security theater n. highly visible but ineffective anti-terrorism or other protection and precaution measures. Editorial Note: A security theater is also a geopolitical area of military operations (a theater of operations) or a local area, such as in a company or home, under protection and surveillance. This term was popularized by, if not coined by, Bruce Schneier. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...
The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop. A medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you’re close to another dimension of space and time. There’s a term for such locales: thin places. And: did you ever go...