Nothing To See Here

GSE Follow-up: I passed :)

2011-05-24T01:17:00.000+01:00

I am pleased to mention on here that I did pass the GSE in Orlando. The exam is pass/fail so I'm afraid I am unable to pass on any details other than "I passed." I know there were parts that I felt good about and parts that I was definitely shaky on. Overall I felt really good when I was done because I felt I did my best. What would I do differently next time? Well that's easy: I really would

GSE Part 2 - the (lack of) preparation

2011-04-23T03:11:00.000+01:00

I had a (that is to say only one) person ask me about preparing for the GSE. I really wish I had more to say. I was working hard the month or so before I was scheduled to take the practical. So I really didn't have much time to study like I wanted to. My studying consisted of going through old courseware and my own notes, and tearing out sheets that I thought I might need. So it was like this -

My GSE Experience

2011-04-10T14:07:00.000+01:00

One of the reasons I attended SANS 2011 in Orlando was to sit for the GSE. For those of you who don't know, the GSE is among the higher-level certifications offered by GIAC and involves a two-part process. First one must take a proctored, 150 question exam (multiple choice) then perform two days of practical, hands-on tasks. It's the hands-on portion that seems to frighten people. Most people, by

Got the car back

2010-07-01T00:50:00.000+01:00

The honest mechanic waved his magic wand and a small fortune later, we have the car again. Total walking the last week was about 20 miles or so. On looking back - I am surprised, well... not surprised. Dismayed, at how few people walk. The car is completely ubiquitous where I live. Every family but mine seems to have two cars at least. Consequently, things of my past like neighborhood grocery

No car - day four

2010-06-24T03:04:00.000+01:00

Today was all walking in the rain, fog, and drizzle, which was a total drag. People drive by and make no effort to avoid puddles or ditches. Consequently I got soaked from the waist-down by the time I got home today.One guy actually splashed up a nice little stone that hit me in the neck with considerable force. "Hey guy walking in the rain! Here's something a little special for you!" It is when

No car, day three

2010-06-22T02:41:00.000+01:00

This morning, I walked to work as usual. 1.8 miles, so far so good. I ended up taking a half-day off to deal with the car, so I walked home around 11, stopping to buy a birthday present for a boy who is turning 5, and for whom my 4yo is attending a birthday party to-morrow (ride pending) I couldn't find a kazoo so I had to settle for a Toy Story 3 Pez dispenser and some kind of a sticker book.

No car, Day Two

2010-06-21T03:56:00.000+01:00

So this morning, we need some things at the grocery store. Had this been June 20th, 1977 instead of 2010, I would have had several neighborhood grocers from whom I could choose. Some less than a hundred yards from me. But alas, good riddance to 1977, but I am envious of the convenience of shopping for someone on foot in that day, which I certainly was. The sidewalks are uneven, broken, and

Walking about town, Day One

2010-06-21T03:47:00.000+01:00

We yesterday, Saturday, I will with the 3.5 year-old, and driving on the backroads (there are only backroads from her other house to our home.) So on the way back, we take a different route, and I wanted to swing by the cemetery and water the flowers on the way home. Well we get by a stoplight and I am about 5 cars back and discover that the car isn't moving when I give it gas.... Wait a minute?

Happy Anniversary House Closing

2010-01-30T00:45:00.000Z

One year ago tonight we spent our first night in our new home. It was snowing like crazy the day we moved, and I had rented a large U-Haul which of course I couldn't drive. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an absolute menace on the road. I didn't get my license until I was an adult and haven't parallel parked since the Reagan administration. So I luckily had enough weight in the back to not go

Even More About Twitter

2010-01-20T03:19:00.000Z

I turned on "protected tweets" and now I feel like a poseur. Here I am up here saying "oh no - you cannot follow my 140-character bits of saucy wit without my approval first. I have to admit bots are annoying, but I really hate the way this makes me feel about myself. "In real life" we all can choose with whom we have conversations (most of the time; family excluded.) But how does social

Personal Internet use at the office

2010-01-16T01:26:00.000Z

Like many people who are responsible for information security at the workplace, I had a hand in creating an Acceptable Use Policy. It completely bans the use of personal email, and personal web browsing, while it magnanimously allows "incidental personal use" of the corporate email system. So in other words, if you are running late or want to just check in really quick with $SPOUSE, that is a

A few words about Twitter

2010-01-14T04:06:00.000Z

I've been using Twitter now for, I don't know, more than a year I guess, and I have to say like most people I both love and hate it. I like that I hear from people who have the same interests I do, sometimes they point me toward interesting news items, blog posts, new tools that are released (If you haven't gotten the latest w3af I highly recommend it.) Furthermore it is like FB in the sense that

More on the negative

2010-01-12T01:34:00.000Z

I am going to go a step further than yesterday's comments about people with 'character flaws' because it isn't hitting the point I want to get to. What I am talking about is more than flawed people. Hell we are all flawed. I am flawed. More than most people. And we are all self-involved to a point. What I am getting at is there are people who are self-involved, then there are the truly

People with character flaws

2010-01-11T00:47:00.000Z

A stressful situation reveals our true nature. If someone excuses their (or someone else's) bad behaviour, bad decision, or complete moral failing with the excuse "Well, he was just under stress." Don't believe it. It is how we handle critical situations that defines our character. It is *then* that you discover who people truly are. It is when the stakes are highest that every action matters

General Writing Ideas

2010-01-09T03:38:00.000Z

I told a good friend I would write this quick post to get him jumpstarted into writing again. My process is a little silly, but it works for me and helps me put together a coherent idea sometimes. It is just practice is all. Here is the genesis of one of my stories. First I do a quick outline for a story that happened at work. 1. What was I trying to do. 2. What was interesting or funny about it

Computer Security Training

2010-01-09T00:08:00.000Z

I found myself taking a long, strange road into information security. I started as a trainer for a records management company, then through working with their software and training others, I began to take an interest in ways the system could fail. What could a user do to hose the data? What could a malicious user do? The target audience (granted this was like 15 years ago) was not security aware,

Underappreciated Music

2010-01-08T02:47:00.001Z

Near the top of my list is The Yardbirds. Ahead of their time, hindered by strange management decisions, but blessed with some of the most innovative and energetic musicians of their time. Keith Relf was a great harmonica player. Truly forgotten in that sense. Shame he died so young and never seemed like a really happy fellow. Watching some of their performances from 1966 I am struck by how they

New desk is here

2010-01-07T22:29:00.001Z

writing to commence!

Now I need a desk

2010-01-06T02:32:00.001Z

Still missing a nice writing desk before I can really catch up on correspondence. I might be able to pawn one off some relatives.

Writing

2010-01-05T01:13:00.000Z

Today I picked up two empty books from Staples. One that is refillable and lays flat, and the other which has a funky green cover with an elastic band to keep it closed. Not sure what I am going to write in them but the promise of blank paper is infinitely appealing to me. For those who do not spend any time alone, writing, I highly recommend it. Not just for self-reflection, but to observe parts

The Queen's English Part 1

2010-01-04T03:32:00.001Z

I am seeking a teacher for elocution (not "electrocution", nor "electrotherapy" - all of which could be provided free by my co-workers.) I am afraid I will have to get some audio DVD's or some podcasts. What is my goal? To improve the way I speak. I have always been disgusted with my foolish 'p's and s's' and how sylvester-the-cat like they sound. I would very much like to read to children in the

Changing tonality and cadence

2010-01-03T05:15:00.001Z

I have found how hard it is today to change speech patterns. Granted this is the first day, and so I expect any improvement will take hard work. The goal is to slow down and enunicate more. Years ago, people could take classes in 'diction' which is why all the actors in the 1930-50' all sounded the same - there were few voice coaches then. That way of doing thing began to die off with the rise

Another year gone...

2010-01-01T23:51:00.000Z

... and what a year it was!So for the next year I will strive to become a "calm" person. No more getting fussed about the tribulations of everyday life. I will be kinder to my wife, and more patient with people. At work I won't be afraid to ask what I can do better. Even if I think I haven't done anything wrong in the first place. I will ask others how I can better work with them. I don't expect

Truly classic music

2009-10-14T05:00:00.000+01:00

The Yardbirds - "Roger the Engineer."Hard to believe it was 1966. It sounds much more modern.Borrow it from your local library if you haven't the means to get it from iTunes or Amazon.One of my top 10. Even over "Magical Mystery Tour" which was released the year later.

What makes Facebook so addicting?

2009-02-11T14:21:00.001Z

I thought about that question on my walk in to work today. I think, in a sense, it brings us all back to the first day of school."Will you be my friend? I know so-and-so."Acceptance and rejection, and a way to re-fight the psychological battles that, if one is normal, were probably lost 20 years ago or more.Facebook allows us to interact in a much less threatening manner, since the interaction (