’s fake death, season 6B was like a day at the races, and probably would’ve ended as the show’s best half-season, if not for that disastrous finale.